GH’s Cynthia Watros Reflects on Finding Her Groove as Nina Reeves

It is hard to imagine Port Charles without Nina Reeves being part of the action. When not in her corporate role at Crimson, you can bet you’ll find Nina trying to figure out how to save her daughter, Willow Tait, from the evil clutches of Drew Cain.

The actress recently chatted with Remind Magazine about her “General Hospital” journey so far.

Cynthia’s First Few Months as Nina Were Bumpy

ABC

When Cynthia arrived on the GH scene, she was already well-established in the soap world. She got her start in 1994, playing Annie Dutton on “Guiding Light.” She also filled in for Jensen Buchanan on “Another World,” as Vicky Hudson McKinnon, and scooped up accolades for her spin as Kelly Andrews on “The Young and the Restless.” Still, playing Nina in those early days left her a bit uneasy.

“I was convinced the first six months I might lose this job,” Watros explains. “I felt nervous, I felt like I wasn’t hitting it. It wasn’t clicking. The fans didn’t seem to really like me as Nina, and I get it. Michelle Stafford (ex-Nina Reeves, Phyllis Summers, The Young and the Restless) is amazing, and it’s hard to fill such amazing shoes. So, I was nervous a lot playing Nina at the beginning, but I came to a point where I was just like, ‘Well, if it happens, it happens.’”

Now GH Feels Like Home to Cynthia

ABC

Cynthia remembers the exact moment in the storyline when she felt a shift in things. “Valentin and Nina had that big blowout at the wedding where she finds out that Sasha’s been lying to her and she runs out of the chapel,” Watros recalls. “When I ran out of that chapel, I said, ‘This is my part now.’ And it was a good six months [after she started]. It’s not easy being a recast. Sometimes, it’s very smooth for people, but for me, it hasn’t been smooth. Now, I’ve been doing it for six years. I feel such a connection to Nina.”

Cynthia recently celebrated her sixth anniversary on GH and she is thrilled to still call the soap her work home. “Nina is one of my favorite characters that I’ve ever played. She has so many different levels. She’s very vulnerable and strong. And I really thank Frank [Valentini, executive producer] and the writers and the cast and crew and everybody who has made this feel like a home in these six years. I’m very grateful.”

Are you a Nina fan? What do you think about her situation with Willow? Will her daughter ever really see Drew for the monster that he has become, and will she let Nina back into her life?