Talks Bringing Starr Manning Back, Roger Howarth, One Life to Live And More! (EXCLUSIVE)
Soap Opera News had the opportunity recently to catch up with one of our favorite soap alums, Kristen Alderson! Join us below as the star talks One Life to Live, her dream Broadway role, exciting new plans, and much more.
“I think I was raised by everyone on [One Life to Live]. Everyone I worked with growing up had a little part in who I am today,” Alderson told us as she reminisced about her time on the beloved soap. While her family was always supportive of her dreams they also made sure she had the opportunity to be a normal kid. “Working with adults from a very young age makes you grow up faster. They kind of taught me to be an adult and how to handle certain situations. I think that I got an amazing masterclass of life from everyone that worked there. Kassie [DePaiva] was like another mom. Robin [Strasser] and I still see each other all the time to this day. I’ve spent almost half of my life with those people between action and cut. I feel like I lived a whole different life with them.”
Kristen shared that she feels lucky to have grown up alongside her character Starr Manning on the show. Starr’s evolution from a bratty, insecure child to a strong woman has cemented the character’s place in the hearts of soap fans. “I think that is why people related so much to her was because they really watched her go through every step of being a human. Everything was in front of the audience. I really loved that after the pain of losing Cole and Hope that she was able to get back on her feet and it made me proud to see her be able to get her life together and live through that.”
Recently, there has been a rumor that actor Roger Howarth could be bringing his OLTL character, Todd Manning, back to General Hospital. We asked Kristen what her thoughts would be on returning to the ABC soap and reuniting the Manning family. “It would be a dream come true,” she admitted. She acknowledged that her exit from the show back in 2015 was necessary for her life at that time. From quality time with her family at their mountain house, seeing her brother through cancer treatments and even working as a waitress. “I just learned a lot about who I am. But I would be really sad if someone said you could never play Starr Manning again because she is a part of me. So, if I had the chance to play her again it would just be the happiest thing.”
A few weeks ago ABC aired the Back on Broadway event for Broadway Cares and fans were treated to Kristen’s vocal talent with throwback clips. The actress recalled loving and thriving on the excitement of performing and the busyness of the time. As for what would be her dream Broadway role? “I think the overall thing is that I love to sing and perform live theatre. Sometimes I would have five numbers in one event so I was so swamped with rehearsals while juggling still working on One Life to Live. But I thrive on that. I loved how busy it was.“I don’t think I could ever step into it but you know what role would be really fun? Peggy from Hamilton. I became super obsessed with it over quarantine when it was released on Disney+ and I learned Renée Elise Goldsberry’s whole “Satisfied” number but I could never ever be Angelica. No one can touch Renée in that role in my mind. But playing Peggy would be so cool.”
While promoting the Broadway Cares event, Kristen may have tapped into a potential new venture as she and her bestie Brittany Underwood (Langston, OLTL) went on Instagram Live. The “quick” get-together turned into an entertaining exchange that lasted over forty minutes. Fans loved it so much that they did another chat last week. We wanted to know if the duo had plans to turn this into a show. “Oh, my gosh! We hope so because we’ve had so much fun doing it. We would need a better structure because right now we just get on and jump around from topic to topic for 45 minutes,” she laughed. “So, we’re trying to come up with a more organized way to go about it.“
While life is slowly starting to get back to normal for everyone, she is excited to finish the work needed to renew her real estate license. “You have to do continuing education to keep your license and while my brother was sick I just kind of put it all aside. It’s a lot to learn and you have to be really invested and I haven’t been ready until now.”
Thank you, Kristen, for the chat! Everyone be sure to follow her on Instagram and check her out now on Cameo.
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