More than four decades ago, Kin Shriner joined the cast of General Hospital as Scotty Baldwin, a role that would go on to define his career and become a cornerstone of the long-running ABC soap. Now the veteran actor is reflecting on how his journey on General Hospital first began.

Shriner shared the story during an interview with former soap publicist Alan Locher on The Locher Room YouTube channel, where he reflected on being part of one of the most influential eras of daytime television.

When asked if he remembers auditioning for the role of Scotty Baldwin, Shriner revealed that the process was far from traditional. “I didn’t screen test for Scotty,” he said.

At the time, Shriner said he had been working with Universal Studios and appearing in various guest-starring roles. He credited his acting coach, Lilyan Chauvin with encouraging him to consider soaps. “She kept telling me what a great experience soaps are because they really, you know, make you work,” he said.

“It’s a different medium than film and television,” Shriner explained. “A soap opera, especially when General Hospital was live, it’s one take, one go.”

Shriner recalled how one meeting altered the course of his career. “I met Tom Donovan, who was the producer at the time. and he said, ‘We might want to bring this Scotty kid back and it’s a couple of shows. Would you would you do it?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely.’”

“So, I did two shows, August 2nd and August 4th, 1977,” Shriner said. “Then a couple weeks later, they called me and said, ‘Yeah, we want to really go big with this character and we’d like to offer you a contract.’ So I said, ‘Sure, it’s fun.’

Reflecting on why he was excited for the opportunity, Shriner said, “I had I already had done those two shows, so I knew what I was in store for,” he added. “We were live on tape. So, it was a world that seemed very exciting that you could just be in this little town of Port Charles, and what happens happens once and once only.”

General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC and streams weeknights on Hulu.

This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.