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Genie Francis is no longer defending her controversial scene from “General Hospital”.
The actress was one half of the show’s supercouple of Luke and Laura, who are beloved by fans, but their story started out in a horrible way.
In a 1979 episode, Anthony Geary’s Luke raped Laura, though the scene was later interpreted as a seduction. The couple’s eventual wedding would become one of the biggest events in television in 1981.
Reflecting on the controversial story choice at the ABC Television Critics Association press conference, the 60-year-old actress now regrets her part in that story and is no longer choosing to defend it.
“You know, as a young kid, at 17, I was told to play rape, and I played it,” Francis said, via Entertainment Weekly. “I didn’t even know what it was. But, at 17, you follow the rules, and you do as you are told, and you aim to please.”
She said with time and age, she’s changed how she’s viewed that storyline and the sensitive subject matter.
“At 60, I don’t feel the need to defend that anymore,” Francis continued. “I think that the story was inappropriate, I don’t condone it, and it’s been a burden that I’ve had to carry to try to justify that story, and so I’m not doing that anymore. When a woman says ‘No,’ she should be listened to, and if you replay that scene, you don’t have Laura just saying ‘No,’ you have her screaming ‘No.’”
The actress played Laura for four decades on the show, since joining in 1977, departing in 1984. She made a triumphant return from 1993 – 2002 and sporadically guest starred in episodes between 2006 – 2013. She returned once more in 2015 to send off the character of Luke from the show.
Anita Tai
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