User:Nk3play2/Dante Falconeri

Dante Falconeri is a fictional character from General Hospital, an American soap opera, on the ABC network, played by Dominic Zamprogna. In 2008, Dante is revealed to be the previously unknown son mobster Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and his former flame Olivia Falconeri (Lisa LoCicero), conceived when the two were teenagers. While Zamprogna makes his debut on June 22, 2009, his casting as Dante is not confirmed onscreen until July 8, 2009. Zamprogna quits the show in 2018 and last appeared on June 28. He returned for a guest appearance on November 12 and again from March 15 to March 29, 2019. Zamprogna reprised the role full time starting August 3, 2020.

Dante is introduced, using the alias Dominic Pirelli when gets shot after Claudia Zacchara's (Sarah Joy Brown) failed assassination attempt on Sonny's enforcer Jason Morgan (Steve Burton). As he ingratiates himself to Sonny, Dante finds himself torn between his strict moral code, the people he is deceiving and pressure from Olivia to get out. When Claudia, Sonny's wife, disappears, Dante believes Sonny killed her and is determined to put him in prison. In 2010, Dante is forced to arrest Sonny sooner than planned when his identity is revealed but Sonny shoots him. Dante wakes up from surgery to the horrifying revelation that Sonny is his father. Ever determined to hold Sonny accountable for Claudia's murder, instead of the shooting, Dante is devastated when his troubled teenage brother Michael Corinthos (Chad Duell) ends up in prison instead. Dante is also known for his relationship with Lulu Spencer (first Julie Marie Berman, now Emme Rylan) when the two fall in love while he is undercover. The against all odds romance propels them to supercouple status. Dante and Lulu have been married and divorced twice and share one child. In 2013, in honor of General Hospital's 50th anniversary celebration, Dante and Lulu are featured in a revisit of the iconic 1980s storyline, known as the Ice Princess, the original of which featured Lulu's legendary supercouple parents, Luke and Laura.

Zamprogna has received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Dante over the years and is a fan favorite. The actor has been nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series three times, in 2014, 2016, and 2019.

Casting and creation
Casting for the role began in 2008. Soap Opera Digest "the pivotal role can't be rushed." Maurice Benard said of the casting, "It has to be the right kid. It's got to be a kid who's hungry, a kid who wants to come in here and fight and get in the ring and do the whole thing."

Soap Opera Weekly reported that the network was courting former Guiding Light star Tom Pelphrey. While there were discussions, in 2009 Pelphrey said "It's not something I'm looking to do right now." Later, the magazine reported that The Young and the Restless alum David Lago had been cast in the role. Lago later told Soap Opera Digest that he was never even contacted. TV Source Magazine claimed that the role would be held for Tom Pelphrey. Nathan Parsons auditioned for the role before he joined the cast in the role of Ethan Lovett in early 2009. Casting for the role reportedly started again in April 2009. On May 28, 2009, Soapnet announced Zamprogna's casting. Soap Opera Digest reported Zamprogna was set to debut on June 22, 2009 in the role of "Dominic." On the July 8, 2009 episode, it was confirmed that Dominic Pirelli was Dante.

Zamprogna was at home in Canada when his manager had him submit a tape to casting director Mark Teschner. "I felt good about the tape" Zamprogna said, despite prior he had with sending tapes to Los Angeles for roles that never panned out. Teschner "loved the tape and wanted to show the producers." A week later, Zamprogna was invited to read opposite Benard for producers. He was one of about ten actors that were invited to audition with Benard. "So I flew down, did the audition, and 20 minutes later they said they wanted to file the paperwork." Zamprogna later revealed he actually drove from Canada to California. He described his audition with Benard as "adrenalin-filled." Benard joked with Lisa LoCicero that "he thought I was going to hit him in the scene!" Teschner remembered the actor from his 1999 audition for the role of Juan Santiago which ultimately went to Michael Saucedo. Zamprogna relocated to the United States permanently to accommodate filming. While he credited his manager with educating him about Dante, Zamprogna did not fully understand just how big a deal the role is until he booked the role.

