"General Hospital" actor Jason Thompson is giving up his scrubs as Dr. Patrick Drake to join "The Young and The Restless" as the new Billy Abbott. The actor has been openly excited about the move, but it was painfully difficult for him to bid farewell to one particular co-star: his on-screen daughter, Brooklyn Rae Silzer (Emma).
According to Soap Central, the 39-year-old actor has formed a special bond with her 9-year-old co-star. After telling "GH" executive producer about his decision to leave, Thompson immediately told Silzer the news himself.
"I didn't want her to hear it from anyone else. It's a very delicate situation," Thompson said. "She's a nine-year-old girl that doesn't necessarily know this part of the business... We love each other like family, [so I told her] 'You might not be working as much if I'm not there.'"
This little one today on GH..for real.
A photo posted by Jason Thompson (@myjasonthompson) on Dec 10, 2015 at 10:17am PST
Though he will not be working with Silzer as much as before, Thompson promised to always be in the young actress' life.
"One of my most cherished gifts will always be what Brooklyn and I shared," the actor recently tweeted. "To watch her grow as a person and actress had been nothing short of amazing! We trusted each other and made each other better..That's what it's all about."
What did I tell ya? One of my most cherished gifts will always be what Brooklyn and I shared. To watch her grow as a person and actress.. — Jason Thompson (@MyJasonThompson) December 11, 2015
Had been nothing short of amazing! We trusted each other and made each other better..That's what it's all about. — Jason Thompson (@MyJasonThompson) December 11, 2015
Thompson made the announcement of his exit from "GH" last November via a post on Instagram.
"I have made the difficult decision to bid farewell to a character I've loved playing for over 10 years," he wrote.
Meanwhile, it was previously reported that the on-screen daddy may be having a baby in real life soon, when his "GH" co-stars took a candid video of him announcing his wife's pregnancy. Thompson has not made any further comments regarding this issue. He is set to make his debut appearance on "The Young and The Restless" on Jan. 14, 2016.
