Charles Mesure Reportedly Made the Decision Himself To Leave Port Charles on 'General Hospital'

Recasting on daytime soap operas is nothing new, and we've all seen Friends poke fun at the way these types of shows replace actors with younger, older, or altogether entirely different-looking actors. So when it was announced that Charles Mesure would leave General Hospital and effectively be replaced by someone else, it wasn't a huge shock in that regard.

It was a surprise, however, because of how quickly Charles swooped in to take on the role of WSB Bureau Chief Jack Brennan in December 2023. His last episode as the character aired on Jan. 30, 2025, less than two years after he joined the show to play the character. So, why did Charles Mesure leave General Hospital? Apparently, it was the actor's idea.

Most soap operas film episodes weeks in advance of when they air. So when Charles filmed his final episode of General Hospital, producers were quick to re-cast him rather than write out his character completely. Hey, it would have been easy to do that, but maybe there is hope that Charles will someday return and take over as Brennan again. This is the soap opera world, after all.

But that doesn't seem very likely since, according to Soap Opera Digest, Charles chose to leave the show and his character behind.

"Charles Mesure opted to exit the role of Brennan. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors," a General Hospital spokesperson told the outlet.

It's possible that being on General Hospital, and a soap opera in general, wasn't what Charles had expected as an actor. In July 2024, he told Soap Opera Digest that when he auditioned for General Hospital, it was a first for him as far as soap operas go.

"For 28 years, I came from a single camera film background where you can only do eight, nine, 10 pages a day," he shared at the time. "That's the limit of that basic work method. And on General Hospital, it's no secret that they do 10 times that every day! So it's still a challenge, but it's a fun challenge. I had a day where I did 28 pages, which is my record. That was fast and furious."

Starting on Feb. 4, 2025, General Hospital's Brennan was taken over by soap opera vet Chris McKenna. Who isn't Australian like Charles, by the way, but apparently producers let that slide for the sake of nabbing the former One Life to Live star. And, he told TV Insider, he was excited to get to play a new character with a different sort of background and motive than what he is used to.

He told the outlet that playing a Bond-type of character "is a fun little twist" on the type of characters he has played in the past.

"It's a lot of fun to be able to establish a new version of a character and have a new relationship with Laura [Wright] and learn what's in store," he said. "Every script is really exciting, so it's fun."