Ryan Paevey returned to GH earlier this year. But his character’s love interest, Maxie, is in a coma. The actor opened up about their reunion. Plus, he shared his thoughts on a possible Nathan/Lulu romance. Keep reading for all the details.
Ryan Paevey Reveals What Led Him Back To Acting Career
Ryan Paevey left General Hospital in 2018 when his career as a Hallmark actor began to take off. The show wrote his character, Nathan West, off in a heartbreaking death storyline. The actor made a shocking announcement in 2024 that he was taking a step back from his acting career. Fans were shocked earlier this year when news broke that he was returning to the ABC soap opera.
In a candid discussion with Woman’s World, the actor shared more on his decision to leave acting and what brought him back. “Taking care of my family motivated me to take a break from the biz and then also to return,” he said. The beloved soap star admitted his decision to take a step back from acting was “premature.”
“I felt a little selfish stepping away from an opportunity to work in a fun industry that takes good care of me and enables me to take better care of my family,” Ryan Paevey revealed.
He said he “cast a net into the universe” and received a text almost immediately from GH executive producer Frank Valentini.
He Thinks It Would Be ‘Rad’ If Nathan West Were The Villain
Ryan Paevey returned as Nathan West, but there’s got to be a twist coming. For now, the actor said, “We’re still a bit of a ship adrift, with Nathan trying to pick up the pieces of his fragmented family.” How exactly Nathan survived remains a mystery.
Nathan’s biological father is Port Charles villain Cesar Faison, who was also killed in 2018. But there’s always a chance he’s still alive. Ryan Paevey opened up about the chances that Nathan has a villain turn soon.
“Look, Faison’s a beautiful wild card, and wouldn’t it be rad if Nathan turned out to be evil? Everybody likes Nathan, and being liked is very usable,” the actor said. However, he said he doesn’t know where the storyline is going at this point.
General Hospital Star Breaks Silence About Maxie & Nathan Reunion
There is one huge element missing in Nathan West’s return: his wife, Maxie Jones. Kirsten Storms has played the character of Maxie since 2005. But she took a break from the show in 2025 while she moved her family from Los Angeles, California, to Tennessee. She recently shared an update on her health and teased that she might be back on the soap soon.
“We don’t know when Maxie’s returning. But I know Kirsten loves this place, and I would like very much to see her back in her happy place,” Ryan Paevey said about his co-star’s return. But if Maxie comes out of her coma soon, she might be in for a surprise. Not only is Nathan alive, but he’s been cozying up to her best friend, Lulu (Alexa Havins.)
“There’s definitely chemistry there, so I’m interested to see. From a storyline standpoint, that’s some good drama. Nathan and Dante, back in the day, were best friend, and then Maxie and Lulu… There’s all kinds of friction there,” he said about the possible love triangle.
Tell us in the comments if you want to see Nathan and Maxie reunite or want to see him forge a new relationship with Lulu.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger