Catching Up with Kimberly McCullough  After a successful run on General Hospital, Kimberly McCullough Breaks Out on Her Own (SOU 4/11/2000)
"For a large majority of the daytime audience, Kimberly McCullough's Robin Scorpio is remembered as either the precocious tot that they admired or the girl they wanted to help Anna mother. Or the 'Mary Sunshine' character they would have like to see take a tumble now and then. Not that this is news to McCullough, as even she admits to sometimes wanting to put a kink in her alter ego's halo. Since her 1999 departure from General Hospital, daytime's 'angel' has been busy acquiring a slew of high profile gigs that not only depict the Emmy winner's talent, but a range that remained mostly untapped during her soap days.

'Honest, God has blessed me,' says McCullough of her life. After clocking in time on the set of ABC's Once and Again, McCullough is making the switch to The WB, for which she's shot a pilot titled Inspector General. 'It's about a group who work in a low-income area to uncover the wrongs in public schools,' she explains. 'My character is Chloe, an intern who is super-smart and has total attitude.'

Considering that the Frog Network has become a stomping ground of sorts for up-and-coming tadpoles (Charmed and Felicity both frolic here), McCullough believes that Inspector General's unique appeal will give it an edgge over the teen-saturated and rather homogenized competition.

The program's topic is also a plus as it is one frequently bantered upon by the actress. 'I like to talk about educational issues,' she reveals. 'Like how do people expect kids in poverty-stricken areas to get anywhere when there is no money put into their schools? It ends up being a vicious cycle.'

Next up for the petite beauty is a guest stint on Party of Five as Phoebe, a girl inspired by Julia's (Neve Campbell) bravery. 'I'm excited,' she exclaims, 'because Matthew Fox (Charlie) is directing the episode.' Like Fox, McCullough is also looking to perform behind the camera. 'What's appealing about directing is that it's like a math problem- logical and linear,' reasons Mccullough, who has already arranged to shoot a short film that she peneed this summer.

Despite her success, a broken heart was suffered. The actress' breakup with Freddie Prinze Jr. had female fans breathing sighs of relief, but for McCullough and Prinze, it meant saying goodbye to a four-year love. 'It's not that Freddie and I no longer love each other,' corrects the actress. 'Love doesn't always mean people are suppose to be together.' What about the ill will that generally follows a Hollywood split? 'There are no bad feelings,' she assures.

Not all of her relationships have been severed: she still hangs with GH's Sarah Brown (Carly) and Maurice Bernard (Sonny). And there is another tie that McCullough will never break, no matter how hard she tries: the one to Robin Scorpio. Why? Because both McCullough and Robin are really nice... but McCullough is definately cooler and a lot more human.

Carolyn: How did Finola Hughes tell you she was coming back to General Hospital to play your mom, Anna?

Kimberly: She said, “Do you mind if I come visit you for a few days?” I’m like, “Of course! You can always come visit me.” She said, “No, I mean on the show.” I was like, “Oh! Yes, of course!” I’ve been begging her to come back for a while.

Carolyn: Do you think part of the reason she’s coming back is because of you?

Kimberly: I don’t know. I hope so. We love working together.

Carolyn: The last time you worked together was on All My Children when Robin found out that Anna was alive?

Kimberly: Right, almost four years ago. That was a limited stint. I only did it for two days.

Carolyn: Is GH going to refer to that reunion?

Kimberly: I have no idea. In my experience, GH does not refer to other shows.

Carolyn: That’s probably smart. A lot of GH fans probably didn’t see it.

Kimberly: I can only assume that Robin is going to call her mother to tell her that her father is alive. They did refer to it when Robert [Tristan Rogers] first came back. I said, “You didn’t even tell your wife that you were alive?” So, as far as I knew, my mother didn’t know about my father being alive. Does that make sense?

Carolyn: It actually does.

Kimberly: I think for Anna to come back, Robin would have called her and told her. I don’t think they are going to play the surprise [on-screen]. She’s probably come back to say “Hey, you jerk! Thanks for telling me you’re alive.”

Carolyn: Robert and Anna were still married when the boat exploded in 1992?

Kimberly: Technically, yes.

Carolyn: And then she got a twin sister, Alex, moved to Pine Valley, got involved with David and had baby Leora, who died?

