General Hospital Star Marcus Coloma Finally Explains Why He's Been Temporarily Recast
Recasting a role on a soap opera is often necessary when an actor leaves and the storylines must continue. Soap Hub took a poll of fans' opinions on recasting and, while 59% felt it depended on the circumstances or the actor, 17% understood that it was sometimes unavoidable.
Actor Tyler Christopher originated the role of Nikolas Cassadine on "General Hospital" in 1996, quickly becoming a fan favorite. In 2016, the character was seemingly killed off and Christopher left the role, much to the fans' dismay. In 2019, the show brought Nikolas back, but recast the part with actor Marcus Coloma. Christopher told Soap Hub that while his personal problems caused him to lose a couple of soap parts, he was glad that Coloma was honoring the history he'd built with the character.
When Coloma first started the role, he was concerned that he was going to be killed off, feeling his acting wasn't good enough (via State of Mind). While oftentimes fans don't like it when their favorite character is recast, the number of positive responses was overwhelming, with one tweeting, "Welcome aboard Marcus!!! Can't wait to see where you take Nikolas's character!!"
Recently, the role has been temporarily recast and Coloma allayed fans' fears on social media.
Marcus Coloma dances his problems away
"General Hospital" fans have been wondering why actor Marcus Coloma, who plays Nikolas Cassadine, has been temporarily recast with actor Adam Huss. Coloma posted his explanation on Instagram with a video of himself dancing to "The Loneliest Time" by Carly Rae Jepsen featuring Rufus Wainwright. Text overlaid on the video revealed that he had been out after being diagnosed with COVID. He wrote in the caption, "So here's the deal, thank you all for the lovely love, I should be back on the screen next week."
Nicholas Chavez — who plays Coloma's on-screen son, Spencer Cassadine, on "GH" — commented, "I'm convinced that there is no problem in Marcus Coloma's life that doing a little dance can't solve," to which Coloma replied, "Now you get it." Other fellow co-stars such as Finola Hughes, Tanisha Harper, and Cameron Mathison expressed their agreement as well, with one fan saying, "Nothing like busting [a] move to get you going." Many of the fans agreed they prefer it when Coloma plays Nikolas, with one stating, "I hate when you aren't on! NOBODY is Nickolas but you."
According to Soaps She Knows, actor Tyler Christopher — who originated the role of Nikolas Cassadine in 1996, playing it for 20 years — got wind of the temporary recast and posted on his Instagram Story, "I'm available if Marcus Coloma needs a day off... just sayin'."