General Hospital's Mandy Musgrave (Carol Lockhart; ex-Georgia/Chelsea Benson, Days of our Lives) opens up about her creepy, Dawn of Day-related role and the L.A. screening of her new movie Mama Bear, which she filmed with her husband, Matt Cohen (ex-Griffin Munro).
The past few weeks have been extremely exciting for former Days of our Lives star Mandy Musgrave (ex-Georgia/Chelsea Benson), who not only made her debut on General Hospital as former Dawn of Day member Carol Lockhart, but who also started preparing for the upcoming (August 13) Los Angeles screening of her action-packed film short Mama Bear, which costars and was directed by the actress' real-life husband, Matt Cohen (ex-Griffin Munro).
As fans of GH saw, Musgrave made her first appearance on the ABC soap earlier this summer as Carol Lockhart, a former Dawn of Day member turned dog-owning waitress in the small town of Beechers Corners. In case anyone is fuzzy on the storyline details, Carol took the fall for Shiloh (Coby Ryan McLaughlin) regarding the death of Willow's (Katelyn MacMullen) father, Douglas Miller, and Michael (Chad Duell) wanted her to testify against Shiloh and thus visited her at the diner where she works. Jason (Steve Burton) attempted to bring Carol to Port Charles but was thwarted when the small-town police force turned out to be under Shiloh's influence and threw Jason in jail. Sam (Kelly Monaco) went undercover as a waitress in order to get Carol's statement, her ultimate hope being to expose Shiloh and help Willow.
So, what's ahead for GH's Carol? What has it been like for Musgrave to work with her husband, who used to call Port Charles his home? And where can fans see the real-life couple's award-winning short film, Mama Bear? Soap Central caught up with the actress to get the scoop!
Soap Central: Days of Our Lives fans will remember you as Bo and Billie's daughter Georgia/Chelsea Benson, a role you played from January 2004 to December 2005. Was that your first acting role?
Mandy Musgrave: My first acting role where I had dialogue was actually on [the Nickelodeon sitcom] Drake and Josh. I had one line: "Hey, Drake, looking cool!" But my first in-depth, steady job was Days of Our Lives. I even had my first on-screen kiss there.
Soap Central: How did acting on a soap opera prepare you for your acting career?
Musgrave: Memorization! The skills that you gain from working on a soap in general help you to be ready for anything. Changes on the spot happen daily, and you have to be ready to roll with the punches.
Soap Central: Your most well-known role is Ashley Davies on the N's South of Nowhere, and you've been on shows such as 90210, CSI, and The King of Queens, but it's been several years since you were last on TV. I know you've been keeping busy as a stay-at-home mom to your son, so how did the part on General Hospital come about?
Musgrave: Well, my husband (ex-Griffin Munro, Matt Cohen) and I planned on alternating jobs once our [four-year-old son Macklin] was born. But he booked General Hospital just a month after our son's birth. And that kept him busy nonstop for three years. So, when he left General Hospital, it allowed me to go back to auditioning. General Hospital was one of my first auditions back, and I just so happened to book it. Many people didn't know that there was any relation between Matt and myself, as I go by Mandy Musgrave.
Soap Central: What was it like returning to daytime TV so many years later?
Musgrave: Fantastic! I love how well-oiled the soap machine is. Although it takes time to get in the rhythm. Especially if you haven't acted in four years!
Soap Central: Talk about jumping right back into it! Your General Hospital character Carol is tied to some of the most prominent characters on the Port Charles canvas. What was it like working with Steve Burton, Kelly Monaco, and Chad Duell?
Musgrave: It was absolutely refreshing. Steve Burton is a true gentleman. You can tell that he is a valued part of the team. He never interrupts. He helps other actors if needed, and he takes time to get to know everyone. Chad, what a kind professional with an intoxicating smile. I worked with him on a day where he had an obscene amount of dialogue. I truly don't know how he did it; they have a blessing having him there. Kelly Monaco is so beautiful, it's intimidating. Then she starts talking and smiling, and she lights up the room. She was open to running lines with anyone, and she was great at developing her character and making choices.
