‘GENERAL’ GOOD GUY PLAYS A REBEL

“I am a good guy, or at least I like to think so,” says a grinning Michael Sutton, the twentysomething actor who portrays teen rebel Stone Cates on “General Hospital.” “So it’s fun to go the other route.”

Playing Stone conjures up some memories from Sutton’s teen-age years.

“That helps a lot,” says the actor, “having gone through it and coming out as unscarred as possible. Everyone has their blemishes--going through high school, (experiencing) your first love and everything like that. I use that.”

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Sutton showed little interest in the entertainment industry while he was growing up, despite the fact that his family was actively involved in the business. His father, Joe Sutton, heads a public relations firm in Los Angeles, and his uncle, Vic Sutton, is a talent agent with the commercial agency Sutton, Barth and Vennari.

Some time after graduating from high school, Sutton had a change of heart.

“I went to my uncle and told him that I was going to stay in Los Angeles and go to college,” he explains. “I wanted to start doing commercials and, hopefully, make some money.”

Sutton fared well throughout his tenure at Cal State Northridge. He booked enough gigs a year to support himself. He was also engrossed in the school’s intensive film program, where he learned what goes on behind the camera.

“I studied everything from writing to producing, but my emphasis was on directing,” he says, noting that along the way he began acting lessons. “To me they are all related. It wasn’t one or the other. Now that I’m acting, I’m still interested in directing and producing. It’s just that acting is first.”

Sutton graduated from college with honors and soon landed a theatrical agent. He got the first job he auditioned for--Stone Cates--a high school dropout with a penchant for trouble.

We asked if Sutton ever worried about setting a bad example with his portrayal of Stone?

“Not really,” he says. “I think for a long time television has been stereotyped, that you have to show the mass public what to do (regarding) the right thing. There are a lot of people who can’t identify with that because of their own personal circumstances. So, I think Stone is a good character for the people who didn’t have a choice about going to school or haven’t thought that it’s the best thing for them, yet. I’m sure a lot of people can identify with him.”

Sutton is certain that male viewers can identify with Stone’s battles with Mac Scorpio (John J. York), the overprotective uncle and guardian of his girlfriend, Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough). He cites those scenes as his favorites.

“John and I always joke about who is going to get the better of whom in those scenes before taping,” says Sutton. “So we’re already heated up. I’ll tell him, ‘I’m coming to get you.’ Meanwhile, I know he ends up kicking me out of his house, so obviously he’s going to win. At least I get some points in.”

“General Hospital,” barring O.J. Simpson trial coverage, airs weekdays at 2 p.m. on ABC.