General Hospital gives fans what they want on a regular basis: family gripes, romantic stories, and a sprinkle of villains along the way. And just like fans express opinions over these plotlines, they also have thoughts about actors being recast.
Braedyn Bruner began portraying Emma Drake on Dec. 23, 2024. Emma was recast recently. As Brooklyn Rae Silzer took on this part in 2011, this was a big change.
Soap fans know that characters are sometimes played by a couple of actors. However, many found this particular transition to be pretty jarring. Some viewers think that the new Emma is much harsher than her old self, and they’re not on board. One fan wrote on X, “Oh how I would love to see actual Emma acting so it wouldn’t feel like a total personality change.”
Another wrote, “I can’t rock with this new Emma” and added, “She’s totally different from our real Emma.”
A few GH fans are okay with the casting choice, though. One said “I’m liking the new Emma” and another wrote, “I enjoy Emma as a classic mean girl!”
As Michael Fairman TV pointed out, viewers were surprised by this character’s reintroduction because this Emma is worlds apart from the old character. She hosted a massive college party and when the sprinklers went off and caused a huge mess, 200 (yes, 200!) students had nowhere to live. Emma also fibs to her grandma Anna (Finola Hughes) about coming home at 4 a.m. Viewers might not have enjoyed Emma’s reappearance in Port Charles, but she’s growing up, and these storylines feel as realistic as it gets on a soap.
Fans first saw Emma when she was born in a 2008 episode, and over the years, Robin Scorpio-Drake and Patrick Drake’s (Jason Thompson) daughter has been through it all. Her birth was traumatic as her umbilical cord ended up around her neck, she was in a car crash, and then thought that Robin passed away when a lab exploded at the hospital. Learning that Robin didn’t die but Cesar Faison (Anders Hove) kidnapped her was just as terrifying. Given her life so far, Emma’s partying doesn’t sound so bad…
However, while fans are unsure about Emma’s new attitude, the actress who portrayed her for years was positive about the recast. According to Soap Opera Digest, Rae Silzer wrote to General Hospital fans on X when Bruner began playing Emma. She said the character “will always hold a special place in my heart” and “I am so excited to see how Braedyn takes care of Emma and bring new layers to her character.”
As for Bruner, she’s having a blast. She told TV Insider that Emma “is so much fun to play” and described her as “confident.” She added, “She’s bold, she’s unruly, you could call her rebellious” but is also “compassinate.” Bruner said “we’re kind of peeling back those layers and getting to see more and more of the vulnerable side of her.” Maybe fans will come back around and enjoy Emma again as she shows that she’s just as caring as she has always been.
A silver lining? At least Emma was recast instead of being forced to leave Port Charles! And whether fans are mourning the old Emma or enjoying the new one, no one could ever say that she’s boring.
Published: Dec 31, 2024 11:30 am