Actress Maura West dished in a recent interview about working with Maurice Benard, playing a villain, and her future at General Hospital.
Working With Maurice Benard
Soap vet Maura West has played Ava Jerome on General Hospital for over a decade. She joined the ABC soap in 2013 after a brief stint on The Young & The Restless.
She previously played anti-heroine Carly Tenney on As The World Turns. The actress has been screen partners with Maurice Benard (Sonny) for a while now. Ava and Sonny share a daughter, Avery, who they conceived during a torrid fling.
However, the two characters have been growing closer as of late. But Ava is keeping a horrible secret from Sonny – someone is messing with the meds he takes to keep his bipolar disorder in check.
Without his meds, Sonny is known for his blow-ups, and of course, Ava can give just as good as she can take. So, how does Maura West ensure that there are no hard feelings after filming the intense scenes?
She gave an extensive interview to Woman’s World recently and revealed her trick.
“When something happens on the show and someone is saying something nasty, Maurice and I are always sure to re-connect as coworkers and friends before we leave set. I’m someone who always thanks my scene partner, but when you’re attacking someone, you need to clear that energy, and that’s what we do.”
Ava has also been spending a lot of time mentoring Trina (Tabyana Ali), and Maura West spoke highly of working with the younger actress. “I always get a kick out of watching young actors discover their own talents and how far they can go,” the soap vet gushed
Maura West Opens Up About Her Future On General Hospital
Some General Hospital fans speculate that Maura West might be leaving the show if Ava Jermone is killed off. Fans aren’t sure how Ava could be redeemed at this point.
But in Maura West’s opinion, villains don’t always need redemption. “Ava does not exist to be nice and friendly and get along with everybody and be like, ‘Hi, Carly! How’s life?’ No, I’m here to be the bad girl. That’s what I do,” she said.
She did admit that everything going on with Ava on-screen right now is “a lot.” And things are about to get trickier for Ava. Bryan Craig is reprising his role as Morgan Corinthos for one episode this summer.
Ava was ultimately responsible for Morgan dying in a car bomb in 2016. The character is likely returning as a ghost or part of Sonny’s hallucination. Whatever form Morgan takes, the outcome probably won’t be good for Ava.
But if it is up to her, Maura West will stay at General Hospital as long as she can.
