Wednesday, December 5, 2012

GENERAL HOSPITAL's New Gay Character: Felix Dubois

Marc Anthony Samuel plays Felix
Marc Anthony Samuel debuted Tuesday on GENERAL HOSPITAL as Felix Dubois, a nursing student friend of Sabrina (Teresa Castillo). Felix quickly realized Sabrina had a crush on Patrick and tried to zhoosh her up (he happened to carry lipstick with him). Unfortunately, Sabrina just ended up with bright red velvet cupcake lipstick on her teeth. He also was gung-ho to participate in the Nurse's Ball ("You can have me sing and dance. There wasn't a moment in my childhood I didn't have an original soundtrack playing on my stereo.")

A few of Felix's memorable one-liners in his debut:

On Sabrina picking poppy seeds out of her teeth as Patrick arrives: "All I'm saying is, it's gonna take a lot more than picking poppy seeds out your teeth to land that."

On the Nurse's Ball: "Nurses have balls?"

On Dr. Patrick Drake: "All I'm saying is, if I could break off a piece of that -- mmm! -- I would."

On Patrick's love life: "Isn't he dating Dr. Westnile?"

Billy Dee Williams once played Toussaint Dubois on GH and GH: NIGHT SHIFT. There was no reference to there being any relation on Felix's first day.

You can watch Tuesday's episode of GH at ABC.com.

Samuel recently wrapped up a two-part guest appearance on NCIS.

What did you think of Felix? Watch the episode below.

18 comments:

  1. FAB! (But looks like he will be Minor and a stereotype) If he was a little older, he could be Tommy Hardy and a love interest for Lucas Jones.

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  2. Yikes! His first scenes involved him pulling out a tube of lipstick and offering to immediately make-over a heterosexual woman. Gays are only good as sidekicks to heterosexual woman and offering to Queer-Eye it up. I couldn't imagine such an offensive moment. What if a character walked on in complete Black face in their first scene? Someone would cry boycott (rightfully so.) I hope more progressive soap critics like the folks here at WLS hold the writers accountable.

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  3. Joshua, of course we'll be following the character development. I know several guys just like Felix and many who are nothing like him. There's room on TV for all types of gay male characters. Daytime tends to play gay men as almost non-sexual so I was happy on his first day Felix seemed to have a sex drive and noticed Patrick's hotness. We'll see where it goes from here and if there are plans for Felix beyond being Sabrina's friend. I hope so.

    I don't understand the comparison to someone in black face. I didn't find Felix offensive at all. He seemed to be an out gay man who is comfortable and happy with himself. Good for him. I've enjoyed the various coming out stories on daytime soaps, but would love to see something completely different play out.

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  4. Nothing wrong with being comfortable in one's sexuality and being outwardly sexual (so many gay characters are treated as asexual) but something is wrong with caricature_ which drew the comparison to Black Face. I thought the lipstick and insta-makeover was over-the-top in a character's first scene as way to establish he was gay. If those are the markers for gay, than that's lazy writing. As a gay man, I know NO man who would carry a tube of lipstick unless working as a drag queen. Let's establish the character a bit before putting him in-service to heterosexuals.

    Perhaps, I am being overly sensitive but the character introduction was poor and this headwriter's track record for writing superficial is well-documented. Plus, I hate this story and feel it's weaker than the Konnie story. Sabrina/Britt vying for Patrick is shallow and silly, so it's hard to not be concerned with that scene and assuming the character will receive the same treatment.

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  5. Joshua, I actually have the same shade of lipstick (red velvet cupcake) in my bathroom (long story!). I don't think my friends who are just like Felix (on first impression) would be so happy to hear fans are insulted by a character like them. :( I personally find it refreshing that a gay character could possibly be flamboyant and open and not a "macho" version of gay the writers think viewers will tolerate. We've seen characters introduced like this over the years (sassy or fun, usually female, nurses) and sometimes that's all they are, and other times the characters get developed further. Katie on GL was just a quirky nurse the audience fell in love with and became a fully developed character. There are all types of gay men so I love seeing them characterized on TV and in web series.

    Another closeted gay man who sleeps with, impregnates or marries a woman is not a story I want to see again on daytime soaps. So I hope whatever happens with Felix, GH does something new and different.

    I really love Sabrina too so we'll have to agree to disagree. :)

    Since I love GH to focus on the hospital, I'm glad they added another character that works there.

