The Quartermaine family is getting a little bigger on General Hospital. Later this week, Ned (Wally Kurth) is going to officially adopt his wife Olivia’s (Lisa LoCicero) son Leo (Easton Rocket Sweda). The show has timed Ned’s adoption of Leo, who was diagnosed late last year as having autism, with Autism Awareness month.
Kurth, a Daytime Emmy-nominated actor, brings additional depth to his role as Ned as he has, in real-life, a 17-year-old son, Brogan, who is autistic. TV Insider chatted with the fan favorite about the adoption, Ned’s reconciliation with Olivia, and his thoughts on how GH is handling this important social issue.
What went into Ned’s decision to be Leo’s dad officially?
Wally Kurth: Soaps are about families. Ned’s the male figure in Leo’s life. It was natural for Ned to assume that role. Ned has always loved being a dad. Ned wasn’t the primary parent who raised Brook Lynn [played by Amanda Setton] during her early years. Now, with Julian — Leo’s birth father — being dead, it’s up to Ned to step up and be that father who Leo needs.
Earlier this year, Leo went missing at Ava’s (Maura West) gallery — and Ned figured out where he was. This helped Olivia realize that she really needed Ned, who, at the time, had more come to terms with Leo’s diagnosis.
I think it’s not uncommon to have one parent be at a different place when they have a child who’s different — in this case, on the autism spectrum. There was a hesitation to realize this child will have different needs. Olivia became aware of Leo’s situation a little later than Ned did.
I think, maybe, perhaps because Ned wasn’t the biological parent, he wasn’t as invested in that “dream” of a typical child. This instance in which Leo eloped — by the way, I can relate to that situation [as] my son Brogan was an “eloper” — Olivia realized that something really could have happened after Leo [went missing]. She realized he needs help and she was willing to seek that help.
ABC/Craig Sjodin
Last year, Ned truly did think Olivia was off being unfaithful with Robert. She wasn’t, but that led to Ned’s unplanned romp with Alexis. The show had Ned and Olivia ultimately move forward in a mature way.
It didn’t happen overnight, as you know. I think in real-life situations it’s a process and there’s an acceptance. You have to accept what happened. You have to forgive. Mistakes are made in a marriage. I agree that the writers and producers did a great job of dealing with it in a mature and adult way. I don’t think either character reacted in a way to make it worse.
You have to be patient and know that one or the other is going to take longer to get to that place of forgiveness and that place of “Now, I can trust you again.” That’s real. That just takes time. It’s a wound and it needs time to heal. There’s nothing better than just time. I tell people in real-life that, in time, things get better. Just hang in there. You’re not going to fix it in a week or maybe a month. Ned and Olivia were patient with each other. That’s pretty cool.
What’s it like working with Easton Rocket Sweda (Leo)?
He’s an adorable little guy. Super-high energy. He’s a terrific kid who knows his lines and is quite professional. He practices. We run lines together. He’s there and he takes it seriously. He’s a lovely boy and I’m so excited that he seems to be really thriving. He really wants to be a good actor and co-worker. That’s huge for these kids.
Get an exclusive sneak peek at the episode below:
Soaps have always worked hard at presenting social issues. How do you feel GH has presented this storyline?
I think they’ve done a really great job. Frank [Valentini, executive producer] first told me the show was going to do this. The writers knew about [my son Brogan being autistic]. Frank wanted to make sure how I felt about it. He wanted me to know that it was somewhat from my own personal experience that they were inspired to tell this story. I wasn’t sure how they would do it [because] every child is different.
There are certain behaviors that Leo exhibits that are different from other kids with autism. I was very pleased with how the writers had done their research and have done a good job of looking at Leo’s past, present, and future and designed, I think, a very accurate and truthful telling of a child who’s having to deal with [autism]. I’ve always felt that this elopement thing was so accurate. I can totally speak to that. When Brogan was younger, he could just disappear. We were riding our bikes along the beach one day and he just wasn’t there.
What did you do?
First, I tried not to panic. I looked desperately for him on his bike. Then, I saw his bike alone in the sand. I knew then he ran to the ocean. He still does that. Brogan is older now but he still needs to learn to tell me where he’s doing. Just last week, we went for a bike ride. I assumed he was following me one way but he went the other. I realized quickly he wasn’t behind me. I turned around and luckily, I saw him just before he went around a corner.
Did the show’s writers know that Brogan, as Leo did, goes to the water?
I didn’t talk to the writers about Brogan’s water fascination but I believe that water attraction is common. I know when I talk to other parents who have autistic children that their children do like the water. One of my favorite stories is when we were in a swim class when Brogan was very little. We were teaching him how to put his head in the water, which kids do not want to do. It’s a very unnatural thing. We were in the pool with the teacher and Brogan just went under the water. I pulled him back up. The teacher gave me this amazed expression and said, ‘In all my years, I’ve never seen a child this young willingly put his head in the water.’ He just naturally has this affinity for water. It’s amazing. He still swims in the ocean every day. Every day, I get to take him to the beach. It’s what I consider one of the gifts of autism.
Every father follows their child’s passion and interests. Brogan takes me to the ocean, almost every evening. It’s such a blessing. #giftofautism. pic.twitter.com/dKOzqIciQ7
— Wally Kurth (@wallykurth) April 12, 2021
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