Just a little over a year after the tragic May 2024 murder of former General Hospital star Johnny Wactor, the actor’s final project made its premiere on June 24 as part of an independent film festival in California.

The movie, Ciao, Mama, was shown at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood as part of the Dances With Films festival. Among those in the audience to watch Wactor’s last performance was his former GH colleague Maurice Benard (Sonny). In a 2021 interview with Soap Opera Digest, Wactor spoke highly of Benard, his on-screen cousin in the world of Port Charles. “One of the first few scenes that we worked together, he gave me some advice and he’s just really collaborative,” Wactor praised. “He’s about bringing the nuance and bringing reality to the scene and not overdoing it. His acting is natural and effortless and we had a scene that he felt was being pushed or forced. He was very gentle in his suggestion about making it more real and grounded and the scene turned out to be much more subtle and nuanced and powerful in the right way. He’s got a lot of experience and he’s gracious with his advice about acting.”

Family Ties
The film, a family drama, follows Tony Esposito (played by Micah Joe Parker) as he returns to his Long Island, NY, hometown for the funeral of his beloved mother — who made everyone in the family promise not to tell him that she was dying of cancer while he was off chasing his dreams. In addition to starring alongside Parker in the film in the role of Marco, Wactor also served as a producer on the movie.

According to the movie’s creative team, the original title of the film was changed to honor Wactor. “While American Sognare beautifully captured the spirit of chasing dreams, Ciao, Mama speaks even more profoundly to the heart of our story — especially in the wake of the heartbreaking loss of our beloved friend and co-star, Johnny Wactor,” reads a statement on the film’s Instagram page. “This new title is more than a name. It’s a farewell. It’s a love letter. And it’s a promise — to keep dreaming, to keep creating, and to carry the torch forward, just as Johnny always did. Ciao, Mama is a tribute to Johnny, to the journey, and to the enduring power of dreams.