General Hospital star Erika Slezak recently shared her experiences on the show and the joy of reconnecting with familiar faces from One Life to Live. Slezak, also recognized for her role as Victoria Viki Lord in One Life to Live, joined General Hospital for a brief stint as Veronica “Ronnie” Bard, the unexpected younger sister of Monica Quartermaine.
During her time on set, she not only had the opportunity to share scenes with iconic stars like Jane Elliot but also reunited with several former castmates from One Life to Live.
Erika Slezak on reuniting with One Life to Live castmates on General Hospital
In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, Erika Slezak expressed her enjoyment of every moment spent on General Hospital. She emphasized the joy of working alongside her One Life to Live co-stars, including Josh Kelly and Amanda Setton. “It was wonderful, the way the writers put me together with all my old One Life to Live pals in one way or another.”
Filming with Kelly and Setton was a delightful experience for Slezak. However, the most touching moment occurred when she encountered Chris McKenna, who portrayed her on-screen son Joey in One Life to Live during the 1990s.
“Chris McKenna, my darling Joey, who grew up to be the most handsome and wonderful actor. He brought his family to the studio one day while I was there. When he was 11 and started on One Life as Joey, he always needed an adult present because he was a minor, and it was always his mother, Marianne.”
Slezak continued, “Marianne and I became very close; we spent a lot of time talking. She visited that day along with his gorgeous wife [Lovisa] and beautiful little baby, Spencer. Meeting them all was such a treat.”
Slezak also had reunions with her One Life to Live co-stars. They enjoyed an evening at Tuc Watkins’ place in L.A., where she also dined with her former on-screen husband, Mark Derwin, and his partner, Toni.
“I’ve always loved Mark; we got along so well, and I cherished working with him. We enjoyed our collaboration [as Viki and Ben] immensely. It was a pleasure to see him, even though I ended up talking to Toni most of the time at the restaurant!”
Slezak instantly connected with Toni, describing her as “the most wonderful, charming, beautiful woman.” With a laugh, she added, “At one point, I turned to Mark and said, ‘I’m not ignoring you; I’m just really interested in Toni!’”