Soap Central: You and Matt recently put out a short film called Mama Bear that you starred in as the title character and Matt directed. What are the plans for the full-length version?
Musgrave: The plan is for it to happen! I stay out of everything for the most part and just do the acting. Mama Bear has been Matt's pride and joy. The writer, Lee Ehlers, is a wonderful writer with many other projects available. We have all been friends for many years and have found a good partnership with combined talents. They work well together because of their ambition, drive, and passion.
Soap Central: Are you working on anything else that you can tell us about?
Musgrave: Not at the moment. I am trying to slowly find balance between working and mom-ing. It's working out beautifully.
Soap Central: If you could choose, what would your dream role be?
Musgrave: This is always a challenging question because it changes. I believe that doing a comedy would be wonderful for me. I did love the action in Mama Bear, so a superhero would be fun, as well!
Soap Central: The last time I saw you was at the South of Nowhere reunion fan event in 2013. At that time, we were trying to generate interest in a South of Nowhere reboot. You and several of the cast even filmed some scenes, showing where the characters may have ended up, that was circulated online. Is a reboot still a possibility?
Musgrave: Oh, it always is. Just a matter of the right people being passionate along with us. But every cast member would happily return to South of Nowhere.
Soap Central: Is there a chance we'll see you as Carol on General Hospital again?
Musgrave: You know as well as I do. But, yes, it is possible.
Soap Central: Maybe down the line, you and Matt could both resume your roles on General Hospital, and Carol and Griffin could rival Aiden and Ashley for best couple. The fans would go wild!
Musgrave: (Laughs)That would be fun, wouldn't it?! Matt said the same thing!
Soap Central: Speaking of Matt, you've had the opportunity to work with him on several projects, both as actors playing off one another and also with him taking on producing and directing projects you were acting in. What's it like working with your husband? Is it different to be directed by him, or do you both just "get in the zone"?
Musgrave: At first, we both feared the positions of power that we were in. Neither of us like being told what to do. But he is a talented director with a vision. He trusted my instincts, and I trusted his. He allowed me to explore and have time to myself to get into character, and I had to remember to give him space and turn off "spouse mode." We worked surprisingly well together in those roles.
Soap Central: Since we're talking about working well together, you still keep up with your South of Nowhere on-screen love interes,t Gabrielle Christian, and you worked with fellow South of Nowhere cast members Aasha, Maeve, and Valery Ortiz on Cowgirl Up. Would you be open to doing another web series with the South of Nowhere cast? What plot or premise would you like to take on?
Musgrave: Oh, of course! I would love to work with them again. Any and all! It would be fun to do a Bridesmaids-type of project with them! We always have so much fun together.
Soap Central: So, you and Matt are both actors, Matt directs and produces, you also sing and paint, and now Matt is hosting for Entertainment Tonight. Your son is still young, but does he also like to create and perform like his parents? Do you foresee him following in your footsteps and being in the entertainment business?
Musgrave: We honestly had no desire to push him into our industry, but he is a natural entertainer. He sings and acts out scenes all the time. He loves having an audience. He has not one shy bone in his body. We actually took him on a commercial audition once, and he booked it. We ended up turning it down for various reasons, but again, he is a natural.
Soap Central: Well, who knows, maybe we'll see him pop up on a soap one of these days, like his parents. Thanks again for talking with us!
Musgrave: Thank you! It's so nice to talk with you again.
The short of Mama Bear will be screening at the famous TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on Tuesday, August 13. The film is screening as part of the Hollyshorts Film Festival, having previously screened at the Olympus Film Festival, Philadelphia Independent Film Festival, California International Film Festival, and Woods Hole Film Festival. The short version of Mama Bear has won several awards, including Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Actress, and Best Producer from the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards, as well as the Zeus Award from the Olympus Film Festival. For tickets and more information about the TCL Chinese Theatre screening, click here.
UPDATE (August 20, 2019): Mama Bear won at the Hollyshorts Filmn Festival, and now the entire film is available online.
What do you think about our interview with Mandy Musgrave? Would you like to see her return as GH's Carol? What do you think about Musgrave and Cohen's film Mama Bear? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