Kimberly: I have no idea, because I don’t watch All My Children.

Carolyn: Is Robin pursuing Patrick in part because of the mean things her dad said to her about her life?

Kimberly: I think it’s more about Robin. Lately she’s been comparing herself to her parents, who were very adventurous and fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants sort of people. Now that they are back in her life and she’s a doctor living a sort of controlled life, I think she’s looking at herself and thinking she doesn’t know how she ended up this way. But it completely makes sense, because she did take a chance once with Stone, and she got HIV. It’s justified. Now, she’s thinking of letting go a little bit. She’s angry and disappointed in herself. She’s confused. Everyone keeps calling her boring.

Carolyn: That’s sad.

Kimberly: Well, she is boring.

Carolyn: Fans don’t think so. They love her with Patrick.

Kimberly: I know. I’m so excited about that.

Carolyn: They call you guys “scrubs” online. Have you seen that?

Kimberly: My mother tells me everything. She checks all the message boards. I don’t read that stuff.

Carolyn: I haven’t seen anything mean about you, except that fans are mad that you don’t have enough air time.

Kimberly: Oh, that’s good!

Carolyn: If your mom saw something mean about you, would she tell you?

Kimberly: Yes, she told me they were saying that I was chubby.

Carolyn: You’re kidding!

Kimberly: I think it’s funny because I’m just normal. I’m not “actress skinny.” If that is true, then the perception of what a woman should look like in America is pretty off.

Carolyn: Clearly. When you agreed to come back to GH, would your wildest dream have been a front-burner romance with a cute actor and Finola back?

Kimberly: Yeah – I’m pretty damn lucky! I wasn’t sure about my character in the beginning because she was turning into Amy Vining Jr. But now it’s evolving. I’m enjoying it much more.

A New Love for Robin?  As Robin struggles with unresolved feelings for Jason, fate throws her together with Nikolas (date?)
"When a jealous Sarah snidely tells the Quartermaines how much time Emily is spending with Nikolas, helping him learn to talk again, the Qs put their foot down. All seems to be going Sarah's way- until Emily seeks advice from Robin.

'The Quartermaines tell Emily she can't go to see Nikolas anymore, and Emily is very upset,' explains Kimberly McCullough (Robin). 'While trying to comfort her, Robin says, "Do you think Nikolas will work with me?" Emily says she doesn't know, but she can try.

Although Robin has only met Nikolas once, she goes to Wyndamere to ask him if he'll work with her instead of with Emily. While Robin is explaining to Katherine why she's come, Stefan overhears and tells Robin that Nikolas is not in need of any outside assistance. Never one to be intimidated, Robin tells Stefan that she'll wait for Nikolas to return from his horseback riding to ask him herself. Upon Nikolas' return, Stefan is surprised to see the young man's response to Robin. And while Nikolas is reluctant at first, he agrees to give it a shot.

Meanwhile, Robin is dealing with her unresolved feelings for Jason. Witnessing Jason's growing attachment to Michael, she worries he will feel ultimately if he must give up the baby. Robin is also uncomfortable with Carly and Jason's growing intimacy as they share the responsibility of a child.

'It concerns Robin that Jason is living with a woman who is basically a liar,' McCullough adds. 'It's a very strange situation when your ex-boyfriend is living with someone everyone thinks he cheated on you for.'"

Soaps"R" US: The Next Generation (by Stephanie Sloane, SOD 11/10/92)  
"Veteran" is not a term generally ascribed to fourteen year olds, but after seven years on GH, Kimberly McCullough is one of the show's longest running cast members.
   Numerous cast and management changes have taught Emmy-winner McCullough to roll with the punches. "When I was little, I didn't notice as much- people kind of came and left, and I got along with everybody. When Tristan [Rogers, Robert] and Finola [Hughes, Anna] left, that was a big change for me because I had never really worked without them. There are a lot of new people on now."

   The departures of her GH parents forced McCullough to alter some of her work habits. "I kind of had to figure out a new strategy of learning my lines," she admits. "In the scenes I did with them, we pretty much ad-libbed a lot, but the people that I work with now don't do that, so I had to change a little bit."

