Kate expectations

Kate Mansi Opens Up About Joining GH As Kristina.

- Mara Levinsky

GH made headlines with its surprise casting of Kate Mansi — a Daytime Emmywinner for her run as DAYS’s Abigail — to take over the role of Alexis and Sonny’s headstrong daughter from Lexi Ainsworth, who had played her on and off since 2009. Mansi, who exited DAYS in 2020 and made her GH debut on May 24, says, “I’m just really excited to be taking on a storyline about endometriosis and a character who is part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Those are things that really matter to me.”

Soap Opera Digest: Welcome back to daytime! Talk me through how your new role came about.

Kate Mansi: I obviously know Frank [Valentini, executive producer] and I’m a fan of his work, but it’s actually a funny story — I knew Mark [Teschner, casting director] and Frank together because when I was still in college, pre-DAYS OF OUR LIVES, when I was at Pepperdine University, I got my very first screen test offer for ONE LIFE TO LIVE in New York [for which Valentini was then EP]. It came from an audition with Mark. When I left Mark’s office [after first reading for him], I was like, “I totally get him. He has this great, New York vibe.” It went so great and then I went to test in New York and I was