Announce that Kelly Monaco is commemorating 20 years of playing Sam McCall on General Hospital (GH). On October 1st, 2003, Kelly created the Samantha McCall character. Monaco debuted on “Port Charles,” GH’s sister soap opera, from 2000 to 2003.
When Port Charles was postponed, General Hospital called Kelly, who was playing Livvie Locke. Kelly took over the part of Sam McCall in 2003. Sam is a hustler who moved to the area. The character was initially introduced as a “sexy bad girl” who enjoyed causing mischief.
Sam Has Evolved
Sam has softened and developed into a more sympathetic figure since her inception. She has grown into a strong, independent lady, and the character has developed considerably.
Now that she is a mother to Danny Morgan (Zakary Risinger) and Emily “Scout” Cain (Cosette Abinante), Sam has all the qualities of a heroine.
She still has a bit of her prior “bad girl” persona, and there are hints of it here and there. She is a private investigator who approaches each of her cases as a puzzle to be solved.
Kelly shared with Soap Opera Digest the evolution of her character, Sam, and compared Sam when she first came to town to Sam now. Kelly says,
“Sam came onto the canvas only having herself and her brother, always taking care of someone, and never being taken care of. I think the biggest evolution for her is starting from being a lonely, scared woman. She then becomes a woman who is independent but is protected by family and friends and love and relationships and loyalty. She has never had that before.”
Sam’s Captivating Love Life
Sam is one half of the super couple, JaSam, or Sam McCall and Jason Morgan (Steve Burton). The two gained a substantial following and a gigantic fan base.
Ultimately, the two broke up when Sam decided she could no longer put her kids in danger due to Jason’s line of work.
Sam has another GH soulmate, Drew Cain (then played by Billy Miller), whom she was with from 2015 to 2018. Their considerable fan base affectionately coined the couple as “Dream.”
There were also rumors that Kelly and Billy Miller were dating when their characters were together on General Hospital. However, that rumor was never confirmed.
Billy Miller has since passed on. On September 15th, news of his death devastated his fellow soap actors and everyone who loved him. Kelly has not commented on Billy’s passing.
Dante Falconari (Dominic Zamprogna), a kind guy and police officer, is Sam’s boyfriend. They appear to be in the ideal situation together.
What happens to Sam and Dante next is eagerly anticipated by the audience. Will Dante ask Sam to marry him, and then do they have a happy ever after? Dante would be faced with a challenging decision if Lulu Falconari (Emme Rylan) were to ever awaken from her coma.
Kelly received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2003 for Supporting Performer in a Drama Series for her work on the canceled soap opera Port Charles. Kelly received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2006 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.