Just when you thought that things couldn’t get any crazier on “General Hospital,” it has. Having Ric bound and gagged in Alexis’s basement was probably not on anyone’s bingo card for this week, and yet, here we are. Longtime GH fans will likely consider this as payback for that time a few decades ago when Ric locked a very pregnant Carly in a panic room. Plus, Ric should just know better than to double-cross Ava, who has killed people for less.
Ric has been informed by both Alexis and Kristina that this will be his life for the next thirty days. Ava, on the other hand, just secured a month’s worth of sleeping pills, so we can only imagine what her actual plan is. Ric Hearst, who portrays Ric Lansing, recently chatted with Soap Opera Digest about his character’s latest debacle.
Ric Lansing’s Karma Involves a Cot in the Basement and Duct Tape
ABCRic Lansing’s current plight isn’t lost on Rick Hearst, as he shared with Soap Opera Digest how fans have never forgotten what he did to Carly. “Fans bring it up to me constantly. For so long, it has been such a benchmark for the character, and a black stain on the character.”
The actor loves how, in spite of his character having grown and become a bit more redeemable, karma still caught up with him. “I loved it! It’s so interesting because Ric is seemingly not that guy anymore — the nefariousness of blackmail seems like nothing in comparison to what he used to be! But it’s like they say, the evil that men do lives after them. And here it is — it’s a reverse panic room, right in his face!”
Hearst continues, “When [Executive Producer] Frank [Valentini] told me about it, he goes, ‘Oh yeah, you get bumped in the head, and you’re gonna be held in Alexis’s basement.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, so I’m in the panic room now!’ It’s not lost on me — I don’t think it’s been lost on anybody that not only am I held captive, but I’m strapped to a bed, much like Carly.’
Rick Hearst Is Finding the Dark Humor in His Storyline
ABCWhile the storyline itself may feel very dark and sinister, Rick sees a lot of room for comedy to play out via the irony of the situation.
“I do think there is a dark comedy aspect to it because the irony is so thick, and because it’s three different women in his life who are literally holding him captive for different reasons. I think people are going to enjoy it and that it’s going to be very gratifying for many fans to see Ric get it this way.”
Falling Is Harder Than it Looks
ABCThis whole situation began with Ric and Kristina fighting in Alexis’s living room. Things exploded when Ava arrived. Ric then decided to run down a list of all the ways that he had double-crossed her. Including how he had stolen her share of the money that they had blackmailed Alexis to get. Ava realized that the man she believed had been helping her had actually stolen her divorce settlement, leaving her broke. She then picked up a paperweight and smashed the back of Ric’s head with it. He fell like a ton of bricks and was out cold.
The actor shared just how tricky a fall like that can actually be. “Well, when you’re doing a stunt fall, you’re hoping that you fall into a fairly comfortable position, because I had to lie there looking like a crash test dummy when I hit the ground. Each time, it was like, ‘Rick, you good there? Yeah, I’m fine, no problem, I’m all right.’ But I’m like, ‘Damn, they’ve gotta get the 60-year-old and put him on the ground?’ Thankfully, it wasn’t an intense stunt, but I still had to do the fall; I still had to take the fall. It was just good to know that I was still capable of doing that!” explained Hearst.
Rick Hearst Hopes That This Situation Never Fully Goes Away
ABCWho knows how long Alexis, Kristina, and Ava will keep Ric locked away? Hearst hopes that when it is all over, this is one of those situations that will never be forgotten.
“I think that’s brilliant from a character standpoint, but I do hope that this continues to live, if and when I get released — that every time we run into each other, each one of us, this is the secret that we all hold. We all know what that secret is, which gives such amazing tension to the room, even if we’re all just at a barbecue together! It really is so rich. Everybody being able to get those little digs at one another is just beautiful. It’s just rife with the possibilities of a revenge tour, of revenge against each other. I hope I get that opportunity!”
1 thought on “GH’s Rick Hearst Dishes on Ric Being Held Hostage”