‘General Hospital’: Cameron Mathison Is a Bust as the Drew Recast
Drew Cain (Cameron Mathison) is a vital part of General Hospital. Since the character’s debut in 2014, Jason Morgan’s (Steve Burton) twin brother has become a fan favorite. However, the newest incarnation of Drew is a turnoff for viewers thanks in part to poor writing.
What happened to Drew Cain on ‘General Hospital’?
Drew debuted on General Hospital in 2014 as an amnesia patient who believed he was the presumed dead Jason. Everyone in Port Charles accepted that Drew was Jason and welcomed him back. Drew began romances with Jason’s exes, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco).
However, when Jason returned in 2017, Drew was revealed as his long-lost twin brother. Like Jason, Drew was a tough guy. As a former Navy SEAL, he becomes Port Charles’ newest protector. Drew experienced many heartaches in his life; the most crushing was the death of his son Oscar Nero (Garren Stitt).
In 2019, Drew was presumed dead in a plane crash caused by Peter August (Wes Ramsey). But in August 2021, it was revealed Drew was alive and being held captive in an undisclosed location. Drew manages to escape and works his way back to Port Charles.
The ‘General Hospital’ writing hasn’t helped Cameron Mathison as Drew Cain
Former The Young and the Restless star Billy Miller originated the role of Drew. After five years on the show, Miller left in 2019. When the General Hospital producers decided to recast Drew, they chose Mathison. The former All My Children star has become a mainstream success, and his return to the soap world was a big story.
Mathison had potential as the Drew recast, but his run has been dismal. The writing for the character isn’t helping his appeal. Drew used to be a rugged guy that everyone loved. Now, most of his time is spent mainly being a support system for other characters, mostly Carly Spencer (Laura Wright).
Drew’s relationship with Carly has made him look weak. After learning that Carly knew about Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros) being Willow Tait’s (Katelyn MacMullen) mother, he instantly forgave her. The old Drew would’ve been furious and admonished Carly for her actions. Yet, the new incarnation of Drew lets his girlfriend get away with anything.
Drew must let loose and show off his vulnerable, angry side instead of being happy-go-lucky. Some drama in his and Carly’s relationship would do the trick. Drew needs to wake up and see that Carly isn’t the perfect woman he believes she is. Maybe if Carly’s scheming hurts someone close to Drew, he’d finally wise up and break ties with her.
‘General Hospital’ fans also criticized Drew
Fans have also been vocal about the miscasting of Drew on Reddit. “Cameron was horribly cast for this role. I think Frank and GH wanted to bag him as a romantic interest for Laura Wright (Carly) and figured they could resurrect Drew for this,” wrote one user.
“I know, I just don’t get it. Maybe I should feel bad saying this, but Cam doesn’t have the sexy Billy Miller did. He’s just too goofy for me. I am sure a lot of it is on the writing,” another commenter replied.
“Even if he was written well, CamMat as Drew was never going to work. They should have at least kept the beard he had while being a prisoner for two years. He immediately reverted to Ryan Lavery when he was rescued and shaved it off,” another fan wrote.
Of course, there’s still time for General Hospital to capitalize on its decision to recast Cameron Mathison as Drew Cain. It will just take the right storyline and a little more creativity to make it work.
