Actress Avery Kristen Pohl chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about portraying Esme Prince on the hit ABC daytime drama “General Hospital” and being an actress in the digital age.
Pohl has taken Port Charles by storm thanks to her manipulative and vindictive portrayal of Esme Prince, which has been well-received by fans and cast members alike.
Playing Esme Prince on ‘General Hospital’
On playing Esme on “General Hospital,” she said, “Well, Esme is an incredibly complex individual, so it has been a pleasure to get into her headspace and portray her as a character. This will be the most time I have spent with a character in my career thus far, so I’m looking forward to seeing how she evolves as a person.”
“Esme is constantly assessing everyone around her as if every conversation is just ammunition to use against people later! I have really enjoyed getting to learn how to empathize with a character who can go to such extremes to support her own agenda,” she explained.
Working with Nicholas Alexander Chavez
Pohl had great words about working with her co-star Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Spencer Cassadine. “Nicholas has been fantastic,” she exclaimed.
“Nicholas is a really great actor to bounce ideas off of. He is very giving in every scene, which is so helpful to play opposite of. It’s also very fun to choose what we share with each other in terms of our characters and what we find to be more beneficial to keep to ourselves. After all, every conniving relationship has its fair share of secrets,” she elaborated.
Inspirations
Regarding her daily inspirations as an actress, she said, “The people around me are who I use most as my source of inspiration, and that can be from a work or performance point of view or just from the motions of day-to-day life. My family has been a great support system for me so I owe a lot of credit to them and their patience over the years!”
The digital age
On being an actress in the digital age, Pohl said, “The entertainment industry is constantly evolving, and just like anything else you have to be prepared to adapt and adapt in a timely fashion.”
“There are so many benefits to the digital age such as more opportunities for people outside of Los Angeles. That being said nothing beats an in-person audition or acting class with the face-to-face feedback you receive,” she said.
“Streaming is wonderful in that there are more job opportunities for actors, and we’ve really entered uncharted territory in terms of providing art and a sense of escapism during a global pandemic,” she added.
When asked how she handles being dialogue-heavy on the show, Pohl responded, “The producers at ‘General Hospital’ were great about trying to ease me in a bit in terms of dialogue and page count.”
“It started out with about 10 to 20 pages per day and then progressed up to 60 to 80 depending on the day and week. The brain can be trained like a muscle, so it just takes a little bit of time and consistency and you’re on your way to learning multiple episodes worth of dialogue every day,” she said.
Advice for young and aspiring actors
For young and aspiring actors, she said, “Only pursue this industry if you truly love your craft. Find a good community of actors to bounce ideas off of who can be supportive and also push you! And in terms of auditioning as a young actor, just keep putting yourself out there as much as possible; after all, it only takes one yes!”
“This is an industry that will naturally offer you a lot more no’s, so take the wins when they come around. Everyone is on their own career path, so while it can be super easy to compare yourself to others just keep in mind that the right project will come around at the right time. Finding a team that is excited about you and offers you great opportunities makes all the difference in the world,” she said.
Success
On her definition of the word success, Pohl said, “Success in some ways can certainly be measured in a quantitative state of dollar figures or followers on social media, but on the other hand, I think success is incredibly subjective. Success to me, put simply, is the product of years of hard work and dedication.”
“Everyone’s success will look different at various stages of their careers,” she said. “For example, what I would consider being a success five years ago, won’t look the same as my measure of success 10 years down the line. At the end of the day, I think we should be striving towards bettering ourselves at our crafts as well as individuals.”
For her fans and supporters, she concluded, “I hope you are being kept on your toes by Esme and keep tuning in to ‘General Hospital.’ We couldn’t do what we do without our GH fans.”
To learn more about actress Avery Kristen Pohl, follow her on Instagram and check out her IMDb page.
