Nathan Dean is returning to General Hospital on April 17 as Ethan Lovett, ending a six-year absence from Port Charles and bringing back one of the soap's most complicated sons. The return was set in motion late last year after the death of Anthony Geary, who played Ethan's on-screen father, Luke Spencer.
Dean said he wanted to come back for a short visit after Geary died to pay respects to the man he called one of his best friends, his mentor on the show and like a brother to him. Frank Valentini and Mark Teschner reached out right before Christmas break and asked him to return, and Dean said the timing felt right for a role tied so closely to Geary's legacy.
That legacy still shapes the character. Dean said he and Geary were very similar off set, and he credited Geary with helping him and establishing the family dynamic that defined Luke and Ethan as gray-area characters, neither good guys nor bad guys. The return also carries another loss for Dean: Tristan Rogers, who played Robert Scorpio, had been another presence from his earlier run, though Dean said he did not work with him until more recently and wished he had had more time.
After leaving the soap, Dean spent time in prime-time on Roswell, New Mexico and The Originals, and he said the daytime pace came back with its own adjustment. He admitted to first-day nerves and said the first week had some growing pains, but he also said he got to work with Maurice Benard and Jane Elliot after returning and felt the rhythm of the show come back quickly.
His first scenes are with Lulu Spencer, now played by Alexa Havins, and Dean said the dynamic with Lulu was rekindled with the new actress in the part. He also said the writing is giving Ethan a little more edge now, something he likes. Looking ahead, Dean said Ethan's mother, Holly Sutton, played by Emma Samms, may resurface, and that possibility has already been discussed.
For viewers asking who is ethan on gh, the answer is the same one General Hospital keeps circling back to: Ethan Lovett is a character defined by family ties, unfinished business and the shadow of Luke Spencer. Dean's return on April 17 gives the show a way to honor Geary while reopening a role that still has room to move.