Turns out that actor Bradford Anderson, who originated the role of Spinelli, is quite the super hero fan himself--and has a lot in common with Captain America! With "Marvel's The Avengers" crossing into the world of "General Hospital" today, Marvel.com caught up with Anderson to learn more about this special episode, his band and just why he loves super heroes so much.
Marvel.com: Yesterday we spoke with Jason Cook and he mentioned you’re a big super hero fan. What’s attracted you to them all your life?
Bradford Anderson: I don’t know, I’m not sure. Saving the day, that was always something that appealed to me as a kid and I think every person has a part of them that realizes that if they get put in the right situation they would help someone. Having that idea in my head, that if I was ever blessed with a power like this I would use it for good, was the kind of high morality stuff I loved thinking about as a kid.
Marvel.com: Wow, you were a very smart kid [laughs].
Spinelli (Bradford Anderson) in "General Hospital"
Bradford Anderson: And maybe at that point, maybe it would impress a girl too. [Laughs]. As a kid you have these idealistic moments because you don’t know what you’ll be when you grow up and you’re not jaded enough to say these super powered situations wouldn’t happen. As a kid you think, “Well, maybe I’ll get hit by lightning and be a super hero. If that happens, I’d use my powers to serve humanity.” That was me, y’know? I loved all those stories about saving someone else and the people who took the opportunity to do so. I loved watching "Baywatch" as a kid, not because the girls were in bikinis, but because I liked saving people [laughs].
Marvel.com: Knowing how much you love super heroes, what was your reaction to learning you and Jason Cook would be filming a scene involving the Avengers movie?
Bradford Anderson: I loved it! My character Spinelli is a huge fan of any sort of mythology, any sort of comic book, any sort of story that represents higher ideals or moral codes. He’s into that. I think he’s always wanted to be able to be a guy that can serve something bigger than himself, and so stories like these really resonate with him. I was so glad they involved him. It’s right in his wheelhouse.
Marvel.com: I know you’re looking forward to the film—who’s your favorite character in the Avengers?
Bradford Anderson: It’s hard to say. I’ve loved all the movies that have led up to it, and of course I’ve loved the cartoons and every other super hero movie. I ‘d have to say Captain America, just because I’m a slightly diminutive guy [laughs]. He had the spirit and the will to be that kind of person and then was given the opportunity through science to get to a place where he could actually fulfill those ideals. That’s pretty cool. His story resonates more with me than the others, although being Iron Man would be pretty cool too. I loved the Iron Man movies. I've loved the Hulk since the Bill Bixby days. "The Incredible Hulk" show with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno was one of my favorite shows as a kid. Seeing those bellbottoms as Bill Bixby’s wearing that leisure suit, walking down the highway, I mean, there’s nothing like it [laughs]. I always thought that was hilarious--even as a kid I found a lot of humor in that.
Spinelli (Bradford Anderson, left), Cameron (Braeden Walkes) and Matt (Jason Cook, right) in "General Hospital"
Marvel.com: Moving over to "General Hospital," I wanted to discuss Spinelli since he’s become a pretty integral character to the show. Much like in comics, it’s hard to make new characters work--why do you think he’s resonated with the audience?
Bradford Anderson: I think it’s because he’s an underdog, and he’s an outsider. And I think that’s the kind of story that everyone can relate to, regardless of if you were popular in high school or not, because everyone at one point has felt like an outsider no matter how blessed you are in whatever ways. He’s a character that you can easily root for and a lot of his self-conscious self-doubt, social awkwardness--everyone has that moment where they feel like “I’m not good enough, I’m not good looking enough, I’m not charming enough. People aren’t going to like me.” I think that is the part about him that everyone can relate to feeling at some point. And I think that is why he’s been welcomed in so much, not every guy can relate to Jason and not every girl can relate to Elizabeth. I think Spinelli is one of the more real people that folks have ever seen, because he’s not the Adonis charming guy that they're used to seeing on the show, and I think that’s useful.
Marvel.com: Now in addition to your Kickstarter project with Jason Cook, you two and some of your castmates have a band called Port Chuck. Can you tell us a bit about it?
Bradford Anderson: The band is comprised of Steve Burton [Jason on "Genereal Hospital"], Brandon Barash [Johnny], Scotty Reeves [Steve], and myself, and we sing originals that we just completed. We also sing a variety of cover tunes and since most of our band lives in Nashville, they have all toured with A-list acts. We’re just lucky enough that they have time in their schedule to hang out with us. Our musicians that play behind us are so incredible that as long as we don’t mess up the vocals too much, the band sounds pretty great [laughs]. We have a great time. It’s basically just another way for us to get back to our fans and give them an experience that is hopefully fun for them and is definitely fun for us. We get to play all over the country, and we have another tour coming up this coming week. We go to Long Island, Baltimore, Jersey Shore, Manhattan, Niagara Falls, Rochester, Boston and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Our new CD comes out in a couple of weeks; we have one of our originals on there as well as some new covers that we haven’t sung before. We just have a blast! Our fans get to enjoy themselves too and it’s a pretty great experience for all of us. You can find out more at www.portchuck.com.
You can see Dr Matt Hunter come face-to-face with "Marvel’s The Avengers" on ABC’s "General Hospital," today, April 25 at 3et/2pt/c on ABC. If you miss the episode, check out ABC.com for the full episode of this and other hit ABC shows.