but in the end it’s still the same actor.
I mentioned once before that a daytime soap actually pulled such a stunt and it went over brilliantly. On
The Edge of Night, Nancy Karr investigated the sinister Bryson Clinic where mobsters were going to get plastic surgery in order to "disappear". She got caught by the couple who ran the clinic, and then fans saw her in a clinic bed with her face all bandaged up. Fans went NUTS because Ann Flood/Nancy was one of the most popular actors/characters. Nancy's bandages came off and the viewers saw.....it was still Ann Flood, looking just like she had before Nancy got "caught". There never had been any plan to recast. I think the Head Writer wanted to play with the fans when he did this, and of course it brought a lot of publicity to the last stages of the Bryson Clinic storyline when it was made to look like a fan favorite was being replaced. I have no way of knowing for sure if one was responsible for the other, but I believe this story on
Edge occurred around the same time Steven ended up getting his plastic surgery recast, and both shows were on ABC.
It would be even more of a shock if they ultimately bring MacKay back, since most everyone knows about the Corley/Coleman switcheroo and expect it to be employed again.