The curious career of Finola Hughes

I’ve wondered that myself. She’s made a (nice?) career for herself on soaps but don’t they all just want to break out eventually, if possible?

She is one of the few reasons I tune in to General Hospital and no matter how ridiculous a situation her character may be in, she can get you to go along with it.

Aspen Extreme was fun.

Well, whatever she was going for in Staying Alive, it didn't work. She was laughably awful. Also isn't she like 4-feet tall?

She got to be on Charmed

Terrible video, but it is 40 years old. Finola as Victoria in Cats.

She also got to rock a platinum wig as Emma Frost in Generation X (1996).

Did she have a nice schedule as a soap opera actor?

Soaps pay decently and dependably

What did Finola's husband do for a living?

What R8 said. Plus, on the soaps, she's a big fish in a small pond and would just be another small fish in a big pond elsewhere in the business. It's not easy getting by on sporadic TV guest spots and lower profile movie work and that's what Finola would've probably ended up with if she didn't stick the steady soap gig.

She would've been a better Desiree in Night Music than Zeta Jones.

What's the story with her and Showgirls? I've heard that she turned down the role of Cristal, but I've also heard that she wanted the role auditioned and lost it to Gina Gershon. Which is true?

She could never top her performance as the lady on the motorcycle in The Apple.

I don't believe for a second that Gina Gershon was lower on the casting list than Finola Hughes.

She couldn't even get a primetime soap gig? Sad.

R15 She got one, but it didn't last very long.

I remember watching her style show. It was on E or Oxygen or some other frau channel.

Hot son is hot.

I loved Kylie Travis. She married well, I believe.

Her son looks like she spit him out.

Gloria Monty was FURIOUS when Finola exercised an "out" clause in her contract to take 7 weeks off to film a new ABC series called "Jack's Place"

On Finola's last day before her planned 7 week break, just when she finished her last scene, Gloria went up to Finola and said

"You just had your last day" and walked away. The next day Finola agents received official confirmation that Finola was released from the show.

Experience the Finola Hughes..experience.

Amazing it took GH 20 years to get her back on as Anna full time.

First thing Frank did when he took over as EP in 2012 was to sign Finola to a contract.

The son seen at R18 has a modeling contract. A dozen or more photos at link.

With DL fave Michael Praed.

She was terrible as Fallon #2 on (old) Dynasty!

Her features work better on her son. And he lacks the overbite.

She fucked EVERYBODY but not quite the right people. Upside, she always worked. Downside, she didn’t work in particularly high-end productions. Still, she was a good-time girl until the early 2010s. They called her the Animal because of how much sex and drugs she could handle.

R26, you cunt, Finola Hughes and Emma Samms are different people.

Who are some of her conquests, r28?

Her stint on All My Children was really odd. She started as Alex but that character wasn’t really igniting so they forced a dual role and brought back Anna… on a show where Anna never existed. They even reunited Anna and Robin on AMC which was bizarre. Finally she went back to GH which made sense since Anna in the 80’s was a legit phenom.

[quote] She fucked EVERYBODY but not quite the right people.

She never fucked meeeeee !!!

She should write a book about dealing with all those bitches on Charmed.

[quote] Her stint on All My Children was really odd. She started as Alex but that character wasn’t really igniting so they forced a dual role and brought back Anna

Which worked out in the end - because they had to fire Michael Nader a second time (after bringing him back) after he got busted in a coke raid

So the show was able to write out Nader and "Alex" by sending them off, but still keep Finola Hughes on the canvas as "Anna"

It worked out in the end.

Has she ever gone back to the UK to work, a la Tracey Ullman?

[quote] Has she ever gone back to the UK to work, a la Tracey Ullman?

NO - though Emma Samms has returned to the UK and does guest spots on UK TV shows

Funny you mention Tracey, since Finola appeared in an episode of Tracey Takes On. Also, for a while in the '90s, she did alright as the stepmom on Blossom.

Finola Hughes has had a better career than Emma Samms

And she doesn't have Long Covid.

She always creeped me out

[quote]rock a platinum wig

R6 is a fucking moron.

R9 Her husband of 30 years is/was, Russell Young, a fairly well-known pop artist. Don't know that status of their marriage. A 2021 divorce is noted at his wiki page.

She would deeply annoy me if I knew her in real life.

I like her name...great name.

Superstar.

Is that his dad next to him at r18?

I never liked her and I hated when they brought her on the last season of Blossom. She totally ruined the show.

Also, I roll my eyes at how she has the Union Jack plastered all over her social media like Britain is so superior, yet she’s lived in America for decades. Go back to Britain if you think it’s so great.

Granola has always had a weird mouth.

[Quote] like Britain is so superior, yet she’s lived in America for decades. Go back to Britain if you think it’s so great.

I bet if she did the opposite, you'd accuse her of pandering.

R49 = retard

her storyline of being kidnapped and held prisoner by grant on general hospital was one of the most riveting and thrilling plots i've ever seen on tv.

r31 I disagree. Her character on AMC was fabulously mysterious and the whole premise of her from the beginning was the possibility that she actually was Anna, who had been missing presumed dead on GH. It was brilliantly told, and Finola had wonderful chemistry with Michael Nader and Susan Lucci as her enemy.

Erica had an intense jealousy and hatred for Alex. Probably because she had the beauty and class Erica could only aspire to.

Finola got a Lead Actress Emmy nomination only several months after beginning AMC. That's a testament to how highly regarded she is by her peers.

Horse teeth

r55 prefers bland Hollywood mannequins.

unattractive and of limited acting talent. Even less attractive in the 80s

Is her son a gay?

I can’t stand her voice

She aged out of dancing and was smart enough to pivot to acting. Nothing too curious about that.

She's not unattractive. She looks like a female Bowie.

R61 I always thought the same thing!

She a similar broom-with-a-wig look that Leslie Charleson is rocking these days.

Not good enough for prime time. Pity!

I recall she had a dance solo cut from Staying Alive, John Travolta reportedly was heard yelling at Sly Stallone in his trailer, 'the only star that comes out of a John Travolta picture is John Travolta, and that's me, baby! Remember?'

She’s not attractive nor sexy .

She fucked Travolta and most of the rest of that cast. God bless. She’s lively.

Finola always appears to have great relationships w. her co-stars --- they all seem to adore her. She's very close to Kristina Malandro Wagner and Kimberly McCullough and is still friends w/ Kelly Ripa to this day.

The "is she or isn't she Anna?' storyline was exceptionally well told. I think making them into twins was a copout though. ABC was meticulous in how it dropped little clues. Cesar Faison's return to GH happened in the same year and he ordered Anna's favorite flowers to be delivered to him, in memory of her. On an AMC episode from the same day, Brooke brought Alex the same flowers and she had a startling reaction to them, saying they were her fave. Just clever little things like that. When Alex finally discovered Anna's government profile while searching the web, she realized her entire life as Alex may have been as a result of mind programming.

She’s a lovely person off-camera.