Missouri City man and radio host Michael Garfield plays dead on General Hospital

James Franco with Michael Garfield

Next week's episodes of the soap opera General Hospital will feature Missouri City resident and Houston broadcaster Michael Garfield in a few macabre scenes with guest star James Franco.

In the story arc that begins next week, Franco reprises his role as an eccentric killer who is also named Franco. Garfield, 46, plays a model that Franco photographs in his studio.

"He's starting to take pictures of me in his crazy studio, in a dead position," Garfield said. "So I am his model-slash-body that he ultimately kills... he and I have a little confrontation, needless to say."

Garfield, best-known locally for his KPRC radio show The High-Tech Texan Show With Michael Garfield, flew to Hollywood last month to work an 11-hour shoot.

"It was a long day for someone with five lines," Garfield said, though he says he expected the shoot to involve a lot of "hurry up and wait."

He also found himself surprised by the strict division of labor on the set.

"It's interesting how the unions work," he said. "A wardrobe person is not allowed to touch a prop on the set. A prop person is not allowed to fix your tie."

Garfield said James Franco's agent, Miles Levy, recently began representing him.

"He's always been on the lookout for just something fun to put my toe in Hollywood," Garfield said. "Sure enough, my character was written specifically for me and put in the Franco episodes."

Though Garfield has spent plenty of time on TV as a news source, commercial actor, and QVC host, this will be his first role in a major Hollywood production.

"This is something I would love to do, a little bit more acting," he said. "Am I cut out for it? That's for the audience to determine, but it was a blast."

Garfield said his speaking part is in next Wednesday's episode, and he also appears in two other episodes next week. The show airs weekdays at 2 p.m. on ABC.

"Any time that you see James Franco in a secret, crazy loft, I'm there," Garfield said.

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