'General Hospital' stars talk about pressure, challenges of acting for T.V.

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Every Monday this month we've taken a peak backstage at 'General Hospital' to see how social media helped revive daytime dramas and how the demise of other soap operas brought new life to Port Charles.

We close our series with a story as old as the daytime dramas themselves.

To call them the hardest working actors in Hollywood doesn't even do justice to how tough their job really is.

"90 percent of the time we're one-take," says Jason Thompson who plays Dr. Patrick Drake. "And they've got 10 to 20 scenes that day and maybe 20, 30, 40 pages, and then you do the exact same thing the next day."

Executive producer Frank Valentini hires actors as much for their reliability as for their talent and charisma.

"They're money in the bank because for every minute that you can't remember your dialogue, they're probably going through $1,500," says William deVry, better known as Julian Jerome on the show.

"I learn my lines very quickly," says Vinessa Antoine who plays Jordan Ashford. "I've only been on the show 9 months. I notice a difference as to how I learn my lines from when I first started. I can learn my lines in traffic in LA."

The pressure on the actors increases during November, one of the so-called "sweeps" months when advertising rates are determined.

"If you're one of the lucky ones who's kind of involved in a big storyline, you know to kind of strap on and get your sleep and do your homework because it's going to be an exciting time," says Thompson.

Fans of 'General Hospital,' or 'G.H.' as the show is known to the faithful, are well aware of each character's background, and that helps the performers do their job.

"It's fantastic to be able to walk into a scene with an actor you have history with," says Finola Hughes who plays Anna Devane. "And half the work is done for you because the audience knows the history, and they're on board all the time."

They expect the police commissioner played by Finola Hughes to play it straight with the passionate Lucy played by Lynn Herring.

"The audience knows 'Oh boy, here we go,' and they join the roller coaster with you," says Herring.

When I was in high school, the son of my history teacher confessed he'd always wanted to act. Micahel Knight grew up to play Tad the cad on 'All My Children.' I thank him for introducing me to the wonderful world of the soaps, and I thank all the wonderful 'G.H.' fans who have responded so warmly on Twitter and Facebook to this series.