Jack Wagner has been a staple on Hallmark’s “When Calls the Heart” for years, but many fans still remember him from his “General Hospital” days. During a recent podcast appearance, Wagner revealed his soap opera experience nearly kept him from taking on a role on a hit show he had before WCTH: “Melrose Place.”
During the April 6 episode of the “Still the Place” podcast, Wagner admitted that he was initially resistant to auditioning for “Melrose Place.” He felt it was too similar to a daytime soap opera, and he felt he had been pigeonholed by his work on “General Hospital.”
Jack Wagner Didn’t Want to Do Another Soap Opera
The “Still the Place” podcast is hosted by former “Melrose Place” stars Courtney Thorne-Smith, Daphne Zuniga, and Laura Leighton. They noted that Wagner joined “Melrose Place” in season 3, beginning with episode 6.
When he was initially presented with the opportunity to audition for the series, Wagner recalled he said, “No chance. I’m not doing it. It feels like a soap.”
His resistance faded when he learned a bit more. “Then they said, well, it’s a hot show, and you’d be working opposite Heather Locklear. And so I’m like, okay, all right,” Wagner shared.
He explained, “I was really pigeonholed from ‘General Hospital’ and having a number one record and never really being taken seriously as a musical artist, etc.”
Wagner continued, “I’m a thespian, okay? I’m from drama school and classic theater and Stella Adler [Studio of Acting].”
Despite his serious acting training, Wagner noted during the podcast that his first big break was “General Hospital.”
Fans Loved Hearing from the WCTH Star
While he was hesitant to audition for “Melrose Place,” Wagner acknowledged that it was “Massive to go to nighttime television from daytime.”
“This was huge for me to score a nighttime series, whether it be soap-esque or whatever, it was a big jump,” Wagner admitted.
During the podcast, Wagner also shared that his audition for “General Hospital” was just his fifth after he arrived in Los Angeles. He was living in his car in those early days.
Almost immediately after landing the role of Frisco Jones on the soap opera, he was also offered a recording contract.
Fans were thrilled to see Wagner stop by the “Still the Place” podcast.
One Instagram user gushed, “Yaaaaaaaay! 😍😍😍👏👏 loved this ep! Jack has such a full resume plus really appreciated how he remembers being so dedicated to the MP stories!”
“Such a great episode! 👏 He is still just as charming now as he was back then, ❤️❤️” commented a fan.
Someone else commented, “This made me whole year 🙌 Thank you SO much for having Jack on the podcast!! ❤️”
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Why Jack Wagner Initially Resisted Starring on Hit Series: ‘I Was Pigeonholed’