‘General Hospital’ spoilers share that TV Insider recently interviewed Steve Burton, and Variety recently interviewed Jane Elliot about Jason Morgan and Tracy Quartermaine’s grief over Monica’s death.
Losing longtime co-star and actress Leslie Charleson, as well as the iconic character of Monica Quartermaine, was emotionally difficult for both Burton and Elliot.
Burton started playing Jason Quartermaine in 1991. He shared with the outlet that he never really had to rehearse the scenes with his on-screen mother as he felt a special connection with her.
Burton told TV Insider that it was “surreal” to be playing out Jason’s heartbreak months after Charleson’s death.
He added,
“You have a woman who I love dearly who passed, but you had her character, who was still alive. It was just this weird world to be in.”
In the story, Jason was the one who discovered that Monica had passed away. He went downstairs to tell Tracy, who was in disbelief.
The two of them shared some emotional moments, and their portrayers, Burton and Elliot, were wonderfully poignant in their shared grief after Monica’s death.
At the memorial service on September 25th, Jason gave a moving eulogy as he was devastated that he turned his back on his family after the accident that left him brain-damaged.
When he started working for Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard), he wrote off the Quartermaines because he thought they were trying to control him.
He’s a man filled with regret. Although he wishes he had more time with his mom, he can appreciate the time he spent with her when he and Danny Morgan (Asher Antonyzyn) moved into the mansion.
‘General Hospital’ Spoilers: Monica’s Send-Off Was A Touching Tribute To Both The Actress And The Character
Burton had a lot of sentiment about his eulogy for Monica. The actor didn’t even read it until the day he was scheduled to perform it. He said,
“There was no planning. I was there emotionally, already, so I just got up and spoke, and that was it.”
Elliot, started playing the role of Tracy in 1978. She explained that she found it challenging to play scenes as if Monica was still alive after Charleson had passed.
She said,
“It extended the mourning because we had to keep her alive when she wasn’t. I had to mourn her death twice.”
It was doubly hard after Charleson died because Elliot had shared experience with both Charleson and Monica. Elliot explained,
“One was obviously the person, and the other was the character, but at a certain point, they blended. She left me twice.”
Tracy lost her parents, her brother, Alan Quartermaine (Stuart Damon), and the love of her life, Luke Spencer (Tony Geary).
Elliot said of Monica and Tracy,
“They were the only two left standing. So, losing her was like losing an arm.”
Tracy’s eulogy was a heartwarming surprise. Tracy said that while at first, she wasn’t a fan of Monica.
When Monica first married her brother, Alan, Tracy thought she wasn’t good enough to be a Quartermaine. However, Monica didn’t just become one of them, “she was the best of them.”
Monica’s send-off was everything the soap had promised. Most of all, it was an occasion to celebrate a beloved actress and character who will forever remain at the heart of the show and the Quartermaine family.