   Although McCullough attends high school and maintains a very "normal" life, her alter ego has been through more catastrophes than the average adult. How does the actress rate Robin on the teenage realism scale? "In some sense she's real, but in soap operas, how realistic can you be? I mean, she's been through so much, from kidnappings to killings. She's pretty normal for being through all of that."

   Casey the Alien and the Asian Quarter are among her favorite storylines. "My favorite was with Grant Putnam. I did a really cool scene. In fact, it was really scary- he killed my grandmother [Filomena] right in front of me. That was pretty freaky."

   McCullough points out that there are some similarities between herself and Robin. "We have kind of gone through stages together, trying to grow up too much, little brat stages and stuff like that," she admits. One area where the two definately diverge is their choice of clothes. "It's not really my style, what I wear on the show," she says. "I do comment sometimes so I don't look like a weirdo. It's not really my choice what I wear. Some people at school watch, and they'll say, 'Oh, my gosh, your hair the other day or your outfit the other day was so funny...' In real life, I wear really casual stuff."

   When she has the time, McCullough squeezes in outside projects like the film Consenting Adults. "That was really fun," she enthuses. "Kevin Kline is the sweetest guy. He's so real. You'd never know he's an actor- he's so cool, and so is his wife, Phoebe Cates. We just had a great time." Although she dabbled in theater, portraying both Young Cosette and Young Eponine in Les Miserables, McCullough says those days are through. "I haven't done theater in a while. I don't think I will anytime soon. It's too much hard work."

   Her status as a budding movie star notwithstanding, McCullough looks forward to her Sweet Sixteen, dating and maybe a Guns N'Roses concert. It sounds like a pretty straight-forward teenage wish list."

Chemistry Lesson (Episodes magazine, May/June 1991)
"Kimberly McCullough is a rarity- a child actor who has played the same character (Robin Scorpio) for more than seven years and figures prominently in storylines. This continuity has made General Hospital's Robert Scorpio/Anna Devane Lavery/Robin Scorpio bond such a special one. In a sense, all three characters have grown up together one day at a time- without skipping all the hard parts, kind of like the way it happens in real life.

Tristan Rogers (Robert) gives credit for the trio's chemistry to a rich on-screen history. 'I tend to draw on that past, even (occassions) that were never actually shown on TV but built into the characters' biographies, such as Anna and Robert's brief marriage,' he says. 'When I play a scene with Anna or Robin, I go back to the mental filing cabinet and pull all the history out.'

No doubt they'll be plenty of fodder for Tristan to work with as Robin enters the slippery slope of adolescence. Finola Hughes (Anna) foresaw the dramatic possibilities in dealing with Robin as a teen-ager. 'A couple of years ago, someone asked me what kind of story I should be doing. I said it definately ought to be the story of me with my teen-age daughter, not being able to cope and wanting to hang her by her hair,' Finola says. 'And Kimberly and I do scenes like we sometimes hate each other, which is important and real.'

Finola also attributes the characters' shared past for the trio's magic, pointing out that, 'GH has always used the Robin character well. For example, the chinatown story, when Robin was kidnapped, made for some moving scenes.'

It's interesting to note that while Finola and Tristan hit the chords of on-screen parenthood accurately, they themselves are not parents. Asked what real-life experience she draws on to play her scenes so realistically, Finola reflects, 'I don't really draw on anything in my life. Sometimes I'll ask Kimberly's mom, "Does this sound right to your?" I often take cues from the way Kimberly plays a scene. Mostly, however, I try not to soft spoon [the emotions]. People get down and dirty with their teen-agers. It's really a rough time; I was horrible at that age.'

Tristan finds that on-screen fatherhood has come more naturally because off-screen, too, his relationship with Kimberly has had time to evolve. 'It certainly helped that Kim came on at such a young age; it would have been difficult if Robin had been played by a series of actresses. Fortunately, Gloria Monty [GH's executive producer] has never subscribed to that thinking. When one character disappears, rarely does she recast.

Finola, as well, registers her relief at having worked with only one actress. 'I'm fortunate that I've really watched Kim grow up, and we've become friends. I couldn't imagine Robin being or looking like anyone else other than who she is.'

And how does Kimberly feel about her teen-age rebel storyline? Pretty good, as it turns out, though playin a character who parallels one's own life can be strange. 'We're not exactly the same age- I'm 12, and Robin's 13- but I hit some of my rebellious stuff a little earlier than Robin did, so it's funny playing these scenes now,' she confesses.

