Actress Avery Kristen Pohl (“General Hospital”) chatted about her latest endeavors in daytime television.
She is known for playing Esme Prince in the ABC soap opera “General Hospital.”
Working with Alley Mills and Jon Lindstrom
Pohl opened up about working with Emmy winner Alley Mills and Emmy nominee Jon Lindstrom as her on-screen parents, who play Heather Webber and Ryan Chamberlain respectively. “They are so lovely. Both Jon and Alley are such fun people to work with,” she said.
“They have a great sense of humor, so it’s fun to watch the banter! They are also incredibly talented individuals and it’s a joy to get to learn from the two of them,” she added.
Tackling the Esme amnesia storyline on the show
On tackling her character’s amnesia storyline on the show, Pohl said, “It has certainly been a journey. I feel very lucky to have gotten to play different sides of the same character to the degree that I have.”
Pohl continued, “How frequently in acting do you get to lose your memory? I guess in soaps it is more common than elsewhere… When the amnesia storyline started it was important to me to make a distinction between mannerisms and how Esme viewed the world.”
“Over time, however, we started to sprinkle in aspects of her old self based on scenarios and certain instincts she had. Now that Esme has her memories back it has been a really fun challenge to balance this new person she has become with a deeper understanding of who she used to be,” she elaborated.
“I am really excited for everyone to see what is in store for her as she deals with these internal conflicts,” she added.
Celebrating the 60th anniversary of ‘General Hospital’
The daytime drama just celebrated its 60th anniversary on air. “It feels very surreal. It is such a huge accomplishment for the show and everyone who works day in day out to make the end product that is on your screens,” she said.
“I feel very proud of everyone on our crew, past and present, who has helped make this show what it is. I am very grateful to be a part of this legacy,” she added.
Adam Huss as the new Nikolas Cassadine
She had positive words about working with Adam Huss as the new Nikolas Cassadine. “I absolutely adore Adam,” she exclaimed.
“Adam is such a kind soul and a very hardworking person. He always comes in so prepared which I really respect. I’m excited to see how his character evolves moving forward,” she added.
Lessons learned from doing daytime TV
On being a part of daytime television, she said, “It has taught me way more than I ever could have expected. It has shown me my strong points, my weaknesses, and everything in between.”
“It has given me more trust in my instrument as well as more technical and practical skills such as the ability to memorize in a much shorter amount of time. I have learned to work in different scenarios and with different levels of preparation,” she said.
“Sometimes you get a schedule change where you need to learn 60 pages the night before and you just make it happen,” she acknowledged.
“The biggest thing that this show has taught me about myself as an actress, is that I have the ability to push myself outside of my comfort zone, and I will grow as both an artist and as an individual from those experience,” she added.
Actors she would like to do more scenes with on the show
Pohl noted that there are some actors that she would love to do more scenes with on the show. “I would love to have more scenes with Cynthia Watros,” she said. “I think she is such an amazing performer and the only scenes we had together I was passed out.”
“I would also love to explore scenes with Jeff Kober as I think Cyrus and Esme would have a very interesting on screen chemistry. When I have scenes with Jon Lindstrom, Maura West, Eden McCoy, or Tabyana Ali, I know it is going to be a fun time so I would always be happy to have more scenes with them,” she elaborated.
New Year’s resolutions for 2024
On her New Year’s resolutions for 2024, she remarked, “I don’t think I set any particular resolutions for this year; however, I am always trying to have new experiences, travel to new places, and grow as a person and an artist.”
Favorite mottos to live by
Pohl shared that her favorite motto to live by is “One day at a time.”
Favorite movies and dream acting choices
She revealed that her all-time favorite movie is “Mean Girls,” and she listed Viola Davis and Margot Robbie as her dream acting partners.
Success
On her definition of the word success, Pohl said, “That is very tricky! I think success to me at this point in my life is an internal acceptance. Circumstances around you can always change so knowing who you are and what you want is important.”
“I don’t think success can be a certain dollar amount or grade or job title or number on the scale if you aren’t happy with yourself and the people you choose to surround yourself with,” she said.
Pohl’s message for her fans and supporters
For her fans and supporters, Pohl expressed, “There are some really exciting things coming up in January so stay tuned.”
“I also want to say ‘thank you’ to each and everyone of you who has watched the show Getting to see how ‘General Hospital’ has brought people together and is shared between many generations is so incredibly special,” she concluded.
To learn more about Avery Kristen Pohl, follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
