Nicholas Alexander Chavez Not Returning to General Hospital as Spencer (Exclusive)
Nicholas Alexander Chavez’ leave of absence from General Hospital has gone from temporary to permanent.
Although there’s been no official confirmation from GH, multiple sources confirm to TVLine exclusively that the actor behind Spencer Cassadine — who vacated the role earlier this year to shoot Season 2 of Ryan Murphy’s Netflix anthology Monster — will not be returning to the ABC soap after all.
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Chavez’ indefinite departure was hinted at in late March when, as eagle-eyed GH fans noticed, his name abruptly disappeared from the show’s closing credits.
A GH spokesperson declined to comment for this story. A rep for Chavez has not responded to TVLine’s request for comment.
When Chavez’ Monster gig was first announced last summer, an GH rep noted at the time, “We support Nicholas’s endeavors and look forward to having him return to General Hospital once this project is wrapped.”
Chavez, who began shooting Monster in December, exited GH in late January. In his final episode, Spencer was presumed to have died alongside his ex Esme after being injected with a drug and falling off a boat into France’s Seine River.
Chavez joined GH in 2021. He won a Daytime Emmy the following year for Outstanding Younger Performer in a Drama Series.
“It’s changed everything about me,” Chavez previously told People.com of the impact GH has had on his career. “Before the show, I was selling cars in Florida. I live across the country now. I was driving my dad’s old Jeep and now, I’m sitting in a car that I paid for. This show has given me the opportunity to become my own guy. It’s also given me the gift few people get in life — the privilege to earn an income doing what I love to do every single day. If I’m not the luckiest guy in the world, I’ve got to be damned close.”
Some had likened Chavez’ onscreen romance with Tabyana Ali’s Trina to GH super couple Luke and Laura, a comparison actor called “the greatest compliment we could ever get.”
In Season 2 of Monster — officially titled Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story — Chavez will play Lyle Menéndez opposite relative newcomer Cooper Koch (as brother Erik). Javier Bardem and Chlo? Sevigny round out the cast as the murdered parents, Jose and Kitty Menéndez.
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