Donna Mills Recalls Her General Hospital Days As Madeline

Actress Donna Mills wasn’t exactly a stranger to the world of daytime drama when she joined General Hospital as Madeline Reeves, the conniving mother of heiress Nina Reeves. Her stay on the show proved to be short-lived (except for a brief return in 2018 just to so her character could reveal a huge secret and die), but it was a rewarding experience for the veteran actress on many levels.

Emmy Winner Donna Mills

“I loved working with all the actors on the show, especially Michelle Stafford [who played Nina at the time] who is truly a wonderful performer,” Mills told Soap Hub.

“But it was so different than when I had worked on Love is a Many Splendored Thing in the 1970s,” Mills says of the time she played Laura Elliot from 1967-1970. “Back then, we had a full day of rehearsals and blocking before you shot the show. By the time I did General Hospital, you were lucky if you got 20 minutes to work with your scene partner. I would often go home after a day of shooting and think ‘What did just I do?’”

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Yet, even if Mills had doubts about her work, her peers did not. She was awarded the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Star in 2015.

“I almost didn’t go to the ceremony,” recalls Mills. “Unlike most daytime actors who nominate themselves, I didn’t do that. I believe our producer, Frank Valentini, put my name in for consideration.”

“And I still didn’t think I was going to win, so I was tempted to just stay home. But thankfully, I went to the ceremony. It was such a thrill to win that award! I considered it a sort of career validation and it still means so much to me.” General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes.