Even though the character "Luke Spencer" catapulted his acting career, Utah native Anthony Geary says he wants to distance himself as much as possible from the soap opera persona.
It's been six years since Geary portrayed "Luke" on the then-popular daytime soap opera "General Hospital." Geary said in a telephone interview that he has purposely stayed away from television to help him buck the "Luke" stereotype and move on with his acting career."I've tried my best to stay away from television, particularly after I left `General Hospital.' The only way to put Luke Spencer behind me is to stay out of the medium."
Geary said he and former "Mork and Mindy" star Pam Dawber just completed filming a CBS television movie titled "Oh Do You Know the Muffin Man?" Geary portrays a defense attorney whose clients, nursing home owners, are charged with 37 counts of child abuse.
His next film will be "The Hunters," a made-for-cable movie he described as a psychological thriller. His co-stars are Chuck Connors and Marc Singer. The film will be shot in the vicinity of Santa Fe, N.M.
Geary said his attempts to remove himself from "Luke" recently have been hampered because "General Hospital" is now popular in Europe, and he has been deluged with fan mail from Italy and Germany.
Although he's flattered that people as his work, Geary said the attention makes him uncomfortable - much like it did when "General Hospital" was popular in the United States.
"I'm pretty much a recluse. I don't enjoy the limelight," he said.
Geary said he visits his family in Coalville about four times a year. It is the one place he can escape the pressures of acting and enjoy his privacy.
"My fondest thoughts and memories are of solitude and a small circle of friends and family," he said.
Even during the peak of the "Luke Spencer" craze, Coalville offered Geary quiet and rest.
"I could always go to Coalville