Trans actress Cassandra James getting ready in the General Hospital dressing room (Instagram/Cassandra James)
Trans actress Cassandra James has announced that she will soon be making a return to long-running US soap General Hospital.
Cassandra James made history as the first transgender actress to play a trans character on daytime television. She portrays Dr. Terry Randolph, a recurring role that she first stepped into in June 2018.
Her character was introduced to General Hospital as the ‘boy’ who long-running character Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) had shared her first kiss with – and had since transitioned to become a woman.
The character proved popular and was kept on as a paediatric oncologist, and was heavily involved in the storyline surrounding teen Oscar Nero’s cancer. Dr. Randolph administered the experimental treatment that everyone hoped would save the teen’s life, but in the end, she had to report that the treatment did not work.
Dr. Randolph hasn’t had a major storyline for a few months, but James recently announced her return to filming, taking to Threads on 6 March to say: “First day on set since October. Almost half a year. Choosing gratitude because I know most actors have waited longer.”
She added: “Just imagine if the job you trained to do, that you’re good at and you love was consistently demonstrated to be ephemeral. That having a second job was not only normalised but systemically suggested. When you come home and stream our work on your TV, artists are wondering why we rarely feel valued enough to make our job a living.”
James is also a dedicated transgender rights advocate, who celebrated receiving her new gender-affirmed passport in January 2024.
In 2021, she also took to Instagram after former co-star Ingo Rademacher (who played Jasper “Jax” Jacks) shared a transphobic post on his Instagram story.
“I am aware of a transphobic post shared by a fellow ‘General Hospital’ actor,” she wrote at the time. “Shame on you. You have some serious unlearning and education to do. I feel deeply disappointed that such a public display of ignorance could come from our ‘GH’ family.”
She added: “Misgendering trans folks is violence and if you come for one of us, you come for all of us. The cis world doesn’t get to decide which of us is valuable. I am so proud of the fans for always holding us to a high standard, for calling out transphobia and violence.”
In 2023, she took to X/Twitter to thank her employers: “Thank you @GeneralHospital for giving me the opportunity to represent and uplift my beautiful trans community. We need allies more than ever and I’m so grateful for the support of the entire GH community, production and fans alike. Much love and happy Pride!”
According to Soap Opera World, trans actress Cassandra James’ return to General Hospital will be her first appearance under the show’s new head writing team, led by Patrick Mulcahey and Elizabeth Korte, whose material is set to begin airing in the next couple of episodes.