Why General Hospital's Josh Kelly Felt Like He Let Fans Down When He Joined The Show

When Josh Kelly first joined "General Hospital" in June 2022, fans weren't too pleased with his character Cody Bell because of the many lies he told. Some even wanted him written off the show, but Cody rescuing the character Sasha had fans changing their minds. However, Kelly has an apology for "General Hospital" fans, because he feels like he didn't live up to the potential he was supposed to when he first appeared on the sudser. Cody is meant to be incredibly physically fit, and Kelly felt he didn't initially put in the work to bring that to life.

Cody made his grand entrance in Port Charles via a round of shirtless parachuting, landing in a pool (but not without knocking the character Britt in too). In March 2024, Kelly was interviewed on "The Daily Drama Podcast" by fellow "General Hospital" actors Bradford Anderson and Steve Burton. Burton mentioned how Kelly looked different than their last interview and asked what prompted that.

Kelly explained that he began working out more because of his gig as Cody. "I felt like I was letting down the show and the genre by being complacent," he said. "And there's no real point in — I don't think actors should necessarily be defined by their physicality, but it helps with suspension of disbelief."

In his "The Daily Drama Podcast" interview, Josh Kelly apologized to fans: "And formally, I apologize, I think I should've taken it — I should've worked harder." He went on to say how he landed his first acting gig by being shirtless and didn't like that. "I'm like, 'I'm a good enough person where I don't, I shouldn't have to have a six-pack!' So I think I've pushed against it, and I apologize to the audience," he said. "Because my character was supposed to be in much better shape when I first showed up on the show."

Kelly also mentioned how Bradford Anderson's character Damian Spinelli even had a line about how "handsome" Cody was, and Kelly believed he didn't meet that expectation. Anderson felt Kelly was being too hard on himself, feeling that Kelly not being as fit as he could have been was because he was still figuring out his character. "You were still trying to find your place," Anderson added.

Kelly still thought he could've done better. "I should've been more physically prepared," he said, pointing out how his health journey has been enjoyable. "But it's been fun. I mean, getting physically fit and healthy is never a bad [thing]."

Speaking to Soap Opera Digest in 2023, Josh Kelly spoke more about his fitness journey. After his time in the Army, he moved to Los Angeles with the goal of becoming an actor. In what unfortunately seems to be common, a casting director advised Kelly to lose weight. "I just assumed I'd be the funny fat guy," Kelly said, "but they said my face was symmetrical and I should lose weight and go in for leading man roles. So, I got in shape."

Many would find that casting director's comment incredibly insensitive, but Kelly didn't seem to mind it. He started getting cast in projects in 2006. However, a few years into his career in 2010, Kelly was asked to join "One Life to Live" and was resistant to joining a soap opera. "I didn't really see myself doing a soap opera," Kelly said. "I'd watched 'General Hospital' when I was in high school because my sister watched it, but it never seemed like the genre that I would be fit for."

However, his "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" co-star Josh Duhamel had his own soap experience on "All My Children" and encouraged him to do it. "And I'm so glad I did," Kelly added. He joined "One Life to Live" as Cutter and is an alum of that now-canceled sudser. For more on Kelly's behind-the-scenes life, check out the pre-"General Hospital" connection Kelly has with his co-star Sofia Mattsson.