Disney/Christine Bartolucci
Daytime newcomer Sawandi Wilson made his General Hospital debut last week in the role of Isaiah, a doctor tied in to Lucky Spencer's (Jonathan Jackson) return to the canvas. The New York native, who relocated to Los Angeles with his fiancée, Anna Eilinsfeld, and their beloved Husky, Brando (named after Marlon Brando, of course), for the job opportunity, spoke with Soap Opera Digest about the exciting new gig — and the key piece of advice he got from a Bold and Beautiful star before he started.
Soap Opera Digest: How did you get cast in the role?
Sawandi Wilson: Basically, I was in the Dominican Republic shooting a film in Spanish, pretty much, and I had to switch from my Spanish brain to English when I heard about the audition. Then I got the callback in New York via Zoom, and the third callback was the screen test. For that, I flew myself out from New York to L.A.
Digest: What was it like to do that in-person audition and be at the studio for the first time?
Wilson: It was double-fold exciting. It was incredibly amazing to be on a lot because we don't have a whole bunch of them in New York. So that experience was really cool. But then I just remember walking through the doors and this never really happens, but I felt at home, like something inside of me said, "Oh, you're at home right here. This is something very comforting." I have terrible anxiety; normally, I'm very scared for auditions and all those [important career] things, but I just felt really comfortable as soon as I walked through the door. [Casting Director] Mark Teschner was incredibly accommodating immediately when I saw him. He was definitely one of the reasons why I felt at home.
Digest: Do you remember where you were when you found out you got the job and what your reaction was?
Wilson: My fiancée and I, we share a birthday week, so we were just getting away from it all and celebrating our birthdays. We were walking downtown with Brando, our dog, nad we walked into a whiskey store and we were testing whiskey. And right after I took a shot, I got the call saying that I got the job. It was kind of like an intuitive "Cheers!" moment.
Digest: Were you familiar with General Hospital at all before you booked the role?
Wilson: Yeah! Growing up, my grandfather and my grandmother were huge fans of General Hospital . I have big memories of wanting to watch cartoons and then getting roped into the story and being, like, really invested in the story as a 7-year-old!
Digest: Have you ever lived in Los Angeles before?
Wilson: I did live in L.A. for a while, for about a year when I was up and coming — I was still learning the industry, learning about classes, and then shortly after that, I moved back to New York. L.A. wasn't too much on my radar; it's always nicer to come out here when you have a job, and I was just auditioning. But when I got this job, we did a six-day road trip from New York to L.A. to move [here].
Digest: Is your fiancée in the arts as well?
Wilson: She is. She has something coming out soon, which is Heels on Netflix. It's coming out on September 15th. She's also done Broadway; she's an incredible singer/actress. She's amazing!
Digest: So you land the job and move out to L.A. What was your first day on set like?
Wilson: I had a call time for about 7 a.m. and basically, I got to set and was still figuring out, "Okay, I've gotta go to my dressing room. I've gotta go to hair and makeup." People were starting to walk through the door and the first person I see is Steve Burton [Jason]. And he's in the zone, he's getting ready for a scene, for the first thing he has to shoot. He shows me where my dressing room is, where hair and makeup is, everything — he just shows me around and I'm like, "Ah, great, amazing. Thank you!" And then the very first scene that I shot, because we filmed things out of order, was me getting hit by a car. I was like, "How are they gonna do the whole car thing?" They brought this car [onto the set] and they shined a light on my face and immediately, I've got to jump backwards onto a mat. In my head, I was like, "I'm so lucky that I started this art form with breakdancing because I know how to fall with that." And right after that, it was Steve finding me in the rain. So I'm laying on my back, pretty much a chalk outline on my back, it's raining down on me so I've got water coming down my nose, water coming in my ears, and then the scene is him pretty much calling it in, saying that I'm the John Doe in Port Charles. That was my first day on set!
