Later today on General Hospital, Carly crosses paths with female mobster Claudia Zacchara. Why does this make for a fun inside joke for longtime fans?

"It's really funny," Laura Wright (pictured), who plays Carly, said to The New York Daily News. "Claudia is a nice, spicy addition to the show. She could slit your throat and kiss you at the same time, which I love."

The wink to fans, of course, is that Sarah Brown (who plays Claudia), actually created the role of Carly in 1996. She played her until 2001, winning three Daytime Emmys along the way.

Wright took over the role in 2005 (jumping ship from Guiding Light to become Carly number-four) and has played it ever since.

"I have been a fan of Laura's since I was on General Hospial back in the day," said Brown. "We have a natural camaraderie together, which was kind of unexpected."

Wright has similar praise for Brown.

"We're two totally different actresses and they're two different characters," said Laura. "So I think it's going to be a blast."

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.