Michael Easton has officially said farewell to General Hospital. The actor has been part of the ABC soap opera for the past 12 years, playing a variety of characters. But his eight-year run as Hamilton Finn is his most memorable role. On June 27, 2024, the actor’s last scenes as Finn aired as the doctor said goodbye to his family before leaving Port Charles. Finn’s exit was not only emotional for fan, but also for Easton.
Michael Easton Opens Up About Emotional Departure From General Hospital
Rumors had been circulating about Easton’s impending exit from General Hospital. The writers were foreshadowing Finn’s departure following his father Gregory Chase’s in May 2024. After Gregory’s death, Finn began spiraling out of control by drinking again.
His reckless behavior ended his relationship with Elizabeth Webber and worries his daughter Violet Finn. After Finn’s collapse scares Violet, he realizes he needs help. He shares a tearful goodbye with Violet, then leave her with Chase and Brook Lynn before he goes away to rehab.
While views suspected Finn’s time in Port Charles was up, for Michael Easton his departure was a shock. In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, the actor revealed the difficulties of accepting his firing while filming his last scenes.
You get hurt a little bit and you get wounded a little bit, and part of your head’s going, ‘Well, just do it [i.e., do the work without putting much effort into it.]’ – and then I ended up investing more [in my performance], to make it better for them.
The last weeks of filming were challenging for Easton as Finn shared emotional goodbyes with his family.
Every day was emotional, because every day was not only doing the work, it was also [saying] goodbye. I had such a hard time saying goodbye to Jane Elliot [Tracy], Josh [Swickard, Chase], and Becky [Herbst, Elizabeth] and everybody that I had come in contact with, so everything was difficult. And it happened so fast. I do appreciate the writers giving me so much material going out the door, but from an actor standpoint, I would like to have had just a little more time to add a little more subtlety and a little more nuance to it.
Although Easton was upset by his firing, he has no ill will towards the show.
I got to work on General Hospital for 10 years and I’m so grateful for that. I think that if you let anything else enter your heart, it just becomes like poison to you, and that poison in your heart will halt you from creating beautiful things going forward.
When it came to announce his departure, the actor posted a video on Instagram. The comment section was then filled with outpouring of support from fans and his co-stars. Easton was overwhelmed by the love received from everyone. “That meant the world,” the actor exclaimed.
Although his run as Finn is over, the writers have left the door open for a return. So it’s possible Easton could make a brief return to the soap opera one day down the road.
