Laura Wright is a soap opera veteran currently starring in General Hospital. The actress has been in soaps since 1991, appearing in Loving, All My Children, The City, Guiding Light, and General Hospital. However, she said one of the hardest days she ever had to film happened last year.
Here is what Wright had to say about the day she had to say goodbye to “mom” one year ago this week.
Laura Wright On Her Toughest General Hospital Filming Day
On May 9, 2023, General Hospital star Jacklyn Zeman died. Zeman played Bobbie Spencer on GH from 1977 until 2010. She returned in 2013 and starred in the role until she died in 2023. With Zeman dying, the popular daytime soap had to find a way to say goodbye to the actress and the character. This was not easy for the cast.
The soap opera filmed episodes where the characters said goodbye to Bobbie Spencer. This wasn’t easy because the cast was also saying goodbye to Jacklyn Zeman, whom many had worked with for several years. Wright said the tears during the Bobbie Spencer memorial service were all real. The filming took four days.
Laura Wright called it “intense and difficult.” The actress said, “I think everyone felt it, took it home the whole week” (via Soap Opera Digest). She then said that she felt that Zeman was there with them that day because when they went outside after shooting the memorial there was a bright rainbow in the sky.
“I just think we all went home and took some hot baths and had a glass of wine and went to bed,” Wright said about the experience. She said it was time to decompress because it was not an easy shooting day. She also said it was tough for those returning to shoot the next day because they had to keep that feeling of loss to continue with the stories.
Jacklyn Zeman On General Hospital
Laura Wright joined General Hospital in 2005, so she worked with Jacklyn Zeman from 2005 through 2010 and then from 2013 until her death, meaning the two were together for 15 years. Wright is Carly Corinthos and she is the illegitimate daughter of Bobbie Spencer.
This means Carly had to say goodbye to her mother on the show, which wasn’t easy. Zeman had a short battle with cancer, and when she died, Laura Wright said she was “struggling to wrap my head around this.”
Anthony Geary, who played Bobbie’s brother Luke Spencer, said “I never heard her utter one disparaging word about any actor, crew member or co-worker. In fact, I never heard Jackie express an unkind word about anyone, ever.” He mentioned how rare that is in their business.
What are your memories about Bobbie Spencer on General Hospital at the one-year anniversary since actress Jacklyn Zeman died? Let us know in the comments below.
