General Hospital character Monica Quartermaine looks different in the Tuesday, March 15, episode of the ABC soap opera. Longtime portrayer Leslie Charleson was unavailable for taping, so the show asked actress Holly Kaplan to step in.
Daytime fans may recognize Kaplan from her 2000 to 2003 stint as Nurse Brenda on Days of our Lives. Some of her other credits include Ghost Whisperer, Scrubs, The Mentalist, How to Get Away with Murder, and American Crime Story.
At this time, it remains unclear why Charleson was away, but according to Soap Opera Digest, the actress' absence is very brief; Kaplan only stepped in for the March 15 episode, and Charleson will be back in the role of Monica very soon.
This is the second time this month that GH viewers have seen a temporary replacement step in for a performer on the ABC soap: Inga Cadranel was unable to film scenes as her Port Charles alter ego, Harmony, and actress Priscilla Garita (ex-Lupe, GH) briefly filled in on Thursday, March 10.