Rick Hearst Returning To ‘General Hospital’ To Reprise Ric Lansing Role

A familiar face will be returning to Port Charles. After an eight-year absence, Rick Hearst is returning to ABC’s General Hospital to reprise his role of Ric Lansing.

Hearst’s character, Sonny’s brother, was first introduced on the show in 2002. He exited in 2009, then returned for a second run from 2014-2016. His first episodes will begin airing the week of August 19. Ric is also the father of Alexis Davis’ (Nancy Lee Grahn) daughter Molly (Kristen Vaganos), 

Hearst told TVInsider, GH casting director Mark Teschner reached out to him and asked him if he’d like to return. “My first question was, “Really? What’s the story, what’s happening?”, adding, “Then he told me and I kind of look at it as, ‘Daddy’s home and here to take care of his daughter and anything that entails.’”

Hearst has recently been catching up on the storyline. “I’ve been trying to catch up and see what’s happening and I see that there’s a situation where Kristina is being a surrogate for Molly,” he says. “And while I don’t know what that turns into, I have a feeling there’s going to be some friction by virtue of the fact that one daughter is parented by Alexis and Sonny, and the other daughter is parented by Alexis and Ric. That alone is enough to create a mad amount of drama of who’s going to side with who. And it’s going to be entertaining.”

Since his last appearance on General Hospital, three-time Daytime Emmy winner Hearst has recurred on VH1’s Daytime Divas and guest-starred on The Vampire Diaries, Dynasty and most recently Ambitions.