Jenz Sidwell arrived in Port Charles less than a year ago, and already he has turned the town on its ear. The “importer” is on a mission to steal whatever control Sonny Corinthos has, while also running him out of town. He is also knee-deep in whatever criminal activity is happening in Britt’s Croatian lab, which likely puts him in the crosshairs of the WSB, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Sidwell has lived a lot of years, experienced a lot of things, and no doubt, has a litany of crimes under his belt that we have yet to hear about.
Carlo Rota embraced the complicated character and joined the cast of “General Hospital” with an open mind and heart. As it turns out, it was the best decision he could have made, because he is really enjoying the ride.
The actor recently sat for an exclusive interview with EntertainmentNow and shared his joy at landing in Port Charles.
Jenz Sidwell Isn’t All Bad
ABCOne of the things that Carlo loves about GH is the way that his character has been crafted with complex layers. Jenz Sidwell isn’t your typical mustache-twirling villain. Instead, he is capable of doing evil things to others, while deeply emotional about his own family.
“Well, I think that is where the show really shines, because the producers and writers are smart enough to know that you can’t just have pure evil,” explains Rota. “There has to be a lot of other redeeming qualities, otherwise it just becomes predictable. I also try to inject as much humor as I can into Jens. I feel like it’s also far more entertaining to have that kind of an antagonist.”
Carlo Loves When Sidwell and Sonny Go Toe to Toe
If you’ve watched GH with any consistency over the past few months, then you already know that a mob war is actively brewing between Sidwell and Sonny Corinthos. It is a game of tit for tat, and only a matter of time before one of their children is caught in the crossfire, with crushing results. It has been a long time since Sonny had a worthy opponent, and Rota loves sparring verbally with Maurice Benard.
“When it comes to working with Maurice, it’s really good. He is one of these people who has been on the show for a very long time, but still has within him a fantastic sense of play,” Rota said.
“It’s really great when you can work with an actor who tosses you things and you go, ‘okay, I’m throwing back this,’ and then you’ve got a scene that’s alive. He has that in droves. It’s far more potent than an Eveready battery. He keeps going and going and going. I’ve really enjoyed my scenes with him.
The actor has also shared a lot of screen time with Lynn Herring, who has played the quirky Lucy Coe since 1986.
“I’ve also super enjoyed my scenes, Lynn. She also has a phenomenal way of delivering her lines. It’s almost as if she just found out about them a second ago, and it’s great because as a result, you really listen,” explains the actor.
You can catch Carlo Rota in action as Jenz Sidwell on “General Hospital” weekdays on ABC. It is also available on Hulu at 8 pm EST.
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GH’s Carlo Rota Says That Sidwell Isn’t ‘Pure Evil’ EXCLUSIVE