General Hospital's Julie Marie Berman played the character of Lulu Spencer in the soap opera from 2005 to 2013, when she departed the role. Emme Rylan has since played the role.
In an interview with Soaps in Depth, published on February 27. 2013, Julie said that she'd spoken with General Hospital's producers about her decision in July 2012. Her contract ended in November that same year, and her final episode aired on March 22, 2013.
In her interview with Soap in Depth, Julie said:
"I always have a desire to grow and challenge myself in other mediums. And there are enough reasons now that my gut is telling me this is the right time to finally let go of ‘GH.'"
Julie Marie Berman left General Hospital to focus on other roles
As she said to Soaps in Depth, Julie Marie Berman departed the role of Lulu Spencer to focus on other acting opportunities. After her increased prominence playing Lulu Spencer in General Hospital, Julie would go on to guest-star in Two and a Half Men and Jane the Virgin.
Her next major role came about in the Hulu comedy-drama series Casual, where she played Leia, Valerie's assistant, a therapist who has had a divorce from her husband after discovering his infidelity.
The show followed Valerie's new life as she moved in with her brother, while Leia served as her dutiful receptionist navigating the chaotic new environment her boss's divorce ends up creating.
Casual premiered on October 7, 2015, and ended on July 31, 2018. For the first season, Julie Berman had a recurring role and became a series regular for the next three seasons.
In 2015, Julie played the recurring role of Dr. Samantha Zanetti for eight episodes on NBC's Chicago Med. More recently, in 2021, Julie's guest-starred in CSI: Vegas as Tammy Shaw.
Julie played Lulu Spencer on General Hospital from 2005 to 2013
Julie Marie Berman was the first actor to play Lulu Spencer after she was rapidly aged into an adult in 2005.
Lulu Spencer is the daughter of the soap opera's super-couple Luke and Laura Spencer, and Julie's resemblance to Laura's actress, Genie Francis, attracted considerable media attention.
Lulu's arc in 2005 began with her living with her father, Luke, and Tracy Quartermaine. Luke was an absent father, causing Lulu to act out and misbehave with Tracy. Lulu becomes romantically interested in her stepbrother, Dillon Quartermaine, and schemes with Diego Alcazar to ruin his budding relationship with Georgie Jones.
That culminates in Lulu and Dillon sleeping together after she lies to him about Georgie's infidelity. Lulu becomes pregnant but aborts the fetus despite being legally challenged by the Quartermaines.
Lulu would subsequently enter a romance with Dante Falconeri, getting married to him in 2011. Julie's arc as Lulu ended on 2013, when she was abducted and taken to Cassadine Island.
Her abductor was revealed to be Stavros Cassadine, who mistook Lulu for her mother, Laura Spencer. Stavros has a twisted obsession with Laura and forces Lulu into cryogenic freezing to keep her eternally young.
The real Laura eventually rescues her daughter by overpowering Stavros and locking him into cryogenic stasis. From that point, Lulu is played by Emme Rylan.