If Tristan and Finola have only praise for Kim, she, too, returns the compliments. She enthusiastically reports, in a rush of giggles, that "I talk about dancing with Finola [who has danced professionally]. Finola's like my friend. I wish she would have a baby; so many people on the show have babies, and I always tease her and tell her she should too. Tristan would also make a great parent because he's a good listener.'

According to Kim, it's easy to play anger in scenes with people you care so much about. 'I love playing the fight scenes with Finola because they're so funny,' she confides. ' But those scenes are exact too. Because of their humor, the lines have to be said just so. It's a change of pace to work with Tristan because we ad-lib so much.'

Tristan vouches for the benefits of ad-libbing, acknowledging it allows for vulnerability. 'When Robin and Robert do their heart-to-hearts, I play it as I feel it, rather than how it's written. When we're doing that kind of scene, viewers see more Tristan than Scorpio.'

What does Tristan see in the cards for Scorpio? 'The family has never lived together so maybe we'll explore the three of them as a self-contained parent on a daily basis would be interesting. I'm not sure how far the writers are going to go, but I hope they allow for more growth.'

And so, too, do we."

Keepin' An Eye on GH's Kimberly McCullough (by Jessica Frances, Soap Opera Update January 15, 1990)
"Ever since I had seen Kimberly McCullough as Robin on General Hospital, I really wanted to interview her. Each day she brings Robin Scorpio to life. Her acting was rewarded in June 1989 when she won an Emmy for 'Best Performance by a Juevenille Actress.'  Recently, I got to spend some time with her in between taping.  I thought she was a really nice person- someone who I'd like to get to know better. 

From The Files- Kimberly McCullough
Birthday:  March 5th
Age:  11
Grade:  7
Favorite Subjects:  Recess, Lunch, and Math
Favorite Food:  Pizza
Favorite Movies:  Back to the Future, Stand and Deliver

SOU: 'When did you start acting?'
KM: 'I started acting when I was seven months old, but was only diaper commercials. Then I really started acting when I was six. I did things like Solid Gold, Fame, the People's Choice Awards, and then I got the job on GH.'

SOU: 'How did you get the part of Robin?'
KM: "Well, I had to go on 12 interviews, with three screentests. I had a lot of scripts to read. Finally, it was down to two people, and they picked me.'

SOU: 'Do the people of GH feel like family?'
KM: 'Well, yeah, because I work with them a lot, and everybody on the show is really nice, so you could say they're my show business family.'

SOU: 'Do you do anything on stage?'
KM: 'I did a play, "Les Miserables." I played Cosette. I did that for about six months, which was really fun. I hope to do more things on stage.'

SOU: 'Do you always want to be an actress?'
KM: 'Yes, except I won't be an actress while I'm in college. I won't have time. When I get out of college I know I want to be an actress.'

SOU: 'What would you like Robin to do?'
KM: 'I want Robin to dance more. I'd like to dance with Finola Hughes (her on-screen mother Anna).'

I asked Kimberly to comment on some of her GH castmates, and here's what she had to say:
Finola Hughes (Anna): 'She's a great lady! We always dance on the set together. We have a lot of fun together, she helps me a lot. I like her a lot; we've become great friends.'
Tristan Rogers (her on-screen father Robert Scorpio): 'He's almost like a real dad to me. He's always tickling me and joking with me. He's a lot of fun to work with.'
Edie Lehman (Katherine Delafield): 'We've become good friends since she's been on the show. She's really nice. She taught me a little piano. I admire her a lot because I want to play like her.'
Sharon Wyatt (Tiffany Hill): 'She's really funny!'  (laughs) 'She really talks fast in real life!'
R. J. Williams (Rowdy): 'Well, we're really good friends, and I'm glad to have a friend my age on the show. He's really nice. We get along well.'
Beulah Quo (Olin): "She's really funny. She's into herbs and stuff. She's really neat. I like her a lot.'"

Links to Other Sites with Tristan Rogers Articles
-The Romantics Garden 
-The Unofficial Kimberly McCullough Fan Site 
-Kimberly McCullough Friendship Assn.