Ex-'General Hospital' star mixes music, drama in 'Nashville'

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Emmy winner and former "General Hospital" star Jonathan Jackson mixes country music and drama in ABC's "Nashville."

"I definitely look at divine providence and go, 'OK, this lined up. Something happened here,' and I'm grateful for it," he said.

Earlier this year, Jackson packed up his wife and kids, left L.A. and headed to Nashville - the city and the TV show.

"I really believe that things happen for a reason," Jackson said. "There were a few other projects that I was up for, and this one came in first."

While he may have taken the role because it came in first, he says, "We kind of knew that there was something special about this project."

"This is kind of a dream role for me to be able to combine singing and acting. I've been doing music for a long time, songwriting, and this project came along, and it's been incredible," Jackson said.

Jackson's role as Avery Barkley allows him to create a new role and play a grown-up. We first met him when he was a young child starring as Lucky Spencer on "General Hospital." He earned five Emmy awards for the role. He also earned a wealth of experience learning from some of daytime's top actors.

But after two separate stints on "General Hospital," he rolled the dice and decided to spread his wings.

"It's a strange business, the entertainment business, and sometimes you have to take chances and take risks," Jackson said. "This felt like the right thing to do, and to see it pay off like this is pretty cool."

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