Robert LoSardo
		Manny Happy Returns! Robert LaSardo celebrates the changing face of daytime!

	Is Robert LaSardo surprised that his treacherous, character of Manny Ruiz on GENERAL HOSPITAL, was killed off? Heck, no. In fact, he was thrilled that he had a gig there in the first place! “I was surprised that ABC was brave in spending the time and energy to construct that character, which was something never done before,” says LaSardo, who was last seen on GH on July 4. “The commitment was definitely welcomed.” Breaking New Ground A man painted from head to toe with some pretty scary pictures, one who thinks nothing of threatening rape or murdering dozens of people at a time, you have to admit, is a big a big change of pace for daytime. But that’s the good news. “Once you set something like this in motion with the kind of impact that Manny has had, I think you set a new precedent and it’s kind of hard to stop that,” says LaSardo, who hopes there will be incarnations of Manny-like characters popping up on other soaps. “An appetite has been created. People not only accepted this character but also found him intriguing and wanted to watch because of him. That appetite needs to be satisfied again.” “When you push the limits and you break rules, it’s inevitable that you have to continue in that direction,” he adds. “We’ve kind of stimulated the audience to a great degree with Manny and received a very positive response, which opens the door for continuation in other forms of characters like this. It may be an untraditional and unconventional leap, but once you open the door, it’s kind of hard to close.” So Long, Farewell Because LaSardo’s acting resume is even longer than Manny’s rap sheet, he knows the end of a character’s run when he sees it coming. “If the monster is not finally destroyed, then the game loses its significance,” LaSardo explains. “Whatever we do, sooner or later, we all end up with the spade card. It’s inevitable that when you create a circumstance that’s so volatile like that, it’s like nitroglycerine. Inevitably, you have to blow.” “Eventually, that has to be contained or else there’s nobody left,” he continues, “If the monster keeps destroying and devouring, inevitably, the monster will destroy and devour the game board itself. Then there’s nobody left and there’s no playing field. You have to pull in the reins of a destructive force at that level, otherwise, it becomes unreasonable and unbelievable.”—Rosemary A. Rossi