In September, Erika Slezak made a triumphant return to the world of daytime soaps after a 12-year absence, much to the delight of longtime fans.

Best known for her iconic portrayal of Viki Lord on One Life to Live, Slezak stepped into the role of Veronica “Ronnie” Bard on General Hospital. She made her debut in September and wrapped up her run just weeks later in November.

Soap Opera News caught up with Slezak to talk about her time on GH, whether she might ever consider returning, her theater roots, and, of course, her unforgettable tenure on OLTL.

Along the way, she shared reflections, behind-the-scenes stories, and insights into what it’s like to step back into the soap world after more than a decade. Read on to hear what she had to say!

Working in Theater

Erika Slezak’s love for acting started long before she became the beloved Viki Lord on One Life to Live. Reflecting on her early career, Slezak shared how theater shaped her craft.

“I had been working in the theater and repertory after I left the Royal Academy in London. I graduated, and I came back here, and I was hired for the Milwaukee Repertory Theater as their leading lady at all of 20 years of age. And I played parts that I should never have played until I was 50. But it all worked. And I stayed there for three years.”

Her journey continued in Houston, where she joined the Alley Theater. “They said, ‘Would you like to come down here?’ And I thought it could be a nice change. So I went down there for a year and played all kinds of different parts. And actually, the fun one was Blithe Spirit, where I played Elvira, but Margaret Hamilton played Madame Arcati. Margaret Hamilton, who was the Wicked Witch of the West. The nicest, sweetest lady in the whole world. Just terrific and lovely.”

Auditioning for OLTL

After some time, Slezak took a break and traveled to Switzerland, where her parents were living. But before she left, her agent encouraged her to meet Joan D’Incecco, a casting director for All My Children and One Life to Live.

At first, Slezak had no experience with soap operas. “I said, no, I’ve never seen a soap opera ever. I’ve always been in rehearsal or working or in school.”

She auditioned on camera, not even for a specific role, and returned to Switzerland, thinking nothing would come of it. Yet soon, she was called to play Desdemona in Buffalo—a job she initially turned down because it offered virtually no pay.

Eventually, the production reached out to hire her under her requested terms, and she performed in what she described as “the first professional Shakespeare production, I think, that they had ever done.”

Slezak fondly remembers the young audiences: “The kids were adorable because they talked all the way through it… And then at the end when Othello starts to kill Desdemona, one of the front row yelled, ‘Oh my God, is he going to kill her?’… The poor actor playing Othello, just didn’t know how to deal with this. So he just kept going.”

Landing the Role on OLTL

Her big break in soap operas came unexpectedly. After returning to New York, Slezak auditioned for a new character on One Life to Live. “They wouldn’t tell me who the character was. They said it was a new part. I went and rehearsed with Bernard Grant, who was playing Steve, and I had never watched a soap opera, so I was doing my best.”

After the audition, there was a tense silence. She wasn’t sure if she landed the part or not. However, while out with her agent, his phone rang. Five minutes later, after he hung up, he said, ‘Oh, by the way, that was One Life to Live. You got the job.’ And I thought, what? I’ll probably start in a month or two…I could lose 5 pounds. I could find a place to live, because I was living with a girlfriend of mine. And then he said, ‘You start tomorrow,’ which for me was a freaking nightmare.”

It was after that that she learned she would be playing the role of Viki. Her agent advised her to go back to the studio and grab her script.

OLTL Changed Erika Slezak’s Life

Slezak arrived at the studio early the next morning for work, met stage manager Sydney Andrews, and quickly learned the ropes. Slezak recalls replacing the actress in the role at the time.

Not many people knew there was a new Viki. However, “He and Ernest Graves and Lynn Benesch literally took me by the hand and led me through that first day. I had never been on television before. Ever. I had only been in theater, and I had to adjust to staying still on camera instead of projecting to the last row.”

“That was my first lesson,” she said.

She recalls the first weeks on the job with humor and gratitude: “I thought, okay, they’re probably going to fire me now. But they didn’t. A couple of weeks went by… and I was making more money per day than I had made per week in rep. Of course, you don’t work five days a week.”

Slezak called her parents, and her father, also an actor, encouraged her to stick with the role. “He said, ‘Don’t ever give that job up.’ Actors live, you know, job to job. Well, it just turned out to be the best choice that they and I had ever made. I loved every second of it.”

Over her 42-year career on One Life to Live, Slezak worked with countless talented colleagues and formed close bonds. She also experienced the disappointment of the show’s eventual cancellation. She recalls getting the call and how sad it was.

Slezak even remembered a similar experience when the show was canceled for a second time, after the show was rebooted by Prospect Park. But since then, she embraced new opportunities, including guest roles and Hallmark movies.

