PERFECT 10

GH’s Maura West Reflects On Her Decade In Port Charles.

- Mara Levinsky

On May 8, 2013, Maura West made her GH debut as an art dealer nursing a whopper of a secret: She was the daughter of late mob boss Victor Jerome and the half sister of the not-so-dead Julian Jerome. Digest took a deep dive into Ava’s life in Port Charles with the Daytime Emmy-winning actress.

2013: After nearly 15 years on AS THE WORLD TURNS as Carly (winning two of her three Daytime Emmys for Lead Actress in the process) and a year on Y&R as Diane, one might think Maura West would have been jitter-free when she signed on to her third soap role. But as her first day neared, “I was nervous,” she admits. “This show is very established and very different from AS THE WORLD TURNS, which was more of a mom and pop show.” Her first scripts included scenes with Anthony Geary as Luke, which she describes as “one of the thrills of my career. To start my journey on GENERAL HOSPITAL with Tony Geary and Jane Elliot [Tracy] — I mean, what actor could have a better gift than to arrive and they say, ‘Welcome, here, work with these giants of the industry!’ ”