General Hospital’s William deVry Reflects Upon the Juicy Young & Restless Part He Nearly Landed

Every actor has been up for a role that they came so close to getting, but it turned out to be the one who got away. It’s wild to learn — sometimes years down the line — the well-known names and faces who were up for a particular part, but lost out to someone else. It’s that sliding doors moment that makes you think… what if they got the role? Well, we have a new one to add to the list because General Hospital alum William deVry almost wound up on The Young and the Restless just two years ago.

deVry and Stafford worked together at General Hospital when she was Nina to his Julian.

Yep, you read that correctly! We asked deVry recently if he had ever been contacted by other soaps to join their cast while noting that Tucker McCall on The Young and the Restless might have been a good fit for him. Bullseye — we were right on point. “Well, if I’m being honest, I did test for Tucker, and I really thought the job was mine,” he admitted. “The test went fantastically. I had a lot of talks with Michelle Stafford [Phyllis] and Jason Thompson [Billy] before considering the test, and I really thought it would be a good fit.” Well, as they say in showbiz, the producers went in a different direction.

More: Why deVry loves his latest Hallmark rom-com

Ultimately, St. John wound up landing the role of Tucker.

Credit: Howard Wise/JPI

As we all know now, the role went to Trevor St. John, and deVry had nothing but praise for, especially since they have an unbelievable All My Children connection. “I was surprised I didn’t get the role, but I also knew that Trevor St John was stiff competition. He’s a really good actor and I’ve always respected Trevor,” added deVry. “He was on AMC on my first day as Michael [Cambias]. It was the day Michael met Kendall in Aspen; Trevor was the bartender.” (And that delicious scene still lives on the internet here.) St. John wouldn’t have to wait long for his time to shine in a bigger role either because he landed on One Life to Live just four months later.

St. John “went on to tear it up at One Life to Live”  as Walker/Todd/Victor for a decade before he made his return to daytime in 2022. DeVry noted proudly, “From my understanding, he’s done a fantastic job at Young & Restless.” St. John exited that soap in June after two years in the role. “As you well know, Tuckers come and Tuckers go, and so the cycle continues… this Tucker is in his go phase…,” St. John wrote in an X thread that shared his gratitude for his time in Genoa City.

It’s a head-spinning revelation, especially when you realize how deVry and St. John continually orbit each other’s acting universe — maybe it’s time for them to co-star in a series together? And, if you’re wondering if deVry ever thinks about what could have been if he had landed that Young and the Restless role… well, he has the perfect answer. DeVry said pragmatically, “Everything works out for a reason so I’m not one to question the past.”