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Laura Wright swaps coasts to play Carly on GH
Tune in Tomorrow by Nancy Reichardt
Laura Wright couldn't refuse leaving her gig as Cassie on "Guiding Light" to assume the premier role of Carly on "General Hospital."
"It's a great role on a great show," smiles Wright, who's been watching "General Hospital" since she was 11 years old. "Carly is definitely a scrapper, which I love. There's also a softness to her because she's a woman and a mother. Yet, she's also a mother bear. If anyone messes with her kids, she will fight for them."
While excited about her new job, forsaking her old one was hard.
"I have to say that it was a rough last few weeks for me at 'Guiding Light,'" reflects Wright. "Leaving that show was honestly the hardest thing I've ever done. I'd been there for eight years. Saying goodbye to these people who had been my family -- particularly, Bradley Cole (Jeffrey), Kim Zimmer (Reva), Stephanie Gatschet (Tammy) and Robert Newman (Josh) -- was difficult."
Yet, Wright knew it was time to move on.
"I was done playing Cassie," insists Wright, noting that she was absolutely certain when "my recast started my last day and I didn't care. We chitchatted in the hallway. I gave her any advice I could and wished her well."
Now, Wright looks forward to making her mark on "General Hospital."
"I know the show. I know the characters," she says. "I can't believe I'm going to get to work with Anthony Geary (Luke). That's a dream come true."
Wright's been working overtime trying to learn everything she can about Carly's past.
"I've been asking a thousand questions," she laughs. "To (head writers) Robert Guza Jr. and Charles Pratt Jr. to (associate head writer) Elizabeth Korte to (executive producer) Jill Farren Phelps ... I ask anyone that can give me an answer. Maurice Benard (Sonny) has been wonderful, too. I told him, 'Look, I'm going to need your help. You know Sonny and Carly's relationship a lot better than I do. You've played it for so many years.'"
Aside from settling into her new job, Wright is also settling into new surroundings. The actress, her husband John, and their children, Lauren and Little John, had to move cross-country from New Jersey to Los Angeles.
"My kids love it here," says Wright, "although they're dying for their bikes and stuff to get here. And I can't wait for all our furniture to arrive. Kids are resilient. They learn to fall in love with things. I think this move is good for them. Even if we just stay here for the term of my contract and then leave, they'll always be able to look back at photo albums and say, 'Remember when we lived in California?'
"That's another reason that I took the job," continues Wright. "My husband said, 'Do you want to be 70, sitting on the front porch with me saying, Why didn't we ever do that?' You only live once. Why not take every opportunity you could possibly take?"
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