General Hospital's Laura Wright Breaks Our Hearts Describing Last Days With Castmate Jacklyn Zeman
You would think that being the younger sister of the world-saving hero Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary) would be something difficult to live up to. But for Bobbi Spencer, his derring-do didn't intimidate her in the least on "General Hospital." Bobbi had her own issues to deal with between the men in her life, climbing the nursing ladder, and (initially, at least) her scheming long-lost daughter Carly Benson (then Sarah Brown) who came out of the woodwork to destroy Bobbi's life. Carly did succeed in trashing Bobbi's marriage because she didn't understand why she was given up for adoption while Bobbi had this spectacular life in Port Charles. Eventually, Carly understood what motivated Bobbi and they became close.
Bobbi was portrayed by Jacklyn Zeman, who tragically died from cancer on May 9, but she's still fondly remembered by friends, fans, and co-workers. Laura Wright stepped into the part of Carly in 2005, and she and Zeman became fast friends. Prior to a recent fan event, Wright spoke to Eldredge ATL and talked about her last scenes with Zeman in a story involving the 2023 Nurses Ball. She reflected on her fallen castmate, saying, "Jackie was incredible and had the best stories on the planet."
Laura Wright was grateful to be with Jacklyn Zeman for her last scenes
In Laura Wright's interview with Eldredge ATL, she reminisced about her "General Hospital" co-star, Jacklyn Zeman. She explained that because the Nurses' Ball is an event where much of the cast sits in the audience while a few get up on stage and perform, that gives the actors a great deal of time to talk. "When we shoot that, there's a lot of time for chit-chatting and all of our stuff is stashed under the table — your water, your phone and we're sitting on our scripts," she explained. The cast had fun watching the performances, and Wright explained that they shot a week, stating, "I had five days that week of sitting and hanging out with Jackie from eight in the morning until nine o'clock at night. It was such a gift."
Seated at the table with Carly and Bobbi was Carly's daughter Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy), and her friend, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali). Wright continued, "The four of us sat together so I was like, 'Jackie, tell them this story or that story!' She had travelled the world and had the most incredible life experiences, both on and off camera." Wright marveled at the fact that Zeman had played Bobbi since 1977 and was glad to be there, stating, "It was incredible to get to have that full week with Jackie and hanging out with her every day right before we lost her."
The bond between Wright and Zeman was undeniable. After Zeman's death, her on-screen daughter reflected on how much she'd miss her fellow actor in a touching Instagram tribute. "I'm so grateful to have shared so many years with this beautiful woman," she wrote.