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2019 – Erik and Theo Olson

Erik and Theo Olson play the role of Wiley Cooper Jones aka Jonah Corinthos on General Hospital. The boys have been busy with episodes from custody battles to kidnappings this year and even attended their first fan event!

1. How did you react when you heard Erik and Theo booked General Hospital?
The boys had gotten an agent in August and then nothing happened. Two months later, I thought “well that’s a funny story to tell the boys one day: Boys, you had an agent once!” That’s when I got the call that Erik & Theo had been direct booked for General Hospital! I was SO excited and immediately also very nervous because I had no clue how it would go. This was all completely uncharted territory for us. From day one, the boys did an amazing job and everyone was so kind to us!

2. What has it been like to have the boys be part of such an iconic soap?
We are unbelievably grateful to have this opportunity (thank you to our agent Susan, our manager April, and Lisa Booth & Mark Teschner in casting for making it possible!)! It has just been such an extraordinary experience. We have made so many deep connections, friendships and unforgettable memories! It’s also been special for our families near and far to get to watch the boys on TV!

3. What was their first day on set like?
Our first GH taping was a whirlwind, but so fun! The first day, our call time was 9:30am. We showed up a little early and I was by myself with the boys. We met Jamie, our “onset” teacher who is fantastic, Billy, who is in charge of their wardrobe (isn’t he amazing?!) and also the actors with whom we worked with that day (Parry Shen, Ryan Carnes, Chad Duell & Wil DeVry). We also had to fill out paperwork and while in that office, Frank Valentini stopped by to say hi and chat for a while! At the time, I had no idea who he was; he was so down to earth and kind. Everyone complimented the boys for being so cute and happy! They quickly got the reputation of being “the happiest babies!”

4. How do Erik and Theo enjoy working with Ryan Carnes?
Ryan Carnes has a genuinely beautiful soul. He has such a calm disposition and is so gentle and kind with them. They’ve always loved working with him! Ryan is so thoughtful and intentional about saying hi to both of the boys, even though one of them is downstairs in the green room. That gesture means a lot to me as their mom, and also shows how much he genuinely cares about the boys. One time when saying goodbye Theo gave Ryan the biggest smooch right on the lips! That’s proof that they love him so much!

5. What is the best part of filming with Parry Shen?
Parry Shen is just hilarious! He’s always being silly with the boys and making them giggle. He has an advantage because he is a dad, so he knows how to make babies/toddlers happy! Parry is also super inclusive and invited us to the Fan Club Weekend breakfast with him and Ryan Carnes. It was so much fun to get to meet fans! Some of our favorite moments with Parry are: when he followed Theo’s lead and started blowing kisses to Kelly Monaco, getting to do a photoshoot with him when the boys were a year old and it being featured in the ABC Soaps in Depth magazine, and all the funny things he does impromptu on set in between takes!

6. What is it like working with Katelyn MacMullen?
Katey is literally the sweetest person we know! She is kind, gentle and so thoughtful! We love that we have had so many more scenes with her lately. The boys love being in her arms and in one scene Erik almost fell asleep on her, he was so happy and comfortable. She also always comes to say hi to both boys before shooting their episodes, which really means a lot.

7. Were there any challenges in filming the episodes where Wiley was kidnapped?
We filmed the kidnapping episodes in three back-to-back days. The first day was the shortest taping day yet we just had one scene to film where Wiley is in the car with Bobbie. It was dark and a little scary, so Frank Valentini and I actually sat next to Theo in the car to make sure he felt reassured. The second day was extremely long, but Coby McLaughlin (aka Shiloh) was really good with Erik; he kept making him laugh by rocking him side to side and stealing his fruit snacks. Erik also thought the prop water reflection maker was really cool and was mesmerized by it the whole time! The props team was very thoughtful and showed us that the gun Coby was holding was rubber. Those seemingly little acts mean a lot to me because it shows that the entire production team cares for Theo and Erik and their well-being! The third day was special because Erik got to work with Ashton Arbab (aka Dev) and it was his first time ever holding a baby!

8. How did the boys enjoy attending their very first event at Fan Club Weekend?
To get to meet the fans who love our baby boys was such a special experience! When we first walked in, the boys were a little overwhelmed by everyone taking their pictures, but very quickly they were roaming the room giving high fives to everyone, running around and stuffing their little faces with muffins! One of the cutest moments that day was when they pointed to the pictures of Parry and Ryan in recognition!

9. Is there anyone in the cast you hope they get a chance to work with in the new year?
It would be so much fun for the boys to get to work with other kids! They enjoyed working with TK Weaver and Ava & Grace Scarola in the past, so now that they are bigger it would be even cuter! The boys also recently got to work with babies Ella and Emma Hulen, and they adore babies!

10. What has been your favorite episode(s) Erik and Theo have done for the show so far?
Our favorite episode that Erik and Theo have done on General Hospital so far must be the one that aired on 12/4 when Wiley is with Michael. Theo and Chad Duell really hit it off that day and it was so cute! Theo kept looking up at Chad and smiling and it just melted my heart.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
It truly is unbelievable how much work goes into such an amazing show as this one! General Hospital is a well-oiled machine and the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes deserve all the credit!!! Thank you to everyone that makes this show possible! We are so grateful to be a small part of this iconic soap opera! We love our General Hospital family!

Follow Erik and Theo on social media:

Twitter
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Image by: Bassem Wahbi