Lucky Strike

GH Alum Ryan Paevey Feels Like He’s Hit The Jackpot On Hallmark.

- Mara Levinsky

In 2018, Ryan Paevey opted to leave GH after a four-year run as James Nathan West. His cop character was killed in the line of duty, leaving behind a pregnant wife, Maxie (who later birthed his namesake son, James), and a plethora of grieving “Naxie” fans.

Reflecting on his time in Port Charles, Paevey says, “GH was my first thing; I was a total newcomer. When I showed up and they offered me the job, I was like, ‘I’ll take it!’ You’ll say yes to anybody that will say yes to you. It’s not like I got to be choosy. I didn’t have a resumé that commanded that. So, I got lucky when they created Nathan. They could very easily have created a jerk for me to play and then nobody would’ve liked me and I probably would’ve gotten fired and that would be that! I’d probably be back at the sushi restaurant” — he was a bartender and server at Sushi Roku in Santa Monica prior to GH — “and life would look very different. But I was lucky the character they created for me was a nice guy, a likable guy.”

Not only did Nathan’s charm secure Paevey’s position in Port Charles for the full term of his contract, but it inspired a poignant farewell arc and three-hankie funeral. “Nathan got a serious send-off,” he nods. “I’m blown away by the level of canvas mobilization that I observed in my exit. It will always kind of dumbfound me a little bit, but in a good way. So many people that I had grown close to gave such absolutely mind-blowing performances for what was really a storyline that took care of my character. I was really honored. I was sitting over here like, ‘What did I do right, man?’ I lucked into that storyline and everybody involved did a really, really good job.”