'General Hospital' Star Michael Easton on the 'Finality' of His Surprise Exit

Michael Easton departed in the June 27 episode after portraying Hamilton Finn since 2016.

By Megan Behnke

Michael Easton is opening up about his surprising exit from General Hospital. After starring on the long-running soap opera since 2012 as numerous characters, Easton and fans said goodbye to his latest character, Hamilton Finn after eight years in late June. Ahead of his final episode, he shared an Instagram video to confirm his exit, but he didn't share exact details surrounding the reason.

As for how Finn departed Port Charles, he entered into rehab. He told SoapHub that while he's grateful that the show gave him such powerful storylines over the years, he does wish that the exit wasn't so rushed. "From an acting standpoint, I would have liked to have just brought a little more subtlety and nuance to it," Easton shared. "I had to get to a point very quickly. I was the beneficiary of a lot of really good writing and directing. I got to work with some really wonderful actors. I think there was a finality [to my exit], and there was a finality for me to it, too."

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(Photo:

GENERAL HOSPITAL – Episode "14939" – "General Hospital" airs Monday – Friday, on ABC (check local listings). (Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images) MICHAEL EASTON

- Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images)

Despite his ending feeling rushed, Easton was still able to make it worthwhile. He had an emotional goodbye with his TV daughter, Jophielle Love, which was "the hardest goodbye of them all" due to the fact that Easton has a daughter in real life and he and Love had an "immediate connection." He also confessed that he's been thinking a lot about his late co-stars, including Sonya Eddy, Johnny Wactor, Tyler Christopher, and Billy Miller. "There was a lot of emotion going on along with the storytelling," Easton said. "Even though [Finn's fall] felt rushed in a way, I felt that I was very raw to begin with."

Michael Easton is the latest actor to depart from General Hospital. His on-screen dad, Gregory Harrison, exited in the May 21 episode when his character died in his sleep due to ALS. Nicholas Alexander Chavez also departed earlier this year after initially taking a temporary hiatus to film Netflix's Monsters. While actors have come and gone from the soap over the years, it never gets any easier. It's hard to tell if Easton will be able to return in the future, but since Finn did have an open ending, it's always possible. For now, it will be exciting to see what he does next.

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