Johnny Wactor’s legacy lives on in his family.
A year after the General Hospital star was fatally shot when he encountered a group of men trying to break into his car, his mother Scarlett Wactor and brother Lance Wactor attended the premiere of his final film Ciao, Mama at the Dances with Films festival in Los Angeles June 25.
“I wore waterproof mascara just in case,” Scarlett, who posed on the red carpet with Lance, told Extra in an interview June 25. “It will be great to hear his voice and to see him. I was thinking about how he’d be today, and he’d be planning an outfit and jumping up and down excited.”
“I’m thrilled to be here,” she added. “I just wish he could be here.”
Lance, meanwhile, remembered how much enthusiasm Johnny had for the movie, where he played a grieving son who returns home for his mother’s funeral. “This was his passion,” Lance said. “This was his baby. He put a lot of work into it.”
And after Johnny’s shocking death in May 2024, Lance stepped in to help complete what would be his brother’s final film.
“Apparently I sound just like my brother,” he explained. “So, I had to do a couple of lines to voiceover some scenes.”
Amid the family’s grief journey, those with ties to the shocking event have learned their fates. In January, two of the men involved in the robbery that led to Johnny’s death received prison sentences.
Frank Olano, 22, was sentenced to five years and eight months for being an accessory after the fact, receiving stolen property and three counts of firearm possession by a felon. Meanwhile, Leonel Gutierrez, 19, received was given four years in prison after pleading no contest to one count of attempted robbery and grand theft, multiple outlets confirmed.
Robert Barceleau and Sergio Estrada, both 18 at the time of the murder, will stand trial for murder and attempted second-degree robbery. According to authorities, one of the robbers shot and killed Johhny, 37, after he and colleague left their bar job and came across the men trying to steal the catalytic converter from his car. (The men, who face life in prison, have pleaded not guilty to the charges.)
Still, Johnny’s legacy remains strong, with Scarlett and Lance receiving a standing ovation at the screening of his final film. And his costar Micah Joe Parker also took a moment to pay a heartfelt tribute to his late friend.
“It is such a surreal thing to—when we started this, it was five, and now there’s four people up here, but Johnny has, he’s been with us in so many ways over the past year,” he said according to People. “I know there are so many people out here that are here tonight that loved Johnny. I thank God that I had the chance to know him, that I had the chance to work with him, that we got to make this film together.”
For more a look back at Johnny’s life, keep reading…
September 2013: Los Angeles
December 2018: The Mule Premiere
June 2019: Runyon Canyon Park
June 2021: General Hospital
August 2021: General Hospital
February 2022: General Hospital
February 2022: General Hospital
November 2022: Instagram
March 2023: Station 19
July 2023: Instagram
October 2023: Philadelphia
