Bradford Anderson is the last guy you’d imagine becoming a soap star, and maybe that’s why he’s so damn popular. The young character actor is currently nominated for a supporting Emmy as General Hospital nerd Damian Spinelli. Not only is Spinelli almost always in a front-burner plot, he’s also snagged himself a hot blond—Maxie Jones, the saucy, neurotic Kewpie doll played by Kirsten Storms (a nominee as outstanding younger actress). Alas, they’re not exactly a couple yet (Maxie is also addicted to naughty mob boy Johnny) and they’ve only hit the sheets twice in the last year. Both times it was an emotional disaster. Will the third time be the charm? Anderson gives us the lowdown on Maxie and Spinelli’s next attempt at sex and how it feels to be GH’s most unlikely object of desire.

Let’s face it, you’re not exactly one of the perfectly chiseled, runway-gorgeous, cookie cutter guys we see all over soaps, so a lot of folks are surprised at your success.
I’d be the first to get in that line! Yes, it is a surprise. When my manager told me I had an audition for GH I thought it was the most ridiculous thing ever. [Laughs] I was like, “Yeah, right. That’ll happen.” But look at us now!

So are we selling the soap audience short? The rabid legions of Spinelli fans suggest that viewers want more than your standard pretty boys.
Our audience is looking for characters they can get behind. If it happens to be this stunningly beautiful couple, great. If it happens to be this quirky little guy who struggles through life a little bit, that’s great, too. You need someone to root for, and hopefully my character has become that.

And everyone can relate to feeling like a nerd.
You’re right. Regardless of how you look or where you come from, everyone feels like an outsider at some point—an outsider trying to find a way in. Even if you don’t talk crazy like Spinelli, or you’re not a computer dork, you can find a little Spinelli somewhere in you somewhere.

So what’s the Emmy nomination meant to you, considering so many GH vets were ignored? Was the cast surprised that GH didn’t get its usual best show nomination?
We won last year. Another show will win it this year and ride high for a bit. We’re happy to let others share in the joy. There are eight soap operas. Let’s alternate, who cares? Here’s the way I look at it: I love being in the daytime community and the Emmys are a celebration of our genre—a night when we all come together and be glad that we’re still here in this somewhat dwindling community. Seeing Kirsten Storms get nominated, and Julie Berman [Lulu], too, was really special. The younger people on our show were acknowledged. It’s a credit to our storyline.

Well, you’ve got plenty of time to milk it, kid. With the awards not handed out until August 30, this is the longest nomination period in history.
I know, right? I don’t assume that I will win, so it’s kind of nice to have this part go as long as possible. It’ll be a fun night regardless. I’m nominated with a really great group of guys. I’m psyched about it.

It’s amazing what’s happened to you on the show, considering you were hired as the short-term comic relief.
They thought I’d be around for two months maybe, and then Spinelli was supposed to blow up in a car crash. I was so lucky to get tied in with Jason and Sam—there was endless play with that. The relationship between Spinelli and Jason is the reason why I’m still here. It’s all due to the graciousness of Steve Burton who allowed himself to become a partner in a comedy duo.

Are you kidding? You’re the best thing that’s happened to that guy.
He didn’t need to invest in the Jason-Spinelli story and he did. He and I are great friends, and I count him as one of the main reasons I still have a job.

I’m not sure what to say to that. So let’s move on: Are you glad you don’t have to spend your life in the gym like Burton does?
Hey, I take my shirt off more than anyone else on the show these days! I have a shirtless scene I’m shooting today. I’m like, “Wait a second… you have all these hunky guys in the cast and you pick me to take my shirt off? That can’t be right.” You know what it is? A lot of the GH actors now have clauses in their contracts that they don’t have to strip down. I’m the only one who wasn’t smart enough to negotiate it. As far as ratings go, me taking my shirt off is certainly not going to help.

So why stress? Wouldn’t it be easier to just get buff?
They generally give us a two-week warning before you have to strip. When I get that call I get energized. “All right! I’m really gonna knuckle down for two weeks and make sure I have something to show for it when I take my shirt off!” And that lasts for a good six hours. The next morning I wake up and totally forget about it. When I got the call this time, I went to Vegas and got a little bit of a tan. Kirsten Storms told me: “You can either work out or just get a spray tan. A spray tan will cover up a lack of exercise. You’ll be fine.”

She seriously said that?
I may be paraphrasing…

I’m not sure that’s a viable way to create the illusion of six-pack abs. But what ev. Let’s talk about Maxie and Spinelli. Are these two ever going to become an official couple? There’s a scene coming up where she catches him in a clinch with Mercedes and gets jealous.
She even refers to Spinelli as her “boyfriend” and he really perks up at that. He says, “Has a subtle but profound shift taken place that I’m unaware of? You’re referring to me as your boyfriend, now?” Of course, she doesn’t commit to that term but she’s coming around a bit. This is Maxie, so things can always turn on a dime. But at least for now, they’re allowing her to invest emotionally—at least a little bit—and start to feel safe.

It seems like Spinelli is the one who needs to feel safe. Maxie callously bedded him when she got jealous of his relationship with Winifred. Is this a replay of that?
They start kissing and things are heating up between them and they almost have sex but Spinelli puts on the brakes and insists on a proper courtship. He says “I don’t want to do this again. It kills me to say this but the other two times we had sex it ended bad. The sex was great and beautiful but we always end up 10 steps back.” So he decides he wants to do this right. He wants what he calls “courtly love.” He’s going to appropriately woo her.

Do all the fans want to see them together, or is there a camp that knows this is heartbreak waiting to happen? Admit it, Maxie’s a mess!
I think they like the heartache and the slow burn. They’re savvy enough to know that a happy couple is boring. The really devoted Spixie fans are very patient. The other romances on GH—like Rebecca and Nicholas—happen so very quickly. This one has been drawn out with a lot of major roadblocks and temptations. Like Johnny. I love Olivia and Johnny together, so I’m rooting for that couple. Hopefully Johnny will be occupied and leave my Maxie alone. Hopefully, Michael is a little too young for her.

Not the way they SORAS kids on GH.
Morgan will be contending for Maxie before you know it.

What about the mystery of Spinelli’s parentage and the incessant rumors that he’s the spawn of a major Port Charles resident?
So far they haven’t addressed that. I was talking to [GH writer] Elizabeth Korte like a year or so ago and asked her about Spinelli’s past. She said, “We have so much story for you that, chances are, we’re not going to go there unless we need it. We may never go there.” Basically, she hinted that if I ever suddenly have a parent on the show, look out, because they’re desperate and they have nothing else to write for me. So if one day they say “Maybe we’ll take you off contract or fire you,” I’ll say [high-pitched squeal] “No, no, no! We haven’t figured out who Spinelli’s parents are, remember?” That’ll be my golden parachute!