Ever since returning from a German burn clinic, Michael has had bags of drama to deal with on General Hospital. His uncle, the nefarious Congressman Drew Cain, has gone to great lengths to destroy Michael’s life and anyone close to him. Drew recently threatened that he would let Sonny take the blame for bribing a judge if Michael didn’t give Willow full custody of the kids. As the tension between the two mounts, the truth behind the scenes tells a much different story about the two actors who bring the feud to life.

Death Stares on Screen

Rory Gibson (Michael) admitted to Soap Opera Digest that the sharp difference between what fans see on screen and what happens once the cameras stop rolling is almost comical. “It’s kind of funny,” grins Gibson of the sharp contrast between his on- and off-screen dynamic with Drew’s Cameron Mathison.

Often, what ends up happening between Drew and Michael is that they end up “death-staring at each other,” with neither one willing to blink first and give in. “It’s like, ‘No, man, I’m gonna win this situation!’ ” he remarked. But the animosity remains on camera because when they stop rolling, he described Mathison as being, “Just such a nice, cool guy.”

Cain and Unable to Stay Mad

He compared having Mathison as a scene partner to working with Katelyn MacMullen (Willow). Gibson explained that when he and MacMullen have scenes, “I feel like we’re just screaming at each other, and then behind the scenes it’s just, like, laughs and hugs and high fives.” Before the two have to work together, he explained that they go from the laughs to, “Let’s go to war!”

He praised Mathison further as being “A great dude that does a really, really good job at playing a not-great dude!” He remarked that Mathison’s performances always impress him. When he finds himself in a situation where Michael has to face off against both Drew and Willow, it can feel like being in “enemy territory,” but once the cameras stop rolling, they yuck it up like old friends.