Catching Up With… Alicia Leigh Willis

(ex-Alli Fowler, ANOTHER WORLD, 1999; ex-Courtney Matthews, GH, 2001-06)

- Mara Levinsky

Soap Opera Digest: Your first soap gig was on ANOTHER WORLD in its final months. What stands out to you about the time that you spent in Bay City?

Alicia Leigh Willis: It was pretty unforgettable! I was 19 years old, I had to move to New York from L.A. when I got the job and it was one of the most incredible experiences I think a girl could have. I developed some really amazing friendships. Taylor Stanley [ex-Remy] and I were roommates in New York back on ANOTHER WORLD. When the show was canceled, Taylor and I ended up getting jobs at a bar, the bar that the movie Coyote Ugly was based on. And it was a blast. A little too much fun, back in the day! We were so young, I was maybe just turning 21 at the time. It was pretty crazy when the movie came out because it was very similar to our life! We were there six months before we decided to move to L.A. to do pilot season.

Digest: In 2001, you returned to daytime and joined GH.

Willis: When I joined the cast, Maurice [Benard, Sonny] really took me under his wing. He and Steve [Burton, Jason] were always there for me when I needed any kind of help or if I felt I was struggling with a storyline. It was a really good feeling to have that support system. I was still so young. I made mistakes at times, but I think I developed that character over the years and she became a really interesting person to play.

Digest: Let’s talk about some of the men you worked with there over the years. Tell me about being Steve’s love interest.

Willis: