Vanessa Marcil Returning to 'General Hospital' -- For Real!
It's official: On Aug. 11, Vanessa Marcil will reprise her Emmy-winning portrayal as Brenda Barrett on the ABC soap 'General Hospital,' according to a report in this morning's USA Today.Brenda will reportedly return to Port Charles with a big secret that is likely to cause major drama. Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Jax (Ingo Rademacher) should keep their eyes especially peeled, as Brenda has a romantic history with them both.
"True to form, Brenda arrives in Port Charles with a secret that will impact Sonny, Jax and Jason. 'General Hospital' has always been dedicated to the strong history of our characters. Fans and viewers alike will be thrilled with her storyline and will agree that her return was worth waiting for," said Brian Frons, president, daytime, Disney/ABC Television Group, today in a statement.
"I feel so lucky to continue to be allowed to visit 'General Hospital' and honor where I came from," said Marcil. "I am humbled by these great people and a character that I truly love."
Brenda has been mentioned occasionally on 'GH' of late; she is presumably living abroad. When last seen in Port Charles, Jax had left her at the altar because he'd seen her kissing Sonny. Broken-hearted, Brenda asked Jason to drive her to the airport and she flew away never to return again -- until now.
In the May 4 issue of Soap Opera Digest, head writer Bob Guza said that 'GH' has been working overtime to get Marcil, who left the show in 2003, to return. At the time, he said, "I just spoke to her (Vanessa) today. We are talking to Vanessa Marcil as we speak. That is the truth. I cannot go any further right now. She's interested. We're interested, but I will say if Vanessa wanted to come back, even for one day, we'd make it work ... We'll have to talk again in the coming weeks."
Marcil originally appeared on 'GH' as Brenda in 1992 and was an integral part of the show for a decade. She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy four times, and won once in 2003. In the years since leaving the soap, she appeared on many primetime television shows, including 'Spin City,' 'Without A Trace' and 'Las Vegas,' on which she was a regular.

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