GOOD GUY LINDSTROM TURNS BAD ON ‘GENERAL HOSPITAL’

“I’m the hated envy of all my friends,” says Jon Lindstrom, who plays the maniacal Dr. Ryan Chamberlain on “General Hospital.” “All of my acting friends that is. Not only am I working, but I’ve also got a great part to play. Ryan is without a doubt the best role I’ve ever had.”

Lindstrom, who joined the Port Charles fold last June as the catalyst in a plot twist that brought Kristina Malandro (who plays Felicia Jones) back to the show, never envisioned a long stay on “General Hospital.” In fact, he originally signed on for a limited run.

“When I started this, I was supposed to be on for 12 weeks --16 weeks tops,” says the actor. “I’d come in for a short run since the story was to have a beginning, a middle and an end.”

“But that was last June,” he adds, “and I’m still here.”

To say his character simply lingered would be an understatement. Over the past months, Dr. Ryan has thrived. He has become an integral part of the show and the catalyst in a pivotal front-burner story line that continues to wreak havoc for the fair Felicia.

The audience seems to have taken a bizarre liking to Lindstrom’s bad-boy image and has been very accepting of his on-screen antics.

“They seem to like it,” he says. “I read a couple of soap magazines in which viewers wrote in to say they felt really sorry for Ryan during Felicia’s trial. That really surprised me. It’s no wonder Ryan got off.”

Although Lindstrom has portrayed his share of bad guys before joining “General Hospital,” he notes that on soaps he has specialized in pillars of goodness.

Lindstrom relishes the switch to evil. “I’ve never had so much fun with a character.”

He likes the reactions he gets from fans who recognize him in public.

“It’s actually very funny. What happens a lot is I’ll be walking in a market, and people will turn and recognize me. For a second they’ll gasp. They’ll get scared, but they don’t know why. Then, after a moment they’ll look at me and say: ‘Oh! You’re Ryan Chamberlain. Hey, I really like your work.’ ”

“General Hospital” airs weekdays at 2 p.m. on ABC.