‘General Hospital’: Finola Hughes Memorizes 80 Pages in 2 Days: ‘You Just Get Used to It’
Finolas Hughes is one of the many leading ladies of General Hospital. Since 1985, she’s portrayed the tough and beautiful heroine Anna Devane. With 38 years of experience on the soap opera, Hughes admits that a lot of work goes into memorizing scripts.
‘General Hospital’ star Finola Hughes admits she memorizes 80 pages of dialogue
Hughes has become a soap opera icon thanks to her General Hospital role. Hughes has been playing Anna on and off for 38 years and won a Daytime Emmy for her performances. After three decades with the show, Hughes has become accustomed to the work, especially memorizing scripts.
In an interview on Good Morning America, Hughes told Robin Roberts she memorizes 80 pages in two days. Roberts was shocked by Hughes’ admission and asks how she memorizes all of it. “I think you sort of get a little muscle in your memory; you just get used to it. And also, you’re so used to working with your co-stars, so you kind of riff off each other. And it’s a bit like a dance,” Hughes explained.
While on the morning talk show set, Hughes brought her script to memorize lines during commercial breaks. The actor also revealed what the filming schedule is like. “We’ll shoot three shows tomorrow, and two shows the next day.”
William Lipton credits history class with helping him memorize lines
An established actor like Hughes becomes used to the fast-paced world of soap opera filming. Soap operas like General Hospital have a tight schedule, and there’s no room for hiccups. It’s important for actors to know their lines when it’s time to film.
While the task might be daunting for a newcomer, William Lipton learned a trick to memorize scripts. The actor who plays Cameron Webber revealed how he memorizes lines in a March 2020 interview with Digital Journal.
“I loved history classes, so I had a relatively easy time memorizing dates, names, and what happened. I take learning scripts in a very similar way. You memorize what is a reaction after the other character says something. When I approach it as I would a regular conversation, it sinks in my head a lot faster.”
‘General Hospital’ star Sofia Mattsson memorizes lines before bedtime
Sofia Mattsson has become famous thanks to her role on General Hospital. Before the ABC soap opera, Mattsson had small roles in films and TV shows. When she joined General Hospital, she got a glimpse at the hectic life of a soap opera star.
In an interview with Digital Journal, Mattsson admits memorizing the scripts were hard. “It takes a lot of practice, but it gets easier with time. In the beginning, I had to constantly say them out loud and record the other people’s lines on my phone to play back and practice with.”
Now that Mattsson has a lot more experience, memorizing lines is no hassle. The actor has a specific time of day for reading the scripts. “I also find it easier for the lines to sink in when I read them in bed before going to sleep. Sometimes it makes me dream about them too.”
