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GENERAL HOSPITAL

Alley Mills Opens up About Taking Over as Heather on GH

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When GENERAL HOSPITAL offered Alley Mills the opportunity to return to soaps (she’s been playing Pam on THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL on and off since 2006) and take over the role of Heather Webber, she jumped at the chance, even though she’s been easing herself back into work following the 2020 death of her husband, Orson Bean.

“[Offers] come in and I’m like, ‘Nope, nope, doesn’t feel right, doesn’t feel right,” Mills admitted to Soap Opera Digest. “And when [the GH offer] happened, I went ‘Yep!’ And it just feels right. I feel like something Orson would want me to do, you know? To just be brave.”

But learning that she would be stepping into the shoes of Robin Mattson, who was unable to return due to medical reasons, Mills realized she would have her work cut out for her. “What shoes to fill!” she exclaimed. “I had just done a play, [Morning’s at Seven], in New York last year and I had to replace Judith Ivey, who is an amazing Broadway actress, because she broke her leg. Well, I feel like this was the same thing, to replace someone like that, and again, a fan favorite. The fans just love her because she’s nuts!”

GH Cameron Dante Heather
Naturally, the first thing Heather did upon escaping from prison was go to Kelly’s for a BLT!ABC/Christopher Willard

Mills crammed by watching clips of old episodes so that she could honor Mattson’s portrayal of the iconic GH character while still bringing her own energy to the role. “I said to the makeup artist, ‘Robin Mattson has really dark eyebrows. I want them!’” she revealed. “I’ve been gray all during COVID because I now can play older people [and] I said, ‘No, I’m going to be blonde like Robin.’ I want to try to be as true to it as I can, so I kept my hair long like hers. It’s my tribute. And I try to throw in as much of her crazy as I possibly can.”

The veteran actress hopes that she did Mattson proud… and also pleased the fans who might have been disappointed to see the role recast. “I know who’s on the other end of that camera, which is like, millions of people who loved Heather Webber!” Mills admitted. “I don’t want to disappoint anybody, so I just said, ‘You know what? I can’t carry that pressure because it’ll freak me out. I just have to give it up.’”

And viewers who suspected that Heather’s brief appearance to be treated by Finn at the hospital couldn’t possibly be the end of the story will be proven right because there’s still more to come. So stay tuned to GH to see what Heather does next, because you never know what to expect from her!

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