General Hospital Alum Amber Tamblyn Pays Tribute To The Show That Made Her A Star

Amber Tamblyn got her start on the legendary soap "General Hospital" playing Emily Quartermaine from 1995 to 2001. When Emily's mother died of cancer, she was adopted by Monica and Alan Quartermaine (Leslie Charleson and Stuart Damon). She became fast friends with Lucky Spencer (Jonathan Jackson), Nikolas Cassadine (then Tyler Christopher), and Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst), and was part of the mid-90s teen scene.

On the January 4 special, "General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling," Tamblyn joined cast members old and new to pay tribute to the beloved soap opera. "Being a part of 'General Hospital' was one of the best experiences of my life," she said, citing Damon — whom she called a wonderful human being — and Herbst among the many reasons her time on the show was so great. "The cast of 'General Hospital' became like my own family. Just the way the characters have come to feel like family to the millions of people who watch day in and day out," she said. She noted that the show has created the most "complex," and "fascinating" families in its six decades on the air, "But none of them do scandals, schemes, or Thanksgiving quite like the [Quartermaines]."

On January 4, Tamblyn posted a behind-the-scenes video of her experience participating in the special on Instagram, in which she lovingly said, "Just what a special, special day getting to visit my old 'General Hospital' family again."

"General Hospital" alum Amber Tamblyn also captioned her Instagram post by discussing the 60th anniversary special. "Happy 60th to my GH family! Your forever Emily Quartermaine, Amber," she wrote. Her appearance touched an emotional chord with the fans, as one responded, "Crying watching this! So great seeing you. The memories ... thank you." 

Tamblyn hosts a video podcast called "Listening in the Dark with Amber Tamblyn." On her website for the show, she posted a lengthy essay that discussed the importance of soap operas, as well as her joyous time participating in the special. Praising the soap opera genre for not only being much-needed escapism but also something that bonds people and families who watch them together. "You may have watched your mom or grandma's favorite soap opera with them when you were young," she wrote, adding, "or when you were home sick from school and the high drama of a soap storyline felt as healing as chicken soup."

When she took a walk through the studio with casting director Mark Teschner, she got to see so many familiar faces from her time on the show from in front and behind the camera. "Even the stage manager, Craig McManus, was still there wearing his classic denim jeans and big, joyous smile," she wrote. She said she gave hugs to everyone. "It felt like not a day had gone by since I had last been there," she said.