General Hospital’s Cynthia Watros On Why Nina Hired Nelle

On General Hospital, Nina had no plan to hire Nelle to help fill the void left by Maxie who recently quit Crimson. So, why’d she end up doing it?

Cynthia Watros: Nina Insight

Cynthia Watros, who plays Nina, recently chatted with TV Insider to share insights as to where her character is coming from. After several months of giving Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) a hard time, Nina realizes that hiring Nelle is actually something that can be of aid to her former nemesis.

“[Nina] feels what Willow is going through. Nina can completely relate to what it’s like to have loved a child and have that child taken away from her. Sasha (Sofia Mattsson) is a great example of that. These days, Nina is feeling a great deal of compassion towards Willow…”

Nelle is known for going after what she wants no matter what. That’s something Nina can relate to, as well. “I find Nelle and Nina’s relationship really interesting,” Watros muses. “Nina has made a lot of mistakes in her past. She sees a lot of herself in Nelle; when Nelle walks in the door and says, ‘Hey, how about I work here?’ At first, Nina is like, ‘I commend your persistence and determination.’ But there’s not a position for her nor would Nina want to hire Nelle.”

So, in addition to Nelle jumping in and acting helpful, what exactly changed Nina’s mind? She’d actually like to be in a position to help Willow — and what better way to do that than to have Nelle in her line of vision.

“Nina starts to feel that she can keep a closer eye on Nelle if she does hire her,” Watros notes. “It’s that old saying ‘Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.'” General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC. Check local listings for air times.