Coming to General Hospital

Most recently, Slezak returned to daytime television when Frank Valentini, her former producer, invited her to General Hospital. “He called me last April and said, ‘You want to come to GH and play for a little bit?’ And I said, well, I guess, yeah, okay. When? And he said, Well, it’ll be in September. And I thought, April… oh, September, sure, why not?”

When asked about her recent stint on General Hospital, she said, “Well, I went out there and didn’t play Vicki; I played a completely opposite character. Ronnie Bard, Veronica Bard, Monica’s sister.”

Reuniting with Friends

She shared how exciting it was to reconnect with old friends. “It was so wonderful to see familiar faces—Bruce Cooperman, our cameraman for 31 years; Robert Bessoir, our lighting director for 25 years; and Dominick Nuzzi, our business manager. And, of course, my co-actors Josh Kelly, my darling Chris McKenna, and Lisa LoCicero.”

The reunion was especially poignant with Chris McKenna. “He was 11 years old when he played Joey, and left when he was 15 because they wanted to age the character. To see him all grown up and handsome, with his own family, it was just lovely. I’d also gotten close to his mother because, as a minor, he always needed an adult on set. His mother used to bring him to the studio, and we used to sit and chat for hours. I got to see her because she was out there visiting. It was absolutely lovely.”

Working with Jane Elliot

But the highlight, she admitted, was working alongside Jane Elliot. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Jane. She’s a spectacularly good actress, but until you work with her, you don’t realize just how good she really is. We worked together so well. I fell in love with her as a person and an actress. It was fun. It was terrific fun.”

She also relished collaborating with other familiar faces. “Michael Knight, Cameron Mathison—who I had not worked with before, but I knew from All My Children—and Giovanni Mazza. What a charming young man. A professional violinist, were all a delight. Some of the people that I didn’t know, we clicked pretty quickly. It was a pleasure to work with such talent.”

As for her character’s backstory, we mentioned how we’d hoped for a closer tie to Chris McKenna’s character—his mother, perhaps. “They gave her little background about Ronnie. Monica and Ronnie were siblings six years apart, separated into foster homes. As soon as Ronnie turned 16, she turned up on Monica’s doorstep, and she turned me away and left her on her own. That was my only qualm about that story. I thought it was a bit out of character, but that was the story they wanted to tell.”

Ronnie vs. Tracy on GH

Reflecting on her scenes with the Quartermaine family, she said, “After coming on as a schemer working with Martin, I got to work with Maurice Bernard and other major characters, which was a treat. It was three weeks of playing guilt, but it was a pleasure.”

Slezak recalled that powerful scene where she got Jane Elliot’s Tracy to apologize. “When I added the line, and I said, Oh, I’m just going to tell them you apologized. What the hell? And I started to walk out. And then just to be nasty, I turned, and I said, maybe I’ll tell them you cried, which I threw in. Well, God damn it if she didn’t just cry. But it was brilliant because it showed Tracy is a human being after all.”

“And when she finally understood what Ronnie and Monica’s relationship was and why Ronnie was there, when she finally got it all, she was so incredibly sorry. So the tears were appropriate, even though I had suggested them. I mean, she might have done it anyway—I don’t know. But I said to her afterward, ‘That was brilliant.’ And I could have killed you for crying, because it was just so sad and pathetic for this character that she’s been all along. She let down all her guard, and she really, really meant it. She’s wonderful. She is just wonderful.”

Would Erika Slezak Return to General Hospital?

Would she ever return to General Hospital? “Absolutely, but not full-time—I don’t want to move to California. I’d love to pop in occasionally, now that I know the schedule and the wonderful people I’d be working with. The wonderful hair and makeup people that I had.”

On the topic of theater and future projects, she was candid. “Nothing major right now. I audition for certain roles, but mostly for projects based in California.”

She explains, “I auditioned for a bunch of stuff, but they’re generally roles that can be filled because they shoot in California with somebody in California. Who has something of a name, and that’s what they’re looking for. But I do the auditions, and if it’s anything interesting, you know, I do it.”

As for the theater, Slezak says, “Theater isn’t practical for me anymore—I’d need a very special part close to home. I’ve had a wonderful career and am very grateful. I am grateful to God. I am grateful to all the people who hired me. I’m grateful that it was successful for the most part.”

A Message for the Fans

She also reflected on the personal connection fans develop with daytime characters. “I told Maurice, when I was working with him, that my husband never, ever watched One Life to Live when I was on because he didn’t want to see me kissing other guys—and I had a lot of husbands, right? But he loves General Hospital, and only because of Sonny. If it’s around five to three, he’d say, ‘I have to go watch, see what’s happened to Sonny.’ And Maurice just loved that.”

And her message to fans? “Thank you so much for watching One Life to Live and General Hospital, for all the mail I receive, for all the comments, thoughts, and ideas. And thank you for being so loyal all those years. Thank you so, so much. It has truly been a pleasure to entertain you.”