General Hospital newcomer Jens Austin Astrup is ready to romance Trina

After lingering on the General Hospital back burner much of the year following Spencer Cassadine's death, Trina Robinson is getting back into life. She re-enrolled at Port Charles University and quickly clashed with PCU's star quarterback, Kai, played by Jens Austin Astrup.

Meet General Hospital star Jens Austin Astrup

After graduating from Vassar University with a theater degree, Astrup headed to Los Angeles to hit the audition circuit. After landing a role in a production of Cyrano de Bergerac at the Pasadena Playhouse, Astrup scored an audition with General Hospital. He read for the role with Tabyana Ali, who plays Trina, a young actress Astrup now praises.

"Tabyana was there in the room, reading with everybody for the callback," Astrup told Soap Opera Digest. "And once Tabyana was in the room, it was pretty immediate that the scene found its ground, just because she was so generous and because we had a real chemistry there in the room."

The actor later screen-tested with Ali and landed the role while still appearing in Cyrano. In fact, Astrup's new GH co-stars attended a performance, including Ali, Giovanni Mazza (Gio Palmieri), and Finola Hughes (Anna Devane).

The man Trina's been waiting for?

So far, Trina and Kai's first few encounters have been contentious but isn't that always the way on a soap? Astrup also knew what he was up against going on. After all, Spencer and Trina made up GH's hottest young couple in years before Nicholas Alexander Chavez chose to leave the soap to work on the Ryan Murphy series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and Grotesquerie.

"Trina has not brought [Spencer] up to Kai yet, but I knew about 'Spina’ going in," Astrup said. "I was very aware; Frank even brought it up to me. And it’s interesting because even with Tabyana, sometimes I’ll be talking to her at the beginning of the day and when we’re working on a scene, I’ll suddenly remember, ‘Oh, my gosh, she just had years in a different relationship.’ It’s an interesting dynamic."

Astrup believes he is up to the challenge and is ready to create a whole new relationship between Trina and Kai that is wholly different from the Spencer and Trina relationship.

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"I don’t feel intimidated, because I feel that this [potential romance] actually exists on its own plane than Sprina," Astrup added. "I think we have a very different dynamic,” he offers. “I don’t feel that I’m competing or have to fill the shoes of Spencer. I don’t feel like I’m taking his spot. I just feel excited to get to know Tabyana better and for Kai to get to know Trina better."

Catch all-new episodes of General Hospital weekdays on ABC and Hulu.

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