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The mystery surrounding Wil Traval‘s General Hospital character is over. As revealed on the Thursday, October 29 episode, the actor is playing Jude Jacks, the son of longtime Port Charles troublemaker Jerry Jacks.
Traval says he had no idea who he would be playing when he submitted his self-tape in June. “It’s interesting because when I auditioned, I wasn’t auditioning for the role of Jude,” he tells TV Insider. “It was a very neutral, safe script. After I got in the role, they were like, ‘We’ll let you know about it all later on,’ so I was waiting eagerly to hear about who I would be playing.”
He was soon brought up to speed by the show’s writers and executive producer Frank Valentini and was thrilled to learn he’d be joining the storied Jacks family.
Disney / Christine Bartolucci
“When they told me about the role, I was like, ‘You’re kidding me. This is a gift,’” Traval recalls. “They said, ‘Audiences won’t see what’s coming with this guy. Just think of a James Bond villain and James Bond mixed.’ And then they told me the storylines and how I was connected to the entire world, and the history of my family. I was given a run-through of who the Jackses were, and I was like, ‘I must be one of the luckiest people, right?’ It’s such a gift to be so well entrenched and connected to the Port Charles universe and the GH universe that it feels like I’ve been there for 100 years. It’s so good.”
The Jacks family was introduced in 1996 when Jasper “Jax” Jacks (Ingo Rademacher) arrived in Port Charles. A charming corporate raider, Jax romanced Brenda Barrett (Vanessa Marcil), sparking a rivalry with her ex, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard). Both men also married Carly Spencer (Laura Wright), and Jax and Carly welcomed daughter Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy).
ABC/courtesy Everett Collection
Jax’s brother, Jerry, first played by Julian Stone, came to town in 1998 and romanced Bobbie Spencer (Jacklyn Zeman). He skipped town after being arrested for money laundering and released on bail.
Jerry returned in 2007 with a new face and a new portrayer: Sebastian Roché. His long list of villainous deeds included taking hostages at the Metro Court to get his hands on an important briefcase, an incident that ultimately led to the death of Alan Quartermaine (Stuart Damon); attempting to kill Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco); and poisoning Port Charles’ water supply. In 2015, Jerry was arrested after holding Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough) hostage and sent to Steinmauer Prison. Four years later, it was revealed that he had escaped. Other members of the Jacks family who have appeared in Port Charles include Jerry and Jax’s mother, Jane Jacks (Barbara Tarbuck).
Traval became aware that savvy fans were speculating he was a member of the Jacks family because he was Australian. He tried to steer clear of the online chatter.
“I have a little thing about reading things before I’m on the air,” he explains. “I didn’t want to read too much in case it affected anything I was doing before we got into the swing of things, but I vaguely saw little snippets here and there of people going, ‘Oh, he’s gotta be part of the Jacks family.’ The GH audience isn’t stupid. They know what’s up, and I think they’re pretty clever, and they can read between the lines, which is good.”
A memorable post did catch his attention, however. “Someone sent me a thing where there was a whole fan theory that I was going to be Jerry Jacks with facial reconstruction and vocal alteration,” he muses. “And that made me giggle. I was like, ‘That is a way-out-there conspiracy theory.’ And that could have been the reason why I didn’t look any further.”
Disney/Christine Bartolucci
One dynamic Traval is particularly eager to explore is the one between Jude and his cousin Josslyn, a WSB agent who is currently running the family company, JJE.
“I think the relationship between Josslyn and Jude is the one that’s going to be the most fraught with tension,” he notes. “And certainly, that’s the one to look out for. Let’s just hope that he can come out the other side with family and not an enemy.”
Traval is equally enthusiastic about his scenes with Maurice Benard. “There is a great interaction between Jude and Sonny,” he teases. “Working with Mo was such a delight. He’s just so still and so beautifully measured. He plays that role right, and it was just great. The two characters mesh well together, a couple of predators sizing each other up in the least threatening ways. You don’t want to jump the gun on that one. You don’t want to get anyone on your bad side straight up.”
Disney/Christine Bartolucci
As for what to expect from Jude as he settles into Port Charles, Traval says the character shares some of his father’s qualities.
“He knows how to get things done,” Traval previews. “And if he doesn’t get it done, then he knows that there are other routes, probably not so legal or ethical. I don’t know how far the apple fell from the tree when it comes to Jerry Jacks and Jude Jacks, so when you’re thinking about who his father is, think about the kind of man Jude might have been brought up to be. Always keep that in your back pocket.”
General Hospital, Weekdays, ABC, Check Local Listings
