‘General Hospital’ Finds Its Next Lucas Jones; It’s Van Hansis From ‘As The World Turns’

Lucas Jones is coming back to Port Charles — and it’s now Van Hansis’ turn to play the role.

Hansis is best known for playing Luke Snyder on As the World Turns from 2005-2010. He’s set to premiere Oct. 4 on the ABC sudser.

“Being on General Hospital, I guess, is literally a dream come true,” Hansis told TV Insider, which first reported the news. “But there was so much I got out of being on World Turns. It was my first job. There was so much, especially with the character, and I think I was just so young, I didn’t understand and I didn’t really appreciate that. Luke was one of the first gay male lead characters. With some time and some distance, I’m like, ‘Wow, that was a really cool experience,’ but I was in the moment and it didn’t feel like how it feels now.”

Luke Snyder was last played by Ryan Carnes, who played the adopted son of Bobbie (the late Jacklyn Zeman) from 2004-05 and from 2014-20. He briefly reprised the role last year to mourn Bobbie’s death.

Hansis is looking forward to playing another gay role in daytime. “I love that Lucas is not the only gay character on the show. I remember when Luke and Noah kissed [on As the World Turns] for the first time, we had Entertainment Tonight come,” he recalled to TV Insider. “And I get it, but it’s great that we’re in a place where it’s so casual, just like how it is in life. There are gay people in life so there should be gay people on soaps and queer people and trans people and all of that. So, the fact that it’s so ingrained and it’s not like ‘the gay character’ or ‘the gay storyline’ feels really nice.”