General Hospital’s Willow may be many things these days — a mother, a nurse, a woman trying to hold it together — but rational isn’t one of them. Asking Drew to lie to the police and claim that he remembered Michael shooting him? That’s a whole new level of desperation for her. As Willow starts to become as dark as Drew, Katelyn MacMullen opened up about her journey from kind teacher to suspect number one in Drew’s shooting. And as she approaches her eighth anniversary on the show, she’s being brutally honest about what this character has been through.
Key Takeaways
- Willow’s decision to ask Drew to lie for her marks a major moral spiral.
- Katelyn MacMullen reflected on Willow’s evolution from a kind-hearted teacher to a woman consumed by darkness, secrets, and fear.
- The actress admitted her first days on set were nerve-wracking.
- Betrayal by Michael, Drew, and Nina has left Willow deeply unsure of who to trust — and increasingly isolated.
- MacMullen says Willow is lost these days, as the walls close in around her.
Looking Back and Seeing the Storm Ahead
MacMullen spoke with Soaps and immediately acknowledged the wild ride Willow’s been on. “Who could have imagined this is where Willow would wind up?” she wondered. It’s true — when she first appeared, Willow was more likely to be grading papers than caught in a deadly triangle between Michael (Rory Gibson), Drew (Cameron Mathison), and Nina (Cynthia Watros).
She recalled her first day on the show in which she shared scenes with Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) and Roger Howarth (Franco), who was playing Franco then. She admitted to being super nervous, “But at the end of the day, I thought, ‘Great, I survived.’” From there, both actress and character began a journey neither of them could have predicted.
MacMullen noted how the role has challenged her as an actor while changing Willow completely as a person. She remarked that Willow has done a complete 180 since her first appearance. What was once soft and warm has hardened into a woman who’s learning, painfully, how cruel the world can be.
A Character in Crisis
As Willow navigates a brutal mess of betrayal, secrets, and impossible choices, MacMullen admits this isn’t just a plot twist — it’s a mirror of real human growth. “You have ups and downs, and along the way you figure things out about yourself,” she reflected. Willow hasn’t figured out much yet, but she’s trying.
She noted that Willow seems to be “a little lost” lately. And who can blame her? Her trust has been shattered by Michael, Drew, and Nina — all people she once leaned on. “One of her biggest challenges is knowing who to trust,” she explained.
And as everything — including her freedom — hangs in the balance, Willow’s story is headed toward a reckoning. Whether she finds a hero or becomes her own, it’s clear this chapter will test every piece of who she is. (Did Willow steal Edward’s gun?)
