The mystery surrounding Wil Traval General Hospital the character is finished. As revealed in the Thursday, October 29 episode, the actor plays 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-recording in June. “It’s interesting because when I auditioned, I wasn’t auditioning for the role of Jude,” he told TV Insider. “It was a very neutral and safe script. Once I played the role, they said, ‘We’ll tell you everything later,’ so I was looking forward to finding out who I was going to play.”
He was quickly briefed by the show’s writers and executive producer, Frank Valentini, and was thrilled to learn that he would be joining the famous Jacks family.
Disney/Christine Bartolucci
“When they told me about the role, I said to myself: ‘You’re kidding me. It’s a gift,'” Traval recalls. “They said, ‘The audience won’t see what happens with this guy. Just think of a James Bond villain and a mix of James Bond.’ And then they told me the storylines and how I was connected to the whole world, and my family’s history. I was given a glimpse of who the Jacks were and I thought, “I must be one of the luckiest people, right?” It is such a gift to be so grounded and connected to the Port Charles the universe and the GH universe where I feel 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). The two also married Carly Spencer (Laura Wright), and Jax and Carly welcomed their daughter Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy).
ABC/courtesy Everett Collection
Jax’s brother Jerry, first played by Julian Stone, arrived in town in 1998 and became romantically involved with Bobbie Spencer (Jacklyn Zeman). He left town after being arrested for money laundering and released on bail.
Jerry returned in 2007 with a new face and a new portraitist: Sébastien Roché. His long list of villainous deeds included taking hostages at the Metro Court to get his hands on an important briefcase, an incident which ultimately led to the death of Alan Quartermaine (Stuart Damon); attempting to kill Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco); and poisoning the Port Charles water supply. In 2015, Jerry was arrested after holding Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough) hostage and sent to Steinmauer Prison. Four years later, we learned 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 realized that informed fans were speculating that he was a member of the Jacks family because he was Australian. He tried to avoid online discussions.
“I have a weakness for reading things before going on air,” he explains. “I didn’t want to read too much in case it affected what I was doing before I got into it, but I vaguely saw little snippets here and there of people saying, ‘Oh, he must be part of the Jacks family.’ THE GH the public is not stupid. They know what’s going on, and I think they’re pretty smart, and they can read between the lines, which is good.
However, one memorable message caught his attention. “Someone sent me something where there was a whole fan theory that I was going to be Jerry Jacks with facial reconstruction and voice alteration,” he muses. “And that made me laugh. I said to myself, ‘This is an unusual conspiracy theory.’ And maybe that’s why I didn’t look further.
Disney/Christine Bartolucci
One dynamic that Traval is particularly keen to explore is that between Jude and his cousin Josslyn, a WSB agent who currently runs the family business, JJE.
“I think Josslyn and Jude’s relationship is going to be the most strained,” he notes. “And he’s definitely one to watch out for. Let’s just hope he can come out the other side with his family and not an enemy.”
Traval is also enthusiastic about his scenes with Maurice Bénard. “There’s a lot of interaction between Jude and Sonny,” he teases. “Working with Mo was such a pleasure. He’s so calm and so beautifully measured. He plays that role correctly, and it was just brilliant. The two characters fit together well, a couple of predators sizing each other up in the most unthreatening way. You don’t want to jump the gun on that one. You don’t want to put someone on your bad side directly.”
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,” previews Traval. “And if he doesn’t succeed, then he knows there are other paths, probably not as 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 think about who his father is, think about the kind of man Jude could have been raised to be. Always keep that in your back pocket.”
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