April 10 marked the 35th anniversary of the day that Finola Hughes stepped into the role of General Hospital super spy Anna Devane, changing Port Charles forever.
Fans have loved every minute of her journey on the show, from her tender moments as mother to Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough), to her high-stakes moments in the adventure storylines that played out in the 1980s and 1990s, to her romances with heartthrobs Robert Scorpio (Tristan Rogers), Duke Lavery (Ian Buchanan), and Dr. Hamilton Finn (Michael Easton).
All of the above memorable moments have made Hughes one of the most popular leading ladies in daytime, which she recognizes and honors in an anniversary post on Instagram.
"This happened #35 yrs ago when I started at #GH. That day I couldn't have known I would play this character on and off over the next three decades and love it so much," she shares. "I couldn't have known the extraordinary friends and family I would make. I couldn't have known the outpouring of love from our dedicated audience. I also didn't know the life I would lead in my adopted country and the welcome I would feel or the children that were to come. Thank you for embracing Anna's badassery. Love you lots #staysafe #staysane #stayhome (I also didn't know what was going to be under my peek-a-boo hairdo, but that's another story)."
As for what she names as her favorite moments playing Anna, Hughes explains in an interview with Soap Opera Digest that it was always "when we were deep in the middle of some sort of investigation. There was a lot of spy work going on and I was playing with the big boys. Back in the '80s, that kind of wasn't done. Now it's more prevalent, that a female will have a role where she gets to play in the police department or whatever. People enjoyed her so much back then because she was given as much play as the guys were."
The actress also particularly enjoys her scenes as mother to McCullough's Robin. "I think the audience responded because she was a single parent and she was raising a kid," she shares. "I think it was a genius move to give her a kid. I think it was just a great storytelling gift because it made her a woman. She was fighting to right the wrongs in the world and also to raise a child. I think that anchoring her in the world of women and motherhood like that made her a true warrior for women, for the female audience viewers at that time."
And, of course, she also loves the fact that Anna is a spy. "Who doesn't love a spy? Who doesn't love somebody who can outsmart or outthink? And who doesn't love the capacity of going out into the field and setting people up or getting secret codes, finding out [whodunit]?" she says. "I mean, that's the coolest job!"
Hughes played the role of Anna from 1985 to 1992, taking home a Daytime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Lead Actress category for her work on the show in 1991. She made subsequent returns to the ABC soap opera in 1995, 2006, 2007, 2008, and from 2012 to the present. She also played Anna Devane and the character's sister, Alex, on All My Children from 1999 to 2003, and she played Anna on General Hospital: Night Shift in 2008.
In addition to acting, Hughes has been focusing on directing and recently joined the Directors Guild of America. Some of her directing credits include the film The Bet, a pilot for a potential TV series titled Cypress Bayou, and the film The Byrd and the Bees, which features her former GH cast mate and good friend Ian Buchanan (ex-Duke Lavery).
Would you like to wish Finola Hughes a happy 35th anniversary? What are some of your favorite moments in her history as GH's Anna? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
