In the emotional farewell scenes where the characters said goodbye to Sam after her death on General Hospital, the actors were also bidding farewell to Kelly Monaco, who had portrayed Sam McCall since 2003. Dominic Zamprogna, who joined the cast of GH in 2009 as Dante Falconeri, began working closely with Monaco in 2021 when their characters, Sam and Dante, became romantically involved.
Zamprogna shared with Soap Opera Digest, “You become fast friends with people you work with so closely. During those 14, 15-hour days and overnight shoots, the crew becomes like family, and your castmates become like family. We argued and loved each other just like family. The three-and-a-half years we spent together were pivotal both in my life and in Dante’s journey.”
He added, “I got to know Kelly in ways I hadn’t before, and she’s a remarkable person—tough as nails and admirable in so many ways. It’s been great to become a friend to her, and that won’t change. But there’s still an ending, because we’re no longer working together.”
The heartbreaking scenes where Dante says his final goodbye to Sam mirrored Zamprogna’s own emotional farewell to Monaco. “My monologues were her final scenes, so when we wrapped those, I basically said goodbye to Kelly right then,” he revealed.
Although Sam and Dante’s relationship came to an end on GH, Monaco and Zamprogna’s friendship will continue in real life. “I still check in on her every week,” he said.
