Chris McKenna on ‘OLTL’ Mom Erika Slezak Joining ‘GH’: ‘It’ll Be Hard for Me Not to Cry’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Soap opera hunk talks Jack Brennan, going on contract, clashing with Anna and loving Carly
As the drama surrounding General Hospital’s Jack Brennan and the WSB heats up, One Life to Live vet Chris McKenna sits down with Woman’s World to reflect on stepping into the role created by Charles Mesure, falling for Laura Wright’s Carly Spencer and finally getting into it with Finola Hughes’ Anna Devane.
Having also had fun on The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, as well as Chicago Fire and NCIS, the soap opera hunk gets candid about moving from recurring to contract status on General Hospital and what that means for Brennan.
Plus, with former onscreen mom Erika Slezak coming to General Hospital, the dad who once played a tween Joey Buchanan on One Life to Live has a plea for showrunner Frank Valentini!
GH star Chris McKenna teases what to expect now that he’s “sticking around’ as Brennan
Since Chris McKenna assumed the role of Agent Jack Brennan, General Hospital has been quietly setting the scenes for drama. Valentin’s villainous pal has fallen for Carly, recruited her daughter to the WSB, and even saved a few days. With Britt and Jason now tied to Josslyn and Vaugh’s case involving Dalton, stories are colliding—and the actor who got his soapy start on One Life to Live over 30 years ago is thrilled.
“More and more is slowly getting revealed about this guy, which has been cool to read,” McKenna teases. “We’re starting to see different sides of him and starting to see cracks in his armor. He’s a guy who can’t let his heart get in the way, and he’s fallen in love against his will—perhaps at risk to his career and his health.”
“It’s no longer a two-dimensional character or a sexy leading man. This is a complex human I get to play—and I get to plumb all the depths, now that I’m going to be sticking around,” continues the daytime vet who revealed during this weekend’s GH Fan Club Weekend that he’s been bumped to contract status. “It’s my first chance since I was a preteen to spend time with a role. At this age, with much more experience under my belt, I’m excited to create a character I can be proud of and love—and hopefully people come to love, even if you love to hate him!”
On ‘butting heads’ with Finola Hughes’ Anna: ‘It’s so fun’
One reason the audience is finally set to learn more about Brennan is that Anna finally realized he’s recruited Josslyn.
“I had no idea that Brennan was going to be snatching Anna over that, but I love it—and it’s so fun getting to work closely with Finola Hughes!” McKenna cheers. “Now, we get to see Anna and him butting heads, and Jack has someone to reckon with. He’s always talking to someone he’s in love with and can’t tell anything to or barking orders at the people who work underneath him, who he doesn’t have to be honest with.”
“Anna knows him and knows his BS,” he adds. “They can spar, and we’re getting more information about their relationship, history and competing outlooks on the WSB.”
Carly gives Brennan ‘some sort of peace’
Thus far, it’s been hard to know what Brennan is up to—and that’s by design.
“If I’m doing it right, you should not know where he’s coming from, what he’s thinking or what his plans are, because you can’t become the head of the WSB if everyone sees you coming,” McKenna insists. “I can’t just wander into every room with a twinkle in my eye. He’s got to have a lot of cards up his sleeve, so with every character, he’s a different person. I have the best role in daytime, because he’s so many different characters!”
While the former head of Pikeman is selling himself as a good guy now, however, some fans still believe he’s still targeting mob boss Sonny and his territory.
“I wouldn’t be surprised at anything Brennan is involved in,” McKenna hedges. “But I also believe there is an end game, and that he believes whatever he’s done is for the greater good. Now, that may very well mean offing Sonny, at some point, because it has to be done . . . but I do think he believes his motivations are justified. Whether or not anyone would agree with him is another matter!”
The ‘GH’ turn Chris McKenna, Laura Wright and Eden McCoy can’t wait for
Whatever Brennan’s long game is, McKenna is convinced his character has real feeling for Laura Wright’s Carly.
“Just being around her gives him some sort of peace,” he says. “It helps with the pressure of having to make decisions where lives are in the balance. She is the only respite he gets, so he’s becoming more and more dependent on her—which is gonna suck when things come to a head!”
By “things” he means the fact that Carly’s beau has secretly recruited her daughter to the WSB!
“When Laura sees scenes with me and Josslyn, she’s like, ‘Oh, my God, I am going to kill you,’” McKenna shares with a laugh. “Yes, we know! And Eden McCoy [who plays Josslyn] has said, ‘It gives me anxiety just thinking about what she’s going to do to you.’ But I am really looking forward to it.”
“Laura is such an amazing actress, and I’m having such a good time working with her. I can’t wait to get to those scenes,” he adds.
McKenna has actually been looking forward to getting into it with Wright for a few years, now.
“GH has reached out to me many times about pairing me with Laura, but it never happened, so when it came up again, I rolled my eyes . . . and then I didn’t have a bumpy road taking over on Valentine’s Day, right after the first kiss!” he cracks. “I knew it was going to be a challenge, but it was exactly what I wanted, right now, so I’m glad it all worked out the way it did.”
Dad duties, his podcast and his latest script
A big reason the timing was right for McKenna’s soapy return is that his son, Spencer, just turned one.
“I waited a long time to have my first kid and start this family, and I don’t want to miss a minute of it,” he explains. “Now, I work 15 minutes from my home, I love what I’m doing and I have so much time off that I can spend as a dad. I feel fortunate.”
Having spent his July hiatus taking Spencer to hang with his family in Connecticut and his wife Lovisa Jansson’s family in Sweden, McKenna’s back to balancing his roles. In addition to General Hospital, he’s got a new episode of his horror podcast, Thomas Tessier’s World of Hurt, landing soon; a limited series pilot he wrote in pre-production, and students to teach at Joshua LeBar Studios in North Hollywood.
“I’ve been in this business for so long,” McKenna says. “I’ve made mistakes. I’ve thought I was on top of the world, that it would never go away, and then had it all taken away. But I would do this for free. It’s something I’ve done since I was a child. I love all aspects of it—and I love being able to help people who are trying to take that same journey.
“I spent a lot of time being competitive and not wanting to teach people my secrets,” he adds. “I wanted to win. But there’s plenty of success to go around, and I win them all when I’m playing for everybody.”
On Erika Slezak coming to ‘GH’: ‘Put me in at least one scene!’
While McKenna is loving dad duty and Brennan’s brewing drama, he’s also enjoying his One Life to Live reunions with General Hospital showrunner Frank Valentini, director Gary Tomlin, actress Susan Batten (who pops in to play Luna) and other familiar faces behind the scenes.
“Working with multiple people from One Life to Live is blowing my mind,” he says. “It’s really cool to have so many decades pass and now see where we are in our lives. Frank was an assistant stage manager back in the day, so it’s incredible to see how sharp and involved he is and how much he cares. It’s all very special.”
With soap opera icon Erika Slezak returning to ABC soon, the actor who was just a boy when he played her son Joey Buchanan on One Life to Live cannot wait to see what General Hospital has in store for her—and them!
“I’m not just hoping to work with her—I’m gonna attack Frank if he doesn’t put me in at least one scene,” McKenna says. “I can’t wait to see her in the hallway. It’s going to be hard for me not to cry. It’ll be special to finally see her again, and I just want to say one word with her on camera. Let me ask her where the bathroom is. Anything!”
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