Lynn Herring has been a General Hospital staple for the last thirty-three years, but playing hilarious Port Charles character Lucy Coe isn't the only place where the actress has shown off her brilliant acting skills. Herring also played the role of Lisanne Gardener on Days of our Lives back in 1992 -- which almost led to the birth of another Salem character eleven years later.
Soap Central recently spoke with Herring, who revealed that DAYS contacted her about a taking on a new role back in 2003 that she would have considered accepting, had it not been for her grief over the cancellation of the GH spinoff series, Port Charles, which she had been starring on since 1997.
"DAYS was very, very kind to me. When Port Charles was cancelled, that day they actually called and offered me a part, but it wasn't Lisanne," she recalls. "However, I knew that I was really not done with Lucy, and my heart was hurt. So I said no right away, and we moved full time to the ranch. I just wasn't done with Lucy, and I thought Port Charles was just finally getting legs when we were cancelled."
The actress says that she is still grateful that the powers that be at DAYS kept her in mind, especially considering her first character on the NBC soap opera left the canvas with such finality (as DAYS fans may recall, Nicholas Alamain pushed Lisanne to her death in an effort to protect his aunt Vivian).
"She died pretty well. I mean, she was dead, so it was very, very sweet that they called, and I was so overwhelmed that they were kind enough to do that," Herring explains. "But like I said, I was so disappointed in Port Charles going away and not being Lucy anymore, and it just [wasn't time to take on a new character]. So it didn't work out, but I was flattered."
Though the sudden loss of Port Charles prevented Herring from returning to DAYS in 2003, she did eventually decide to get back into soap operas. She briefly starred as As the World Turns' Audrey Coleman in 2009 before making a triumphant return as GH's Lucy in 2012. She has been playing Lucy in a recurring capacity since that time, with her most recent storylines including Lucy writing a travel book, helping her old friend Kevin (Jon Lindstrom) in the wake of his twin brother Ryan's reign of terror, and organizing a séance to allow Josslyn (Eden McCoy) to say one last goodbye to Oscar (Garren Stitt).
What do you think about Lynn Herring's decision to turn down a new DAYS role in 2003? How much would you have loved to have seen the actress take on a second Salem alter ego? Could you see her taking on a DAYS character in the future? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