Personality
The casting call described Dante as "charming and flirtatious with an abundance of arrogance." Zamprogna described Dante as a "smart, intelligent, loving kind of thug. They've written him to be witty […]" While there are plenty of characters like him on the canvas, Zamprogna felt Dante was different because he isn't the "prototypical tough guy." Dante is "funny, he's not scared of anything." He is "gutsy" and "quick on his feet." The actor later said to Soap Opera Digest "He's got a heart. He's got a brain." "Dante is a no-BS kind of guy" Zamprogna said in an interview for ABC.com. "He's real." Dante has a strong stance on morality that is very "black and white." For him, there are no "grey areas." While Dante "is a sensitive person," he is also a "stubborn person." Dante "has such strong principles and values, that I think something would have to go south in his world or in his life for him to not be a cop."

Lineage and backstory
Born on April 15, 1985 Dante Angelo Falconeri is the son of Olivia Falconeri and Sonny Corinthos. He is the product of a brief "high school fling" between Olivia and Sonny, before he dates Olivia's cousin Connie aka Kate Howard. Olivia gives birth to Dante when she is only 15 years old. Fearing Sonny's involvement with organized crime will eventually hurt Dante, Olivia swears Connie to secrecy, and convinces everyone else that she was so promiscuous that Dante's father could be anyone. He was raised in Bensonhurst as a devout Catholic. He attended Saint Xavier's School where was often sent to the principal's office for fighting and played baseball in high school. Despite not having a father in his life, Dante has a "crap load" of uncles and cousins. However, Dante forges a strong bond with Lieutenant Vince Poletti, his best friend's dad. Poletti treats him as one of his own, including Dante in baseballs games and camping trips. Poletti who lives down the street from the Falconeris serves as a father-figure for Dante until he is shot and killed in a liquor store. While it is never confirmed, the entire neighborhood thinks Sonny was responsible. One of Olivia's friends, Ronnie Dimestico takes Dante under his wing in law enforcement helps him get into the undercover unit. By the time of Dante's introduction onscreen, he and Ronnie have worked dozens of undercover assignments together. In early 2008, Ronnie recruits Dante into the Zacchara organization as Dominic Pirelli.

Introduction (2009–2010)
As Sonny is set to marry Kate Howard (Megan Ward) in 2008, he seeks out her estranged cousin Olivia to invite her to the wedding. Not only did Sonny and Olivia date in high school, before he dated Kate, "Olivia has something under her belt that’s going to create big excitement-and a lot of friction." After Kate gets shot upending the wedding, she confides in her surgeon, Patrick Drake (Jason Thompson) that Sonny fathered Olivia's now adult son. Ironically, Maurice Benard was in the middle of contract negotiations when the story began to play out. "Thank God, the timing's right in the negotiations to have this kind of story." Benard insisted that with the right actor, "I'm telling you right now […] it will be gold." Benard also admitted that depending on how well the storyline went, it could affect how much longer he stayed with the show. Meanwhile, Lisa LoCicero immediately realized that her character had some legs to stand on. "I felt like I just got the princess crown of the soap opera world, just because you know there's going to be great stuff to play."

Undercover as Dominic Pirelli
Zamprogna revealed that there was some "confusion" when he got his first script and saw his character's name was. "They told my name was Dominic and I was going up for the part of Dante." The actor had to contact the head writer Bob Guza for clarification that Dante was undercover as Dominic. He is recruited by Claudia "to help her with one of her ill-conceived schemes." Zamprogna said of Dante's alter ego that "Dominic is a lieutenant with the Zacchara crime family, one of their higher-ups." However, when Claudia's scheme to kill Jason Morgan goes awry, "Dominic" is left "fighting for his life." He then meets with Olivia and it is revealed that he is Dante. While they don't discuss it, Zamprogna admitted that Olivia has some knowledge of what he does for a living. Dante has been using the alias "to make sure that his mother was not brought into that world." When no one wants to help him avoid Sonny's wrath, "Dominic" risk his neck to approaches Sonny himself. "I don’t think Sonny has ever had to deal with a character like that" Zamprogna said of his character's first encounter with Sonny. Dante as "Dominic" is in a "fake position of power, because in reality, I am scared out of my pants going up against this guy. He could pull out a gun any second and shoot me." Zamprogna described his dynamic with Maurice Benard. "We're very similar actors in the way we go about our business and I think it's working out well for our chemistry on screen. […] Every time we're doing a scene together, there's an intensity."

