“I loved playing Noah, but…” — Rory Gibson embraces the darker challenges of his character on General Hospital

Rory Gibson has joined the cast of General Hospital with his debut episode slated to air on May 23, 2025. He is the new Michael Corinthos. While the previous Michael actor, Chad Duell, exited the soap for personal reasons, the recast was kept under wraps for a long time. Fortunately for fans, Rory's Michael arrives in time for the 2025 Nurses Ball with its shocking revelations.

Rory is not new to soap, having played Noah Newman on The Young and the Restless between 2021 and 2023. Rory told TV Insider, as published on May 22, 2025:

"I loved playing Noah, but I do feel a really strong connection to this character of Michael."

However, the actor is aware of the difference between Noah, the growing teenager with teenage angst, and Michael, the jilted adult harbouring agony. In his own words:

"I feel like he has a lot more at stake...there’s so much suspense and so much consequence behind all of them."

The actor admitted that it was both exciting and challenging to play Michael since Chad Duell had owned the character for 15 years. Although intense, Rory felt fulfilled in his new role.

Meanwhile, General Hospital fans are awaiting their beloved Corinthos to return to Port Charles and put things in place with his wife, children and mother. The long-running ABC daily soap has more exciting story arcs playing out in parallel to Michael's homecoming.

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Rory Gibson steps in as Michael Corinthos on General Hospital

As mentioned before, while speaking to TV Insider, Rory Gibson spoke about his approach to playing Michael. As a running start, the Y&R star looked up the General Hospital character but refrained from watching too many old episodes for the fear of copying Chad's work.

Instead, he understood the character from the notes from the production team and from friends and family who were viewers. He tried to understand the character's crossroads and traumatic events that led to Michael's current mental state. Rory explained that his Michael wants an untroubled life, while also feeling a "thirst for vengeance and justice."

He will need to tread carefully as Rory plays out Michael's dynamics with his adoptive father, Sonny, his mother, Carly, his chldren, Wiley and Amelia, his estranged wife, Willow, and others in Port Charles. Moreover, he has to handle Michael's delicate situation with Sasha.

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General Hospital: How was Chad Duell's exit and Rory Gibson's entry played?

As Chad Duell announced his exit, fans worried about the exit arc. January 2025 saw Michael fall an unintended victim of an explosion targeted at his adoptive father. Receiving 40 per cent burns, Michael was shipped off to a burns clinic in Germany. With this arc, Chad Duell left General Hospital.

The past four months referred to Michael as recuperating away from the town. The storyline mentioned Carly and Jason visiting and meeting him, while Willow travelled to Baden-Baden to meet him.

However, as Michael and Willow's custody hearing dates moved forward, no one in Port Charles, including Carly, had any information on his release plans. While, Carly thought she would represent Michael, on his behalf, in the court, both Jason and Sonny thought Michael should be told about his case hearings.

However, Tuesday's episode, dated May 20, 2025, ended with an unknown person watching Drew and Willow on the screen of a tablet, while sitting in a private aircraft. This hinted at Michael keeping tabs at all the happenings in Port Charles. He will likely stay low before coming forward for his custody hearing.

Meanwhile behind the scenes, Rory Gibson was announced to be taking up the role of Michael in early May 2025. The General Hospital fans expected him to return home after his treatment session for burns winds up and possibly land during the Nurses Ball.

As per Rory's interview, he was spotted when he approached the show to audition for the role of Vaughn. While actor Bryce Durfee grabbed the role, Rory was later called in for secret auditions with Kate Mansi, Katey MacMullen, Steve Burton and Laura Wright. After multiple rounds of auditions, he was finalized to be recast as Michael Corinthos.

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Rory's Michael will start appearing of television screens from May 23, 2025. Stay tune to catch the drama as Michael arrives in town unexpectedly on General Hospital.