‘General Hospital’ Star Genie Francis Condemns “Inappropriate” Luke & Laura Rape Storyline: “It’s Been a Burden I’ve Had To Carry”

General Hospital celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, and the show is pulling out all the stops (the Nurses Ball is back!)… But when a show lasts as long as General Hospital — the longest-running drama currently on television — the show is bound to have some storylines that don’t age well. During General Hospital’s presentation at the 2023 Television Critics Association winter tour, one of the most tenured actors on the series spoke about one of the most popular — and problematic — storylines, not only in General Hospital history, but television history.

That storyline is, of course, the Luke and Laura relationship, a plot that started with a rape and ended with 30 million viewers tuning in to a wedding. When asked about the various social issues that General Hospital has handled in its run, Genie Francis had a very definitive take on the pop culture moment that was Luke and Laura.

“As a young kid at 17, I was told to play rape and I played it and I didn’t know what it was,” said Francis, who currently plays Laura on General Hospital in her role as the mayor of Port Charles. “At 60, I don’t feel the need to defend that [storyline] anymore. The story was inappropriate, and I don’t condone it. It’s been a burden I’ve had to carry, to try to justify that story, so I’m not doing that anymore. When a woman says no, she should be listened to. If you play that scene, you don’t just have her saying no, you have her screaming no.”

While Francis no longer condones that storyline, she’s very happy about where Laura has ended up as a character. “I feel very fortunate to have this new reinvented Laura,” Francis told the members of TCA during the panel. “I love who she is in the present day. She was such a victim as a young woman, and to have her as an empowered woman and mayor of the town — I love my Laura today.”

Francis also reflected on what it was like to work on the show back towards the beginning of her run in the late ’70s and early ’80s. The show was essentially filmed live back then, like a stage play. She was taught as a child to fear mistakes, so that didn’t translate well to this fast-paced production. “There was no such thing as a mistake during filming,” said Francis. “But one day my sweet producer one day, ‘You can make a mistake now.'” That helped calm Francis nerves.

General Hospital’s 60th anniversary will be commemorated with a special tribute to late cast member Sonya Eddy, as well as the return of the Nurses Ball to Port Charles. Co-head writer Dan O’Connor told the assembled critics that bringing back the ball for the first time since 2020 was a perfect fit for the anniversary. “The best way to honor the past is to use the Nurses Ball as a jumping off point, to bring our beloved cast together, acknowledge the past and set up the future,” said O’Connor.

If you or someone you know needs to reach out about sexual abuse or assault, RAINN is available 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE (4673), or online at RAINN.org.