Dante is horrified to learn Olivia is dating Claudia's mobster brother Johnny Zacchara (Brandon Barash). "He can't let Johnny know he's Olivia's son, but he can't do nothing." Fortunately, Dante and Olivia keep their cool long enough to avoid raising Johnny's suspicions. However, when they get into a fight, Dante reminds Olivia that he is cop and is working undercover to bring down Sonny. "It's crazy dangerous. It's life and death but the cool thing is, he plays against that." Despite his lighthearted manner about the situation, Dante is "serious about the fact that this is his job and this is what's he's going to do." Zamprogna said of his introduction, "It's crazy busy and fun, but in a good way. Only because I feel like sometimes I'm in a scene and I have no idea what line I have to say next because I'm still trying to get used to the 20 pages a day kind of thing. But that's a lot of fun. The pace of it is awesome because I have a really short attention span. And I find I never get bored."

When Dante jumps in front of a car for Morgan (Aaron Refvem), Zamprogna insist Dante doesn't have "any ulterior motive." It was "just a gut reaction." The writers "created a bond between Morgan and Dominic." Zamprogna made a conscious effort to make sure Dante and Dominic [the character], weren't too far apart. "I really tried, when he was undercover, to not make there be much a difference between his undercover person and who he really is. The only difference was his name and the company he keeps." While there is an obvious bond between "Dominic" and Morgan, and even his sister Kristina (Lexi Ainsworth) to some extent, "Dominic" rubs Michael (Drew Garrett) the wrong way. Michael "has been stewing over the fact that [Dominic] is seemingly more well-liked" by Sonny. As Michael can't seem to do anything right, "Dominic" bears the "brunt" of his frustrations. His increased "suspicions" of "Dominic" after Michael "hears some things he shouldn't hear" is ultimately what leads to Dante's exposure.

Paternity reveal
Dante's plans to accompany Lulu to Josslyn's christening are derailed when Sonny summons him to his house and Dante "realizes that he might not make it another day based on what Sonny tells him. […] And he basically has to think on his feet, and Dante attempts to take Sonny in." But even in that moment, Dante is "already" experiencing an "internal struggle." Dante knows his actions will "crumble a lot of lives," even Sonny's, who he likes which is the real problem. "He is trying to not like Sonny, because he does not want to be compared to the guy, but Dante kind of sees himself as the same type of guy. They do behave alike. One is on one side of the law, and one is on the other." Dante and Sonny's confrontation is juxtaposed with scenes of Josslyn's christening. It's "so dramatic" Zamprogna said of the climax.

However, Sonny shoots Dante and everything "goes downhill from there." While Dante survives surgery, he's been shot in the chest, and "it's going to be a battle for him." And though Lulu tries to prepare him, nothing can prepare Dante for what happens next. "It’s a mess, and unfortunately, the way Sonny is, he would not dream of harming anyone who is his own kid. Even though I am someone who betrayed him, when he finds out I am his kid, all of a sudden I am under that umbrella… you know, the really protective thing. So, Sonny is coming at it from a wonderful nurturing place and is really torn up by what he did. But for Dante, the shooting proves that Sonny is as bad as he always thought. "And whatever we had before, friendship and possible palling around, is going to be null and void." Meanwhile, Michael changes his tune toward Dante after the ordeal. "He tries to be real with Dante for once" out of "genuine concern" for Sonny. "Any kind of progress he made in the enjoyment of being undercover and getting to know these people, pretty much gets wiped away by the fact that he gets shot." For Dante, learning the truth about his connection to Sonny is a "double-edged sword."

Relationship with Lulu Spencer
Dante has been romantically linked to Lulu Spencer since his introduction in 2009.

Reception
Soaps.com said "General Hospital fans have been teased into a frenzy about the yet-to-be-introduced character of Dante Falconeri." By the time Zamprogna joined the cast, Dante had been a topic of heavy discussion on message boards. Dan Kroll of Soapcentral.com categorized Dante as a "coveted role." Kroll said "For months, it was like an updated refrain from The Brady Bunch. Dante, Dante, Dante!" Jenn Bishop of Diagnosis Daytime said Zamprogna "quickly became a fan favorite."

"It will be the shot heard around the soap world."

"Newcomer Dominic Zamprogna has proved his mettle in the role of Dante (AKA Dominic). With high praise from fans, his cast mates, and the show’s producers and writers, he has stepped into a very high-profile soap opera role and done it justice. Zamprogna has the right mix of tough guy with a heart; the edgy look that makes him a modern day soap hero, and the acting chops to pull off this very complex and compelling role."