"AMC is such a class act," Rucker enthused. "Before I did AS THE WORLD TURNS [where he played Marshall], I auditioned for AMC the same day. Later, there was another role that came up that I was in consideration for that didn't happen. Third time was the charm. Everybody at AMC was so nice. It was a comfortable, healthy and functional work environment, and that was important to me."

Despite some initial reservations about his storyline, Rucker has no regrets about his time on AMC. "Absolutely not," he stresses. "We joked, facetiously, like, 'too bad they had to hire me as Garret!' We established a great relationship. I always like to come and go on good terms."

Rucker has a knack for playing bad guys on daytime. "It's so funny," laughs the actor, who couldn't be nicer in real life. "It would be nice to be the good-guy hero from time to time. But at the same time, having characters that people love to hate are just as interesting and valuable. I'm always playing a guy that is significantly older than me, so if I did have my preference, I would play somebody who is younger."

And just because Garret no longer resides in Pine Valley does not mean Rucker is going to lose touch with the cast. "I actually talked to Tanisha (Lynn, Danielle) the other day," he shares. "Shari (Headley, ex-Mimi) called me. The people in your immediate storyline, you keep in more consistent contact with. I miss all my girls in hair and makeup, the guys and young ladies in wardrobe, everybody on the set, my man, Cleveland, at the security desk. I really had a nice rapport with everybody."

As for now, Rucker is back on the West Coast auditioning. "I just booked HALF AND HALF, a UPN sitcom," the actor reveals. "I'll be recurring as a love interest of one the co-leads. I can actually smile and be a nice guy!"