Multiple-time Emmy winner Rick Hearst has left his role on General Hospital for a job The Bold and the Beautiful.

It wasn't the actor's intention, but ABC gave Hearst little choice when it took him off contract.

On The Bold and the Beautiful, Hearst is back as fashion PR guru Whip Jones, a role he played for a bit in 2002.

Hearst ends his General Hospital on June 25 and will appear on The Bold and the Beautiful on July 17. He talks about the move in an interview with TV Guide Magazine:

On his character: He’s looking for work and a little humbled. He’s suffered at the hands of the economy. When he left the show seven year ago, he went to Europe to work with Forrester International, then he went to a couple of other fashion houses, and he’s now come back to L.A. He didn’t want to go crawling back to Forrester, so he goes to Jackie M for an interview.

On how/why he changed shows: People had some crazy perceptions of what went down. “Machiavellian Hearst dumps GH for B&B!” Here’s the truth of the matter. I was placed on recurring status and I was a gun for hire but still in the middle of a story with GH. I auditioned for some pilots and the season finale of CSI: New York.

Then, lo and behold, one day I’m sitting at home and I overhear my wife talking on the phone for 5 or 10 minutes to somebody named Brad—and I’m thinking, “Well, that’s it. She’s found somebody else. The marriage is over.” Suddenly, she hands me the phone and says “Honey, it’s [B&B executive producer] Brad Bell.”

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