General Hospital viewers are hotly divided over Kristina Corinthos Davis, these days – over what happened between her and Ava, over whether she’s right to stake a claim on the baby she was carrying for Molly and TJ, and perhaps most importantly, whose fault it is that she went out the Metro Court window and lost that baby. As this heartbreaking surrogacy story tears the Davis girls apart, Kate Mansi talks to Woman's World about joining General Hospital as Kristina, getting into the blame game with Kristen Vaganos and Maura West, who play Molly and Ava, and how she survives playing such intense soap opera drama.
Plus, having earned a Daytime Emmy for her run as Days of Our Lives Abigail, Mansi reflects on her chemistry with Billy Flynn’s Chad and weighs in on her “late” character’s alleged resurrection.
Kate Mansi talks Kristina’s fall and losing Molly and TJ’s baby on 'General Hospital'
After wrapping production on Amazon’s Casa Grande, Kate Mansi wasn’t sure what she wanted to do next… until she got a call about assuming the role of General Hospital’s Kristina Davis-Corinthos.
“Our executive producer Frank Valentini said, ‘This storyline has to do with endometriosis and surrogacy, and you'll be an LGBTQIA+ plus character,’” Mansi recalls. “He also said it would be a very juicy couple of years of huge, heavy-hitting story. I was like, ‘I'm sold. I don't need to know anything else,’ because I knew these were stories I’d be honored to tell.”
Since stepping into Krissy’s shoes in May 2023, the actress – who has been open about her own journey with endometriosis, depression and anxiety – has had the opportunity to enjoy that soapy blend of educating viewers about real issues while also playing them for deliciously big drama.
And oh boy, has that drama heated up this summer!
"Kristina’s exhausting me,” Mansi cries happily. “It's been so crazy for her. It’s a joy to work so much and I love the story… but I'm destroyed right now!”
Soap star Kate Mansi reveals how she lets go of Kristina’s drama on ‘General Hospital’
The newly engaged actress should be plotting her nuptials with Matt McInnis – a producer and director known for Jessica Jones, The Witcher: Blood Origin, and Luke Cage – but right now, it’s all about surviving Kristina’s trauma.
“Kristina not only lost her baby, but almost lost her own life, fell out of a five-story freaking window, and almost went to jail,” lists Mansi, who’s working 12-hour days and learning 86-page scripts. “So my fiancé, my friends, my family, everybody knows: Don’t ask me or talk to me about anything until I can come up for air. I scale back on my social plans during these times and use my weekends to gather my energy so I can go back in for battle, essentially.”
While Mansi has go-to pick-me-ups like enjoying the sweet vibes of her nephews and her dog, the dancer also tries to give herself grace when she’s in heavy-hitting frontburner drama like this – and sometimes, that means collapsing into a good TV binge.
“My approach to wellness is definitely mind, body, soul, but it's all a balance,” she says. “Sometimes one outweighs the other and right now, I'm not having the easiest time getting myself to work out. That’s where you have to give it up to God and be like, ‘Alright, my first day off is Saturday, and I'll do whatever I can do for myself.’”
'General Hospital' star Kate Mansi talks Kristina, Molly, and battling with Kristen Vaganos
Mansi also has rituals she depends on, including the pinky swears she exchanges with co-star Kristen Vaganos, who plays Molly.
“Our characters have done this thing where we make a pinky promise and say, ‘No backsies,’” Mansi explains. “So now, before we have intense scenes, we always do our little pinky shake and give each other a hug. It's such a gift when you have a lot of love and admiration for the person that you're fighting and screaming at for weeks on end. It lends itself to a more layered performance, and also feels like you have a partner.”
While the Davis girls are flailing onscreen, behind the scenes they are a tight, supportive, fun-loving group that happens to be on a ‘Grahn Girls’ text thread withonscreen mom Nancy Lee Grahn, who plays Alexis.
“It's a real joy to watch the way this storyline is bringing out the best in all of us,” Mansi raves. “We’ve seen such phenomenal work from Nancy throughout this, and from Mo (Benard, who plays Sonny), too. And it’s such a tribute to the writers that some scenes have just taken us by storm because they’re so beautifully written.”
'General Hospital' star Kate Mansi talks Maura West, Ava, and Kristina’s Metro Court fall
With Molly furious that her sister chose to protect Sonny over the baby she was carrying for her, Kristina seems to be having doubts – no matter how loudly she insists otherwise. Yet even viewers who actually watched the fateful showdown with Ava cannot agree about whose fault it is that Kristina went out that Metro Court window. Some insist Ava pushed her, others insist it was an accident caused by Kristina’s poor choices – and that’s by design!
“Maura West is one of the icons and she’s wonderfully protective over Ava,” Mansi explains. “She said, ‘We're gonna have to work on this together, because it cannot be that Ava pushed Kristina. We have to find a way.’ So I charged into that scene at level 10. Kristina’s hormones were raging. She was pissed, and there was so much intensity all Ava had to do was respond.
“It ended up being so wonderfully ambiguous,” she continues. “That speaks to the power of editing too. What’s funny is you always have to side with your own character, but the best way I can tell a story is when I can see it from every angle. So I see it from Ava's perspective, Molly's perspective, and Kristina's perspective. I get why fans are so divided.”
Daytime Emmy-winner Kate Mansi weighs in on 'Days of Our Lives' newest Abigail
From the depths of Kristina’s despair on General Hospital, Mansi has heard rumblings about her late Days of Our Lives character Abby – who has also been played by Marci Miller, Ashley Benson, and Jillian Clare. While it seems newcomer AnnaLynne McCord is not Abby after all, the story still has fans wondering if the beloved heroine will rise once again.
“Abigail and Chad have such a beautiful love story that she should get another run at it,” Mansi maintains. “I loved playing her, and it was very hard for me to let go of her. [Chad’s portrayer] Billy Flynn and I have really great chemistry that lent itself to great stories, so there's a lot more to play and a lot more to keep exploring.”
While she’s rooting for “Chabby” to ride again on Days of Our Lives, the General Hospital star is focused on the very different type of drama she’s getting into in Port Charles.
“I was in such a power couple on Days – meaning love was the powerful throughline for Abigail and Chad – but Kristina hasn’t quite found her fit in love, yet,” Mansi tells Woman's World. “The power of this character is through this chaotic, dysfunctional, but fiercely loyal and loving family. What I love about this story is you have two daughters who are exactly like their parents. Kristina is her father's daughter. Molly is her mother's daughter. To see how that is played out is interesting!”
With the heartbreaking loss of baby Irene/Adela currently tearing apart the Corinthos-Davis-Ashford clan on General Hospital, Kristina has also pushed away the woman she loves. Mansi teases that without Jacqueline Grace Lopez’s Blaze by her side to ground her, Kristina’s epic fall on General Hospital has only begun.
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