Drew Quartermaine (Cameron Mathison) and Willow Corinthos’ (Katelyn MacMullen) illicit tryst on General Hospital, which was caught on video, is made public in the most embarrassing way, leaving the cheating duo to face the music.
Mathison admits he never expected the story to take the twists and turns it has when he first started sharing scenes with MacMullen, whose Willow is already married to Michael Corinthos. “It felt very much initially like a chemistry test between the two of us,” he recalls. “Katey and I always worked really well together, and then all of a sudden, Drew and Willow dabbled into a little bit more than just a close friendship, and I had no idea that it would be to this extent. I had no idea that it would blow up Port Charles. I had no idea that Drew’s character would almost do a 180 as far as what he’s willing to do and the sacrifices he’s willing to make for this love for this woman. So, it’s way bigger and wilder and more disruptive than I ever could have imagined, which I say in an exciting way.”
The actor is keenly aware that the story isn’t the most popular with viewers. “I know many people out there that aren’t happy with Drew, and initially that was hard for me,” Mathison offers. “But I’m just going to say that these things happen in real life, and I think it’s really good story and giving a lot of other people really good story. But even more than that, I think it’s the making of, potentially, a really beautiful love story. I really do.”
That is, if Willow never finds out that Drew was intimate with her mom, Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros). “Well, that’s a little tricky,” Mathison concedes. “So, it’s really kind of Nina, Willow and Drew against the world, but the problem is, Nina knows the whole story and Willow doesn’t. Drew and Nina have slept together, but as soon as things start happening with Willow, he stopped sleeping with Nina. It doesn’t make it a whole lot better, but it makes it a little bit better. And he was never sleeping with both of them at the same time, but he’s certainly not being open and honest to Willow, and that would be really important information for Willow to know that happened. But he’s not thinking super clearly in all ways.”
Which is a welcome turn for Mathison, who initially had some trouble making sense of his alter ego’s decisions. “Drew is not being the best version of himself,” he points out. “I went to see the producers a few times because I didn’t understand it and I needed help. I needed guidance. I needed motivation. So in that way, it’s been really, really hard, but now I kind of feel like it’s really fun and it’s a real challenge and I love that. After everything that happened to Drew in prison, almost dying, sacrificing himself for Carly, losing her because Jason comes back in town, the Quartermaines turning their back on him, Ned trying to do this and that and the other thing to him, there’s been problem after problem after being betrayed and being outcast. And ultimately, you’ll see as the story develops, there’s more of that, and I think he’s just really latching on to Willow, who’s also a little bit of an outsider in a sense. But I feel like it’s making sense to him, and even though what he’s doing isn’t right — sleeping with his nephew’s wife — sometimes love can make you do some crazy things.”
ABC
That’s one way to describe the December 13 episode, a must-see both for the reaction to the bombshell video — and another can’t-miss twist. “The fact that it was accidentally recorded on a nanny cam is really unfortunate,” sighs Mathison, “but the fact that Michael had it in his possession on his phone for weeks and never said anything to Drew, never said anything to Willow, is a sign that Michael was up to something. Obviously, people are in shock. The Quartermaines love it because they’re already anti-Drew. Everybody else is mortified. It gets real ugly, real fast, understandably. It feels like everything is unraveling.”
While Drew’s life is in disarray, Mathison’s is more on track. He’s currently hosting Beat the Bridge on the Game Show Network and having a great time. “I shot Beat the Bridge about a year, and it’s still airing and still doing really well,” he reports. “Even the reruns are doing well. I get a lot of people coming up to me saying how much they love Beat the Bridge, which is a really good sign. There are going to be all new episodes starting in the winter, which I’m really thrilled, about. We still have about 40 or 50 episodes left to air and then hopefully, we’ll find out if we’re going to be shooting more than that. But I really love that gig. It was when Drew went off to Australia, if anybody remembers that.”
His holiday movie, Home Sweet Christmas, with Candace Cameron Bure just aired on Great American Family, and Mathison was thrilled to team up with her for the seasonal fare. “The movie with Candace has been a long time coming,” he explains. “We’ve known each other for a long time and we’ve talked about doing a Christmas movie. I mean, she’s the queen of Christmas, but I’ve done 14 or 15 Christmas movies. It’s a really sweet story. I really appreciate it. In fact, it went over so well that the network is talking about doing a sequel, so fingers crossed on that.”
The actor is also busy traveling and getting ready for the holidays, which will feel a little different this year now that he and wife Vanessa have split. “I spend days setting up Christmas decorations in my house,” he shares. “But it’s my first Christmas in 21 years that I’ll be without my kids; they’re going to be with their mom this year. This is a new chapter for us and we’re all figuring it out. It’s going very well, but it’s also challenging, especially around the holidays, so I’m trying to do everything I can to immerse myself in Christmas even though I won’t have the kids. I’m going to be skiing in Colorado a little bit and I’ve got lots of Christmas lights up.”
And he already has big plans for 2025. “I’m in the process of launching a functional health coaching company,” reveals Mathison, who was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma in 2019, and is now cancer-free. “Functional health coaching has transformed my health after my cancer journey and it’s different than just getting a trainer or a functional medicine doctor. The company is going to be called Health360, and it’s literally coming at your health from 360 degrees and it’s transformed not only my aesthetics and my physique but also my health. It’s incredible.”
Mathison reports that he’s feeling better than ever. “I feel amazing,” he declares. “I have so much energy. I’m so strong right now — I’m stronger than I was when I was 25. I’ve got more flexibility. My joints feel amazing. My gut is as healthy as it’s been my whole life. And that’s a huge deal. My hormones are balanced. My blood sugar is where it needs to be. I’m very grateful.”
He’s also looking forward to Drew’s next chapter in Port Charles. “There’s a lot of good fallout to this story,” Mathison teases. “It’s messy and it just keeps getting worse, so my job is to really make sense of it and do the best job I can, not only for the character and for my scenes, but also for the show.”
