Daniel Goddard Makes Soap Opera Return and Joins 'General Hospital': 'It Was Meant to Be'
The actor, 53, played Cane Ashby on The Young and The Restless for nearly 12 years from 2007-2019. Now, Goddard is taking on a more mysterious role as Henry Dalton, an environmental physics professor under investigation, according to Soap Opera Digest.
The best part is that General Hospital fans don't have to wait long to see Goddard make his debut. TV Insider reported that the actor will make his debut on Tuesday, April 15.
Goddard took a three-year hiatus from acting when he told Soap Opera Digest that he got an unexpected call from his former talent manager, Michael Bruno.
Bruno told Goddard that he would be great for the character of Jack Brennan. Goddard told the soap opera publication that he had some hesitations since he had been out of the acting scene for some time.
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'It was a bizarre experience for me,' Goddard told Soap Opera Digest. 'You feel like, in a way, you're going back to ground zero, back to the beginning of it all, even though you've been on a different soap opera for, like, 15 years. It was humbling, but it was more of an awakening, and in that moment, I felt extraordinarily vulnerable.'
Goddard auditioned for Jack and did not land the role, but he got something even better — his own character. Bruno called Goddard to tell him the show's creators created a character that they wanted him to play. Goddard secured his comeback.
'I was just gobsmacked by it,' Goddard gushed. 'I felt like it was meant to be.'
Goddard intentionally doesn't want to know too much about the character because he wants to be just as surprised as the audience, he told Soap Opera Digest.
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'I said to Frank [Valentini, executive producer], 'Don't tell me anything about the character.' ' His reason being, 'I'm allowing myself to go on the journey of who Dalton is from the audience's perspective, and from my perspective of what is the growth and evolution of him. I will allow it to unfold as the bits and pieces present themselves to me.'
Goddard is looking forward to reuniting with actress Genie Francis, who played Cane's mom Genevieve on The Young & The Restless and Laura currently on General Hospital.
"I've been waiting for my moment to see Genie and give her a big hello and a big hug,' he said.
As a sort of a hard launch, Goddard posted an Instagram video of himself walking through a hallway before going outside and showing the General Hospital sign on the front of the building. Goddard then smiled as he held his finger over his mouth to keep it a secret.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Daniel Goddard (@thedanielgoddard)
Goddard shared his excitement for his role on Instagram by sharing two fan accounts announcing him as the new professor in General Hospital.
He commented on one post writing, 'Thank you, it's going to be amazing!'
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by SoapsSpoilers.com (@soapsspoilersrecaps)
On @soapsspoilersrecaps, the actor showed appreciation for his supporters, 'Thank you! I'm so excited to be back.'
Looks like General Hospital fans are excited to have Goddard making his debut on the show.
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