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  6. Just to be clear. I am not offended by the representation of an effeminate gay man (I'm no pillar of machismo!) I enjoyed that he acknowledged Patrick's attractiveness. I did not enjoy the "Queer Eye" for the straight-girl nonsense. Too much.

    Roger: We clearly disagree on this and even liking Sabrina (What does she do besides obsess over Patrick? Where's the character?) BUT conjuring Katie on GL (who I adored) AND divulging that you actually own that shade of lipstick has endeared you all over again ;-) Because of this conversation I will try to be more open-minded and optimistic about Felix DuBois (I think he's super-cute and had good line delivery)...but GH is much improved but very weak on character development and very strong on driving plot/dialogue.

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  7. Let's see where it goes. The most important thing to me in liking him long-term will be if he's a good guy or not or what his motives are in whatever he's up to. After one day, he seemed to genuinely like Sabrina as a good friend would so that made me like him.

    Glad we see eye to eye on Katie from GL. I don't think I could even talk to anyone who didn't like Katie Parker. ;)

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  8. I would love for Felix to turn out to be a Hardy! Maybe not Tom III but a younger brother? GH needs a little diversity among its core families.

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  9. I LOVED Felix from the first moment! I also like the hospital staff being bulked up. I SO hope there is some relation to Toussaint, loved him and Epiphany.

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  10. OMG does every gay character now have to be a truck driver, long shoreman or lumberjack to NOT be called a stereotype by older gay men who apparently have never watched television to see how INCREDIBLY DIVERSE the wide range of gay male characters are and have been for the last 20 years?
    Enough with screaming "STEREOTYPE" every time a gay man on television doesn't act the way you do or the way you want him do. The world is not about YOU.
    There are tons of young gay men who love fashion and makeup who might see themselves in a character who likes those things, IN ADDITION TO BEING A FREAKING NURSE WHO SAVES LIVES!

    If you don't want to see gay characters who aren't the epitome of what you consider to be masculinity, then avert your delicate eyes but all this screaming about "STEREOTYPES" just reeks of bitterness and hysteria and it's totally phobic and self hating.

    We can't all be the same. Equality should be about having the full spectrum of gay and lesbian personalities on television, not just the gay jocks and lipstick lesbians.

    As a lesbian myself, I have to say, I pray for the day when there are some BUTCH LESBIANS ON TV so I have some eye candy to look at.

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  11. oh sweet baby jesus on a cotton candy blanket!!!! This character is PERFECT!! I identified with him immediately. I am glad that a black male character is not, a criminal , troubled youth, thug, angry, muscle bound ex military /security guard. As far as gay I am tired of a majority of gays screaming 'unfair character portrayal" when a man is effeminate. It usually comes from gay guys who identify themselves in profiles as 'straight acting/straight appearing"...get over yourself or check into Ferncliff/Briarcliff/Oak Haven or any other imaginary nuthouse!! Don't worry security is lax so you can come and go as you please.

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  12. I found this man to be nothing more than a racist joke on black people I feel so sorry for white people you must really hate us black people really bad . there's only two black guys on the show and one has to be a over the top homosexual who carries lipstick GENERAL HOSPITAL is racist against African Americans , I still can't believe that they killed off Justus ward for no good reason but for the fact he was black. This new black gay character is the last straw ; It's time for African Americans to boycott General Hospital.

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  13. I found this man to be nothing more than a racist joke on black people I feel so sorry for white people you must really hate us black people really bad . there's only two black guys on the show and one has to be a over the top homosexual who carries lipstick GENERAL HOSPITAL is racist against African Americans , I still can't believe that they killed off Justus ward for no good reason but for the fact he was black. This new black gay character is the last straw ; It's time for African Americans to boycott General Hospital.

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  14. As for you feeling sorry for white people... Don't. I feel sorry for you black people who all u can think about is white people being racist. It's mostly the other way around. Now days there are more black racist than white. I hate to break it to you but everything's not about BLACK people.

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  15. Oh and BTW .....I LOVE Felix!! He is so funny and cool!!

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  16. with the death of soapnet and the cancellation of OLTL and AMC etc..., these guys making out with each other will be the final nail in the coffin of GH. just like the GAYS OF OUR LIVES. they get some queers makin out and now GH has to do the same. monkey see, monkey do. its disguising. nobody wants to see that garbage. good riddance.

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