Exclusive: GH's Rick Hearst On Ric's Cold Feat

Disney/Christine Bartolucci(2)

Ric scored a private stroll with his ex-wife, Elizabeth , that took an unexpected turn when they just so happened to bump into another one of his ex-wives, Alexis, just as she just so happened to be disposing of a gun in an effort to protect her daughter, Kristina.

Funny Business

"That was a funny day," recalls Rick Hearst (Ric) of what was going down behind the scenes. "Poor Nancy's [Lee Grahn, Alexis] having to go back and forth [on the footbridge set] and there are, like, girders on the bridge, right? And she was so frantic [as Alexis] that she leaned on one of the girders and the whole thing swayed. It was a great take, but they had to do it again. They go, 'Hey, you're really strong!' And she goes, 'What do you mean?' So I said, 'You moved the bridge, Nance!' She was like, 'Oh, jeez, did I? I didn't even know!' So, she doesn't know her own strength [ laughs ]!"

Also amusing was Hearst and Rebecca Herbst's (Elizabeth) attempt to navigate the ice cream cones their characters were enjoying on their outing. "Becky and I had to be walking with these ice cream cones that, of course, had real ice cream in them. But we're shooting underneath hot lights. So they're trying to get the shots and get everything done, and invariably, the ice cream keeps melting all over! Becky can't have dairy, so Becky's not licking the ice cream cone. I, in turn, am licking mine and then going to her, 'Here, give me that one, I'll take that since you're not licking it,' and we keep having to trade out the ice creams and get napkins. I mean, it was comedy! Comedy, comedy, comedy with all of it."

Morality, Police

On the show, of course, none of this was played for laughs. And on the Thursday, September 5 episode, Ric made the case to Elizabeth that they should go to the authorities and tell them what they witnessed. Is Ric trying to use what he saw to his advantage? "Well, we happen across that little moment of the gun getting dropped off the bridge," Hearst muses, "and he knows what he saw, and Elizabeth confirms it, and there is a professional aspect — as an officer of the court, he has to [come forward]. Now, if it were something that could damage Elizabeth, maybe, or even damage his daughter, he may not [be so inclined to follow the rules]. But ultimately, I really latched on to that genuinely, as an attorney, you have to divulge any evidence that you are privy to. If you are not representing the individual, you have to report that to the police. Otherwise, you are culpable in that act in some way — you know, hiding evidence or what have you. So, in that respect, I think he's right [to want to go to the police].

"Now, why does she have a gun?" continues Hearst. "What is she dumping a gun off the side of the bridge for? He's not seeing to ask questions first and then do later. He's like, 'No, this isn't good.' And basically, his pragmatic standpoint on it is, 'Look, the justice system will work this out. If she didn't do anything, that will be revealed. If she did, hey, guess what! If there's a murder committed and it comes back to me, and/or Elizabeth, that's not cool! And guess what else? That's not great for our daughter!' That's kind of where he stands on it."

But Hearst acknowledges that Ric's motives for doing something that could very well land Alexis in legal hot water may fall somewhat into a gray area. "Somebody asked me the other day, 'So, are you a good guy or a bad guy?' And I said, 'Depends on who you ask!' " he chuckles. "Subconsciously, he may very well be thinking, 'Hey, listen, you sided with Kristina, not our daughter. I'm not cool with that. So, you go up the river, tough s--t!'"