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Rick Hearst makes a ‘Bold’ move back to CBS’ ‘The Bold and the Beautiful.’
According to TV Guide.com, Rick Hearst will be returning to CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful as Whip Jones. His return story isn’t yet known but he returns on July 17th. His exit from ABC’s General Hospital is still a mystery but if we know GH it more than likely will be an explosive exit for Ric Lansing.
It was announced recently that General Hospital bumped three-time Emmy winner, Rick Hearst to recurring; now the soap is losing him permanently. Hearst will be making a return to The Bold and The Beautiful.
According to the late breaking news report from ABC Soaps In Depth, General Hospital made a statement regarding Hearst’s exit from the show. “We’re saddened for GH fans but personally thrilled for Rick. We wish him nothing but success. Rest assured that the character of Ric Lansing will have an exit you won’t want to miss.” However, B&B did not confirm or deny Hearst coming back to CBS.
Rick Hearst has an extensive career in daytime, as he has appeared on several soaps including The Young and the Restless, Guiding Light, Days of Our Lives, and General Hospital. He debuted on GH as Sonny Corinthos’ brother in 2002. Rick’s character Ric Lansing was originally brought onto the canvas as the brother of Lily Rivera (ex-Lily Melgar), but it was soon changed and he became the brother of mob boss Sonny Corinthos. His first major storyline on the show was a panic room storyline in which Ric Lansing kidnapped Sonny’s pregnant wife, Carly (then-Tamara Braun). Ric held Carly captive in a panic room inside his home which he shared with his wife, Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst).
After pushing the character to the limit, the residual effects of the panic room storyline had certainly put a damper on positive fan reaction towards Rick and his character. The writers continued to give Ric Lansing an obsessive element towards his brother, Sonny. Soon Ric saw an opportunity and took it by getting close to one of Sonny’s ex’s, Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn). Fan reaction took “The Powers That Be” by surprise when the couple gained popularity. The couple married in 2004 and had a child of their own in the Fall of 2005.
It wasn’t too long before the writers blew the pair apart by having Ric cheat with another one of Sonny’s mistresses, Reese Marshall (Kari Wuhrer). After the affair, the couple reconciled but it was very difficult for Alexis to regain her trust in Ric. Ric’s attempt fell by the wayside in 2007. Known as the “summer of sleaze” by fans, Ric cheated on Alexis yet again, only this time with Alexis’ own daughter Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco)!
The controversial affair took place during the summer of 07′ and played a major part in the destruction of two popular couples. Ultimately Ric and Alexis divorced but Ric continued his pursuit of power and respect his brother, Sonny always had. In 2008, Ric’s father, Trevor Lansing (Stephen Macht) was introduced to the canvas. It was hoped the introduction of Trevor would mean a front-burner storyline for Rick Hearst. It was soon realized Trevor’s presence on the canvas was not for Ric Lansing but to disrupt the life of Sonny Corinthos. Along with Trevor came a new mob family and several new characters. Anthony Zacchara (Stephen Macht) and his children, Johnny (Brandon Barash) and Claudia (Sarah Brown) blew into town and threatened Sonny’s business.
As the story unfolded it was obvious to many, the father/son story they were hoping for was becoming nonexistent. After his marriage to Alexis was over, Ric found a new love interest in Marianna (Yeniffer Behrens), though it was short lived (rightfully so) when he found out she was in cahoots with his own father, Trevor. Always working on an agenda and given the opportunity, Ric jumped at an offer made by Claudia Zacchara. The two became bed buddies while working against Sonny Corinthos. The beneficial relationship between Ric and Claudia soon hit a snag when Claudia was saving her own skin by marrying Sonny, despite her brother’s protests.
Currently Ric Lansing is floating between stories and quite possibly will become a father again, if the child Claudia is carrying is indeed his. With Rick’s drop in contract status, the writing is on the wall for his character. The demise of Ric is imminent; it’s just a matter of when he’ll get his cement shoes.
TVSource Magazine wishes Rick all the best and we hope his ‘bold’ move is a beneficial one for all. For someone who is a 3-time Emmy winner, Rick Hearst was severely underutilized and not given the chance to do what he is truly capable of. By all counts, Rick is a leading actor and should have been treated as such. Hopefully his return to ‘B&B’ will show ABC what it is they missed. Sometimes you don’t appreciate what you have until it’s gone.
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