Over the last several weeks, Alexis has been through a heck of a lot on General Hospital. She allowed herself to care about a man, who promptly overdosed after a night of sex. Then, she found out she has osteoporosis and the brother of the man who overdosed blamed her for his death. She soon fell off the wagon and promptly fell into bed with her ex, Ned (Wally Kurth). What’s possibly left? Well, actress Nancy Lee Grahn has an idea and she’s told Soap Hub all about it.
Exclusive Interview: Nancy Lee Grahn on Alexis
“When people ask me what story I want for Alexis, I think there are thousands of stories to be told,” says the Daytime Emmy-winning star. “For me, personally, I like stories taken out of the human experience. I prefer stories that come out of real life.
“Every day, look what’s happening in our country right now. Every day is a new story with organic drama, conflict, guttural emotions, heartbreak, and huge stakes. There should be no shortage of stories to tell, for my character or anyone else’s.”
Of course, it’s not that simple, nor would Grahn want it to be. But she does have a few parameters of what she would want her character to take on.
“Anything that is motivated by character, through character, where I can always answer the question why — why do I feel this way, why am I doing this, why do I want this? And when the question why can’t be answered, then there’s a problem with the story.”
Nancy Lee Grahn does have one idea in mind that she thinks could speak to the General Hospital audience and would make Alexis even more relatable. “I think it would be interesting for Alexis to be on a deserted island with a Trump supporter. Talk about high stakes, conflict, two people having to work together to survive.”
Grahn is well known for her left leanings as anyone who follows her on social media could attest. But her quandary for Alexis is based on the real conflict that many of us face every day in our own lives. So which character or characters could she see representing the other side — stuck on that island with Alexis?
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“I think Sonny and Jason would be Trump supporters — anyone in the mob. Anyone who operates in their own self-interest and not the greater good,” she opined. “It also might very well be a Trump supporter that is the one who helps Alexis survive on the island.”
Grahn next reveals how this relates to her own life with her trademark candor that is just one of the reasons fans adore her so much.
“I have a neighbor who is a Trump supporter who put food in front of my door when my fiancé had cancer. And so, this is the most organic real conflict for Americans, for me, right now.
“I so vehemently have resentment for anyone who would support a party whose policies and words and actions advocate for racism, misogyny, xenophobia, bigotry, homophobia, that it actually keeps me up at night and yet it was the Trump supporter next door who showed me kindness when I needed it. I am unable to navigate that. My instinct is to love everyone, but my intellect combined with my moral compass makes this really a conundrum for me.”
It’s a conundrum so many deal with every single day. Yet Grahn, in talking about it, seems to have revealed to herself and to us, another way of looking at the division in this country — and why it may be happening.
“I was raised by parents and grandparents on both sides [of her family] who were compassionate and for humanity. If you were raised by Kyle Rittenhouse’s [the young man charged with shooting two people at a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, WI] parents, indoctrinated to hate… he had no chance.
“I’m a work in process of trying to understand this faction of Americans who have freaking pissed me off. But they were disadvantaged where I was advantaged so I have to come to terms with that somehow.” General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes.
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