In the turning point in the story of General Hospital’s Gio Palmieri and the actor and violinist who portrays him, Giovanni Mazza, viewers will never forget this gut-wrenching moment. After overhearing Lulu (Alexa Havins) and Lois (Rena Sofer) arguing, and learning he is the son of Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Dante (Dominic Zamprogna), Gio took to the Nurses’ Ball stage to accompany Anna (Finola Hughes) and Chase’s (Josh Swickard) tango.
Only as he stood there with violin in hand and began to play, he stops as all of the betrayal, hurt and anger reaches a boiling point when he smashes his beloved violin and storms out of the ball. Getting the moment right was of utmost importance to the show and for Mazza, as this would be the defining moment that would set the tone for his first major storyline on the iconic ABC soap opera.
Mazza shared that he actually did the moment in a few takes, and replie believed he had it in him to reach that boiling point on-screen. “I think I’ve been working very hard with this moment in mind. I didn’t know that I had it in me, but I’ve never experienced something like this before. I used the mix of my imagination and my own personal life and (thinking about), ‘If I was in a very specific, similar situation, what would I go through?’ And I sort of connected to that feeling of vulnerability, of the rug being pulled out from under me, and I built up all the momentum and then I just let it go, and whatever happened happened.”
However, Giovanni noted, “I pretty much built up all the momentum to go into it and then when I did it, I just completely let it go. This was one of the rare times that we got more than one take. So I talked to Frank (Valentini, executive producer) and he gave me some great adjustments on set and I sort of just took it, I built the momentum up again, and let it go again.”
Explaining how Valentini’s ‘adjustments’ informed the take that viewers saw that made it to air, Mazza added, “The first take, it was pretty much all just rage. I interpreted (Gio’s motivation) as, ‘I am going to make you feel my pain. I want everyone here to feel the pain that I’m feeling.’ And I just let it out in a very rageful, angry state, and after I smashed my violin — this is something that you didn’t see (on-air) — I let out this yell, like a (primal) scream. Frank and I talked about it, and he told me to come from more of a place of vulnerability, of the feeling that I wasn’t wanted: ‘They didn’t want me. They gave me away.’ I think the way I was playing it, it would have just been a moment. But the way that Frank guided me, with coming from that place of vulnerability and the feeling of not being wanted, that generates the story to come.”
On the day the episode aired, Mazza took to his Instagram and shared a clip from GH and stated, “Just moments after I found out who my real parents are… being lied to my whole life, missing out from my real family, the pain of my character’s past…. There’s a lot to look forward to on General Hospital. Of all days, this special episode aired on my birthday (yesterday)! My birthday wish is that everyone watches the Nurses’ Ball episodes on Hulu this weekend! Throw a watch party! Everyone in the cast&crew put so much time and energy and effort into this event! Enjoy!”
