JUST THE FACTS
Birthday: November 2
Hails From: New Castle, PA
Education: Boston University and U.C.L.A. (political science major)
Favorite Pastime: "I love to cook. I make a really good stuffed Cornish game hen with blackcurrant sauce."
What Happened With Kelly Ripa (Hayley, ALL MY CHILDREN) on THE HOME SHOW: "We had a bunch of boards and we had Kelly try [a karate chop]. She must have gotten a real hard board because it didn't break. But she was a good sport - a real sweetie."

Some actors despair at not being the first choice for a big role, but GENERAL HOSPITAL's new A.J. Quartermaine is not one of them. "I've made a career out of being the second guy who gets the job,"chuckles Sean Kanan, noting that his featured role in Karate Kid III was also a last-minute replacement.

"It's flattering, because it means the producers thought about me even after they'd made their initial decision," he smiles, clearly viewing his glass as half-full as opposed to half-empty.

Kanan comes full circle with the role of Alan Quartermaine, Jr. He was one of many young actors who auditioned for the part, which ultimately went to Gerald Hopkins. Two years later, it came back to Kanan, as a result of a GH decision to take the character in another direction. You'd think Kanan's striking resemblance to actor Steve Burton, who plays brother Jason, would have been enough to clinch the role, but actually the opposite is true.

"I almost didn't get the role because Steve and I look so much alike," Kanan reveals. "They screen-tested me against two other actors and then asked me to come back and test specifically with Steve to see if we looked too similar. So, I grew some sideburns - real big Elvis chops - to look different." Ironically, television's most convincing brothers are, in fact, related. "Steve and I are second cousins," he reveals, "but it's by marriage, so it has nothing to do with [the resemblance]."

Kanan has prepared for the role of the troubled young boxer for most of his life. By his early teens, he was a real-life karate kid, and he says the discipline he learned from studying martial arts has greatly helped him with his chosen profession. He also modeled and worked as a bit player on SPENSER: FOR HIRE while studying at Boston University. When it came time to choose between New York and Los Angeles to pursue acting, the choice was easy. "I would rather starve in L.A., because at least I can go to the beach where it's nice and warm," he cracks.

Besides Karate Kid III, the twenty-something actor also gained national exposure from the film Rich Girl and the Fox television series THE OUTSIDERS. And he'll be seen this fall in a brand new Perry Mason TV movie, THE CASE OF THE KILLER KISS, with Stuart Damon (Alan) and soon-to-be-new-co-star Genie Francis (Laura). But he confesses that nothing prepared him for the recognition that comes with working in daytime. "That's what blows me away," he declares." OUTSIDERS was in every major magazine on the planet, and I got somewhat recognized, but it's unbelievable on a soap opera. I'll walk through an airport and people will just stop me and say, 'A.J.! Tell us what's going on on the show!' It started the day after I first aired."

Kanan made a quick impression on his GH family, as well. "Sean came on to the show with such charm and such confidence that he could really do the job," notes on-screen dad Damon. "Not bravura, but confidence. It's easy to work with him."

Kanan throws the compliment right back at dear old dad. "Stuart's a great actor and fun as hell to work with," he praises. "We'll be doing a really solemn, serious family scene and here comes Stuart walking through the door [Kanan does his best Jerry Lewis impression] 'Hey laydeeeeeeeee!' I love coming to work."

As for the not-so-rehabilitated A.J., Kanan sees "the leopard changing his spots a bit. A.J.'s capable of being dangerous at any moment, but he's kind of got this newfound understanding of things and I think that is going to make him both dangerous and strong." Kanan also has a few suggestions for his alter-ego. "I would love to see A.J. make a run to assert his position at ELQ, and go head- to-head with Ned, who is currently running the company." Anything else? "I'd like to see him [get romantic] with Julia Barrett, who has been dating Ned. Thatwould be an interesting triangle."

Kanan is coy about his real-life girlfriend and their serious relationship, stating that he tries "very hard to protect her anonymity" since she is not in the public eye. "I try to keep my private life to myself, because sometimes it's hard for the other person who didn't choose to be an actor" to be the subject of press attention. But he's happy to talk about a film script he has written called Beyond The Edge. "It's about a young guy trying to make the Olympic ski team," he explains, adding that it is like Top Gun goes to the ski slopes. "I'm contracted to star and I'm associate producing, which doesn't mean you do anything, but at least you can sit there and learn how to do something ."

But daytime won't be losing this young actor to a writing career anytime soon. "I've never gotten to play a character for more than three months, but with this I can watch the evolution of the character and change him. I've discussed some storyline ideas with the writers and I'd like to see A.J. get involved with an older woman," he confides. "Let me rephrase that: a more seasoned actress on the show. How's that?"