Tabyana Ali explains how General Hospital is like boot camp

As General Hospital’s Trina (Tabyana Ali) moves forward with her life, she’s got a potential new suitor in the form of Kai (Jens Austin Astrup). Ever since Spencer’s (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) death, her life has been in something of a holding pattern. But now, she’s starting to spread her wings, and as a result, her story continues to expand. Ali, who always gives everything to her General Hospital performances, explained the rigors of working in daytime television.

Not for the faint of heart

Hard-working Tabyana Ali shared her gratitude for her job on Instagram, writing, “Being on General Hospital has been such an amazing ride! So thankful for the cast, crew, and all of you who make this experience even more special. Love being part of this family! ❤️. #GHFamily #GratefulHeart #SoapOperaLife #Thankful #GHFans #BehindTheScenes #actor #actorlife #actinglife.”

She included a video in the post in which she answered a GH fan question while holding a giant mug with a beverage: “So people always ask me what's it like to be on a soap opera. It's probably one of the greatest gifts I have ever received. And then I realized that God was actually laughing at me because I didn't book a show. I booked a boot camp. Soap operas are not for the faint of heart.”

Ali further went into detail about how difficult it is to shoot a soap opera. She outlined what her job entails with, “On General Hospital, we shoot anywhere between 1 to 5 episodes in a day. We do 10 scenes in an hour, and you basically only have one take to get it right. Being on a soap opera is the best acting school there is. You're thrown straight into the deep end with scripts. And blocking and memorization, and you're just hoping not to drown.”

Despite the grueling description she gave, she also added enthusiasm for working in soaps, adding, “I am beyond grateful for General Hospital, not just as an actor, but as a writer, director, communicator, a person. If you're an actor, please don't overlook soaps. They'll teach you more about the craft and yourself than you ever imagined. All right, I gotta go.”

Ali turned away from the camera with her comically large mug, and as she tried to roll off the bed she was sitting on, she hysterically groaned, “Oooh my God.” She was either sore from sitting at the edge of the bed for quite some time or worn out from her work schedule.

Astrup comically responded, “Uhh where’s all the other scenes at??” Co-star Jophielle Love (Violet) enthusiastically responded, “Agreed!” And The Bold and the Beautiful star Lawrence Saint-Victor shared fun emojis with, “🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥.”

You can watch new episodes of General Hospital on ABC and Hulu.