Cameron Mathison says that while some parts of love scenes on soap operas have changed over the years, others have stayed the same.
Cameron Mathison cannot believe what soap operas got away with when it came to love scenes years ago.
Chatting with ET's Nischelle Turner, the 54-year-old General Hospital actor and former Entertainment Tonight correspondent discussed his decades of work in the industry and the changes he has seen in certain departments to move the business forward.
"I mean, the love scenes have changed a little bit," he said before mentioning his first love scene ever on All My Children. In that show, Mathison starred as Ryan Lavery from 1998 to 2002 and then again from 2003 to 2011. He elaborated, saying that although he was "so excited" to film his first scene, he now views it as more X-rated than it probably should have been.
"Oh my god, it was incredible. It was with [co-star] Alicia Minshew, I remember it and I swear it looked like softcore porn," he joked. "I'm watching it and I'm thinking to myself, 'How is that allowed?'"
Mathison continued, "Now, these days it wouldn't be like that. Like it's just a little, we're a little more careful. A little bit more -- there's an intimacy coordinator on set now."
The move to bring intimacy coordinators on set has become popular on film and TV sets around the world in recent years. The job is primarily used for scenes that simulate sex or nudity and the person is viewed as a liaison between the actors and the production team.
"[We] never had that back in the day," Mathison said. "[They're] just making sure everyone is comfortable. You know, you're getting really close, you're hanging out and the sheets are wrapped around your parts."
That being said, some things certainly have not changed for the longtime soap opera star. For him, that includes his routine of last-minute push-ups right before filming, a tried and true method to pump himself up physically and mentally.
"Man, I got to do the push-ups," Mathison quipped. "I need all the help I can get, you know?"
Another thing that's the same as it was when he first started acting in 1997? The desire for him to go shirtless.
"I'll tell you what hasn't changed is me taking my shirt off," he said, laughing. "You know what I'm saying? Like, this is three decades later, 'You still want me to do this?'"
He went on to add that in his current role with General Hospital -- in which he plays Drew Cain -- he will often receive scripts and wind up puzzled over his character randomly turning up without a shirt.
"[I'm] like, 'Wait, how does my shirt get off in this scene? Like, what happened?'" he explained.
Outside of his work on one of the most popular soap operas of all time, Mathison shared that he is excited to be promoting another project close to his heart -- his new show, Beat the Bridge, on the Game Show Network.
According to the network, the show features contestants who must attempt to cross the interactive bridge by stepping on the correct answers to trivia questions. With each successful answer, their money pot grows until they officially cross the bridge. Answer incorrectly, though, and the player loses the money and the chance to keep playing.
Mathison said that hosting a game show is something that he's always wanted to do and that this one just feels right for him.
"I've always felt it was gonna be a great fit. I don't know if you've noticed in our friendship, but I got a lot of energy. I got a lot of enthusiasm. I'm a pretty positive guy. And I just thought it would be a good fit -- and it really was," he told ET.
Watch the trailer for Beat the Bridge in the player below:
Beat the Bridge airs weeknights on the Game Show Network.
RELATED CONTENT:
