Christine Bartolucci/disney Rory Gibson has been cast as Michael Corinthos onGeneral Hospital, PEOPLE has confirmed. The actor takes over the role from Chad Duell, who played Michael for nearly 15 years and exited the soap in January. Gibson's first episode as Michael airs Friday, May 23. Rory Gibson is joiningGeneral Hospitalas Michael Corinthos, PEOPLE has confirmed. Gibson will be taking over the role previously played by Chad Duell before the actor exited the ABC soap in January after nearly 15 years. His first episode as Michael airs Friday, May 23. Gibson toldTV Insiderhe originally sent in a tape and read for a different role. After chatting with executive producer Frank Valentini, he was brought back for a "super, super top secret" callback and, after a few screen tests, said "they locked me in, and it's been a nice little journey ever since." Christine Bartolucci/disney Gibson said his family watchedGeneral Hospital"religiously" when he was growing up and that his grandmother, whom he described as a "diehard" fan, was over the moon when he got the role. "I called my grandma first, and she was just shouting, hollering, screaming," he said. Gibson, who previously played Noah Newman onThe Young and the Restlessfrom 2021 to 2023, said he feels "a really strong connection to this character of Michael." "I feel like he has a lot more at stake and, with the storylines that he's woven into, there's so much suspense and so much consequence behind all of them," he said. "It's terribly, terribly exciting to play and challenging to play, so I'm feeling very fulfilled in this new role. It's been very intense, but I'm loving every second of it." Gibson's casting comes afterDuell announced his departure fromGeneral Hospitalin an emotional Instagram post in November. He had played Michael since 2010 after taking over the role from Drew Garrett and won a Daytime Emmy for his work in 2015. Christopher Willard/Disney via Getty At the time, Duell said it "wasn't an easy decision" to step away from the show, but "it feels like the right time in my life." During an interview onThe Daily Drama Podcastin December, Duell explained that he felt things had become "stagnant" in his life and that he'd "stifled myself in certain aspects, and sometimes you need to take drastic steps or make yourself feel uncomfortable and take a step." Duell's final episodeaired Jan. 6, with Michael set ablaze after an explosion. Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. General Hospitalairs weekdays on ABC (check local listings). Read the original article onPeople