Digest: Did you recognize Steve from your younger days watching the show with your grandparents?
Wilson: Immediately. Right away. I want to be respectful of everyone's process, I never want to be in the way, so I was just like, "Hey, my name's Sawandi, I play Isaiah. Do you know where I go first?" He was like, "Well, what are you looking for?" I was like, "I'm looking for hair and makeup and I'm looking for wardrobe." He was like, "Yeah, no problem! And what you want to do is, you want to take one of these call sheets because it tells you the scenes that we're shooting for the day." He was just super-hospitable.
Digest: As you mentioned, you got your start in the arts via breakdancing. Tell me about that!
Wilson: Yeah, I started in Long Island. It was me getting on the breakdance Internet forums and searching for people to practice with or learn from. I met my crew in East Long Island. We would take the train to go to the competitions in the Bronx and stay there until the competition was over, which would be, like, 4 a.m. and kids from Long Island going to the Bronx and staying until 4 a.m. — you get an early introduction to New York, and all the ecosystems of New York, from that. But it took us all around the United States and it took me to France, it took me to places like Korea and Spain, to where I would teach and have releases of Battle of the Year 3D , which was a film that I did with Chris Brown a while back, and Josh Holloway, Josh Peck. It taught me my work ethic as an actor. It gave me all the opportunities in the world to just enrich myself as an artist.
Digest: What was your family's reaction to you booking the General Hospital job?
Wilson: My mother, she was the first person I called and she was so happy and proud. She was crying on the phone with me and saying how my father would be so proud because we lost him about a year ago. My sister was the second person I called, and she was on the brink of tears and very happy and proud. Both of them work in the medical field; my mother is a registered nurse and my sister is an anesthesiologist. So, no pressure, right [ laughs ]?
Digest: Do you have any actor friends who've done soaps before?
Wilson: Yeah, I actually do: Anna Holbrook [a Daytime Emmy-winner for her work as Sharlene Watts Hudson on Another World ], who told me, "Just stay humble and be yourself, they're going to love you." Also, Delon de Metz [Zende, Bold and Beautiful ]. We both studied with [acting teacher and coach] Susan Batson, and he was definitely someone that I kind of came up with, so I called him and he was so generous with his time and just giving advice.
Digest: What tips did he give you?
Wilson: Basically that yes, you do get a lot of dialogue, yes, you do get a lot of scripts, but to ultimately remain open — and you never know who your love interest is going to be! So just remain open, and pretty much to flirt! Remain open because you never know where the story is going to go. [He also told me] that everyone is going to be so nice, everyone is going to love you.
Digest: Isaiah has a connection to the character of Lucky. What has it been like to work with his portrayer, Jonathan Jackson?
Wilson: Jonathan knows so much about soaps. He is a veteran and he has so much experience in this world. He's another person who was just so welcoming and sweet. Day one with him, I said, "Hey, if you see anything [you think I could improve], I want to make this the best it can be, and I know that you're definitely the guy to to talk to. If you need anything from me, whatever it is, let's make this great." And he was like, "Absolutely!" Immediately, working with him, he was just so easy to work and such a pro, and I learned so much just by watching him.
Digest: We don't know a whole lot about Isaiah yet, but how would you describe him?
Wilson: I would say that Isaiah is a hotshot surgeon who definitely believes he's the smartest one in the room, who has the answers to everything, except the answers to his own past and dealing with himself. He's got the answers to everything that's right in front of him but lacks the answers to everything that's inside of him.
Digest: Is there anything you would like to say to fans of the show?
Wilson: Just that I'm so grateful. It means a lot [to be welcomed so warmly]. I know that this fan base is a very loyal fan base and I'm so happy to be part of this world. I really hope that they enjoy the twists and turns that are coming as much as I enjoy doing it and telling the story along with the rest of the cast. They really did something so different with the storyline and there's so many surprises that I absolutely did not see coming and I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I enjoy playing in this world.
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