All My Children veteran Eva LaRue makes her General Hospital debut on Monday, February 26 -- and is about to make Blaze and Kristina's life a lot more complicated.
As Natalia Ramirez, LaRue is set to throw a wrench into Blaze and Kristina's budding romance when she learns that her daughter is in a same-sex relationship -- and that Blaze's girlfriend is pregnant with her sister's baby. It sounds like Natalia is about to step into a soap opera.
In fact, Natalia makes her first appearance in a mega-soapy scene that LaRue couldn't wait to sink her teeth into.
"Natalia is a very conservative Latina, single mom who raised her daughter to be all of these amazing things, supported her and her talent, and went out of her way to make sure she had all she wanted," LaRue told TV Insider. "My first scenes are such chewy material, and I was really grateful for that. Natalia walks in as Blaze is coming out of the shower and Kristina is in her bed, so this feels like a major betrayal to her because Blaze has been keeping this big secret."
Indeed, Blaze, a.k.a. Allison Ramirez -- or Allie to Kristina, has been hiding her sexuality for years, something even Kristina wasn't sure she was comfortable with at first. As fans know, Kristina came out to her parents back in 2016. Alexis didn't know what to make of things at the time, but Sonny immediately accepted his daughter for who she was.
As LaRue tells it, we can expect some meaty and emotional scenes as Natalia comes to terms with learning Blaze's secret.
"She knew her mom was not going to understand it and she doesn't," the actress explained. "It's not malicious and it's not out of hate; it's just out of a surprise and shock and conservativism that Natalia is having a really hard time being okay with it. I think the storyline is great because it's so topical. There are so many nuances to having to play it with some heart and depth and understanding."
LaRue got her soap start in a small role on Santa Barbara in the 1980s but rose to daytime fame as Dr. Maria Santos-Grey on AMC. She last appeared as Celeste Rosales on The Young and the Restless.
How long LaRue sticks around Port Charles remains to be seen, as Natalia is starting out as a recurring character. That doesn't mean that LaRue wouldn't want to see it turn into more.
"They brought me on for the story, and I don't know anything other than that," she said. "I'm recurring right now, but I would love to hang out and recur for as long as they need me or want me. It's such a great place to work."
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