Ethan Lovett returns to General Hospital on Friday, April 17 when Nathan Dean makes his first appearance back on the soap since September 2020. The actor opened up about his comeback, teased how Ethan has changed, and explained why he now goes by Nathan Dean instead of Nathan Parsons in a new interview with TV Insider.

A Changed Man

Dean first joined GH in 2009 and ended his first run in 2012. Over the years, he has popped in for short-term visits, and he shared that he first began thinking about reprising his role again following the December 2025 passing of his TV father, Anthony Geary (Luke), “just to sort of pay my respects for everything he did for me over the course of the many years that we worked together.” Marveled the actor, “I guess they had the same thought because Frank [Valentini, GH’s executive producer] and Mark [Teschner, the soap’s casting director] reached out right before Christmas break and were like, ‘Hey, would you like to come back?’”

Related

GH: How Ethan Connects to Other Characters in Port Charles

It’s only natural that Ethan has changed in the years he’s been away from Port Charles, and Dean said that his alter ego has “a little bit more of an edge now.” He also teased that Ethan’s visit is much more than just a social call. “We know that some other mysterious people have been popping up in town,” Dean previewed. “As we start to learn a little bit more about them, maybe we’ll reveal the real reason why he is back, as opposed to just, ‘Oh, I miss my friends and family.’ I’m very excited to dive into all of it.”

What the actor did not reveal is which recently arrived mysterious people Ethan might turn out to be connected to. On the one hand, there’s the treacherous Russ Cullum (Andrew Hawkes), who is in league with Sidwell (Carlo Rota), a man who shares a past with Ethan’s mother, Holly Sutton (Emma Samms). On the other, there’s the late Delilah Wilson (Lily Cardone), who gave birth to a daughter before passing away. Said daughter has since been named Phoebe and is living at the Quartermaine mansion with her foster parents, Chase (Josh Swickard) and Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) — as well as Ethan’s former stepmother, Tracy (Jane Elliot).

But Nathan’s first order of business, it would seem, is catching up with family. Dean divulged, “My very first scenes are with Lulu [Alexa Havins],” Ethan’s half sister. This marked the first time he worked with Havins, who joined the Port Charles ranks in 2024. “She’s awesome,” Dean praised.

What’s in a Name?

As for his new last name, the actor, who was born Nathan Dean Parsons, explained that he had originally wanted to be known as Nathan Dean because “it rolls off the tongue better, and it’s a little shout-out to James Dean, who’s one of my favorites.” But because there was already a Nathan Dean in the television actors’ union, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), he went by Nathan Parsons instead.

Related

Returning GH Star Nathan Dean Expecting Baby No. 3

However, after some years, he learned that performers don’t have to be credited by the same name that appears on their SAG card. So, beginning with his 2019-22 run on the prime time series Roswell, New Mexico, he has been credited as Nathan Dean. “It was a big role, it was a new opportunity, and sort of a way to reinvent myself,” Dean explained. “And now, we’re in the process of legally doing it, and it’s going to be super official at some point, and we’ll go from there. But it’s cool that I get to come back and do General Hospital with my new name.”