Erika Slezak has come out of soap opera retirement for a special opportunity.
The “One Life to Live” icon recently completed a story arc on “General Hospital,” marking her first soap opera role since “One Life to Live” ended in 2012.
She told People in a piece published Friday that executive producer Frank Valentini, who worked with her on the previous show, extended the offer. “Wow, can I still do this?” Slezak said she thought at the time, revealing she was initially hesitant about the role. But the six-time Daytime Emmy winner’s doubt disappeared when she learned who would be her primary scene partner.
“Frank said, ‘You’re going to be working with Jane Elliot a lot,’ and I went, ‘Yep, I’ll do it,’ because she is probably one of the best actresses I’ve ever worked with in my life. She’s amazing,” Slezak said.
Elliot, 78, has played Tracy Quartermaine on “General Hospital” since 1978 and earned an Emmy for the role.
“I’ve never known anyone who could say the worst, nastiest, meanest things in the world with a smile on her face and make it work,” Slezak added of Elliot’s talent.
Slezak portrayed Victoria “Viki” Lord on “One Life to Live” from 1971 until 2012. Her forthcoming “General Hospital” character will be Veronica “Ronnie” Bard, the long-lost sister of Monica Quartermaine, played by Leslie Charleson from 1977 until her death in January 2025.
The storyline revealed that Ronnie and Monica were orphans separated in foster care, with Monica raised by a wealthy family while Ronnie struggled to support herself. Slezak described her character as a “simple girl, not in a bad way, but in a good way,” with “no pretensions, no artifice to her.”
Slezak wrapped filming for her character in early November. However, she left the door open for a possible return, telling the outlet, “we’ll see.”
Per IMDb, she will appear in 20 episodes of “General Hospital” as Ronnie.