'Grand Hotel' star Bryan Craig on how his 'General Hospital' experience helped him settle into his new character
From debuts and returns, ABC is on a roll this year with a whole lot of new shows this summer. Having us all hooked to our screens is none other than Eva Longoria's 'Grand Hotel' that premieres after 'Bachelor in Paradise' every Monday night.
'Grand Hotel' revolves around the "last family-owned hotel" of Santiago Mendoza (Demián Bichir) on the multicultural Miami Beach. While Mendoza owns the hotel, his second wife Gigi (Roselyn Sanchez) and adult kids enjoy the fruits of his success. The series also has a slew of other main casts. One among them is Javi Mendoza, Santigo's son who is known for his no-filter playboy attitude.
Javi's character is played by none other than famed 'General Hospital' actor Bryan Craig. In an exclusive interview with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), Craig spoke about his experience on 'Grand Hotel' and how the jump from 'General Hospital' to the ABC show has been.
Talking about working with the stellar cast and crew, Craig revealed that they are cool people. "Its been a really fun and productive setting to win in. The cast are pros and also very down-to-earth cool people."
Though 'General Hospital' and 'Grand Hotel' are two different shows, Craig revealed that both characters have a lot of similarities. "They have a lot of similarities actually. Both are troubled in their own ways. Both are at odds with their fathers and both have addictions. Although they have these things in common, they are very different people from very different walks of life."
Craig is a part of the Mendozas in 'Grand Hotel', and was a part of the Corinthos clan in 'General Hospital'. Sharing his views on how the family dynamics will measure up, Craig said, "Both are very powerful families and both have a lot of secrets. The families also come from a lot of money. I find Santiago and Sonny to have the most similarities."
Talking about how the jump from 'General Hospital' to 'Grand Hotel' has been, Craig said, "It was a very scary decision but also the best decision I've ever made. It's all worked out."
Craig's character, Javi is an amputee. Revealing how he prepared for the role, he shared, "We visited clinics that specialized in that stuff and I also watched a lot of videos online and read a lot of articles. Also the movie 'Stronger' with Jake G, it was a focus of mine."
Craig also revealed that he read his audition not once, but "a total of three times. The initial audition, a read with everyone and then the test. It was strange cause I had to read a sex scene in a seat across from Eva for the test. That was a first."
Finally, shedding some light on his character and what we will get to see from Javi in the forthcoming episodes, Craig shared, "We will see Javi grow from his addiction and the situation with Ingrid and the baby . We will also see him and Alicia discovering a lot more about what happened to their mother and the secrets of this hotel. We may even see Javi takes steps toward falling back into his addiction."
'Grand Hotel' airs every Monday night on ABC. Check your local listings for more information.