Eva LaRue Says Her GH Character, Natalia, Is Not Homophobic

The city of Chicago had lots of All My Children fans, so it was better for Eva LaRue to make an appearance to let Windy City residents know about her role as Natalia on General Hospital? The actress delved into her character’s psyche, explaining Natalia’s concerns over her daughter Blaze’s sexual orientation and relationship with Kristina.

Coming to Terms

Natalia didn’t respond positively to finding Kristina (Kate Mansi) in Blaze’s hotel bed, but LaRue maintains that her character wouldn’t have liked finding anyone there. “Even if she had walked in and found a man, it would have been shocking,” LaRue told ABC7-TV’s Tracy Butler. “She tried to play it off, she knows what she walked into. Her head is spinning.”

Why is Natalia being a helicopter parent over her grown child’s love life? “She’s a very conservative Latina mom, and she’s really struggling,” LaRue adds. The actress feels that Natalia and Blaze (Jacqueline Grace Lopez) have had a very strong, loving relationship up until now. “It’s always been her and Blaze against the world. So, for her to be the last to know that Blaze is gay is embarrassing. She thought they were closer. [It’s] heartbreaking finding out that they weren’t.”

While it appears that Natalia dislikes Kristina, her concerns are more nuanced. “Being a mom, [Natalia] wants to protect her daughter against a homophobic world,” LaRue asserts. She doesn’t believe that Natalia herself has anything against gay people — but she knows some people in the world do.

LaRue’s done her homework on Blaze and her TV daughter’s past. She knows about the abuse Blaze suffered when she was with Linc Brown (Dan Buran). Natalia may be wondering if Blaze just feels safer with women because of her ordeal. “Is this dabbing [or has] she always felt this way,” LaRue rhetorically asks.

The Daytime Emmy-winner (for her role as Celeste on The Young and the Restless) is thrilled that this role on GH reunites her with some former All My Children pals who are now living in Port Charles. “Walking in and seeing Cameron [Mathison, Drew; ex-Ryan, AMC] and Finola [Hughes, Anna, GH/AMC]…I haven’t seen Michael E. Knight [Martin; ex-Tad, AMC] yet, but he’s here as well. It’s like old home week!”