Courtesy/IMDB

When Dr. Britt Westbourne (Kelly Thiebaud) first appeared on the scene at General Hospital, she was a man-eater scheming her way into the hospital shower with handsome new widower, Dr. Patrick Drake (Jason Thompson)!  Britt knew that at the time the then mousy Sabrina (Teresa Castillo) was going to be trouble for her desire, especially when she realized that Sabrina had fallen for the good doc and his daughter, Emma (Brooklyn Rae Silzer). What’s a bitch suppose to do next to try and keep her man?  Well, of course, fake a pregnancy!  And boy did Britt ever!  And that story beat provided the beginning of the amazing tale that has been woven by GH, and through the performance of Ms. Thiebaud!

On-Air On-Soaps chatted with Kelly, who has become the true breakout star of the series, and who over the past few months has embodied the character of Britt so well that it has fans wanting more and more, as she literally tries to tap dance her way around her lies and deception only to have it all collapse around her!  To top that off, it turned out that Britt’s mother is none other than the notorious Dr. Liesl Obrecht (Kathleen Gati) and her father is Cesar Faison (Anders Hove)!  Talk about the evil genes … this gal has got them, and yet who knew that we could start to feel empathy for the doctor that nurse Felix (Marc Anthony Samuel) originally dubbed, “The Britch”?

So does Kelly relish playing the deliciously evil Britt?  What did she think of some of the more implausible moments in her storyline?  How does she think this tale of “Who’s baby does Britt have?” will ultimately play out?  And what about her new leading man, Tyler Christopher (Nikolas)?  You will come to find out Kelly was a bit thunderstruck upon meeting him for the first time, and much more.  And yes, Kelly is dating GH co-star, Bryan Craig (Morgan), and the striking beauty weighs-in on why he is the guy for her.  So here we go … our chat with the hottest actress in soaps today … Kelly Thiebaud!

MICHAEL:

Kelly, did you not have a clue of where your character was heading?  From the ultimate bitch, to being pregnant, to now actually having many fans rooting for her?

KELLY:

Courtesy/ABC

Not at all!  Where my story has gone from where I started has been a shocker!  I was even shocked when the character got pregnant.  I did not expect any of it!  It’s been a shock and a great surprise to me, as well.

MICHAEL:

When they came to you and said you were going to be pregnant, did you know who the father of the baby Britt was carrying was going to turn out to be?

KELLY:

No, I did not know.  I knew that it wasn’t mine half way into playing the pregnancy, but it has not been revealed to me that it is someone else’s child that I am carrying.  It has, but in a very inconspicuous way (Laughs).

MICHAEL:

Well, as you can surmise from all indications on the air shows and with the audience, they are convinced the baby is Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) and Lulu’s (Emme Rylan)!

KELLY:

Courtesy/ABC

It’s been interesting reading everyone’s comments on social media about whose child they think it is, and stuff like that.

MICHAEL:

Were you awestruck at Britt’s character development?  Here she was the bitchiest character in town, and the writers and you have humanized her, beginning when we see her mother, Dr. Obrecht, slapping her!

KELLY:

Of course, I did not want to play this one layer of her just being a shark and a bitch.  I am really happy that they brought in her family, and a back-story so people understand kind of her lack of love, and lack of empathy for other people, and kind of not knowing how to deal with and interact with people.  I am really happy that they did that, because it gives her even more layers.  It explores who she is more.  I was always looking for ways to go against the bitchiness and try to make her someone with flaws, which is what she is and not just be the bitch.  No one is just a bitch.  There are always reasons behind that.

MICHAEL:

One of the best soap scenes in a long time came about when Britt was going into labor and she was stuck with Sabrina at that time.  And from there, the snarky remarks, the shouting, the irony of it, was hilarious.  Did you not have a good laugh with that?

KELLY:

I did! (Laughs)  We had a lot of fun, actually.  It was one of my favorite scenes that I have shot.  We had great writing, and it was a perfect situation with the actors, and the writing, and with everything.  We let loose and had fun with that situation, and it came across great, thankfully.

Courtesy/ABC

MICHAEL:

Did you and Teresa Castillo (Sabrina) ever have a moment together of, “I can’t believe we are saying these things to each other?”

KELLY:

Not really.  We are kind of just in it, and we just committed to the material.

MICHAEL:

Did you see the all the buzz last week when the ratings came out for General Hospital for the week of September 2nd?  It said that the September 5th episode was the most-watched telecast of GH in nearly over 2 years in Women 18-49, and Women 25-54, and in nearly 8 months in Women 18-34 key demos, and it centered on the imminent birth of Britt’s baby!

KELLY:

I did!  I could not believe it!  I want to check to make sure that fact is right!  It is just so overwhelming.  The writing is so important, and the way things are edited, so I can only take a little piece of that credit and trust me, I do pat myself on the back for the work that is good.  But there are just so many other people involved in episodes, and ratings, and the show. and all of that.  It is kind of emotional for me, and awesome.

MICHAEL:

You and Teresa were at the receiving end of some fan pushback when you first came on to the scene as rivals for the heart of Dr. Patrick Drake!  But look how it has come full circle, where for the most part you have won over the viewers with your portrayal!  Was it daunting at the beginning for you on GH?

KELLY:

Courtesy/ABC

I think I understood the mentality of the fans.  The great thing about working on a soap is that you are in people’s homes every single day.  And, that is different than any other genre of entertainment.  The viewers are really committed to the storylines, and the characters. Robin (Kimberly McCullough) has been on the show for decades.  Her’s and Patrick’s story was a huge one on the show, and people loved it all.  I understood it and I did not take anything personal.  I love my character, and I love playing the bitch, and the person that just can’t get anything right.  She has all these issues and has all these different emotions, and is busy covering up her lies.  It is so much fun for me.  I knew people were going to hate me going into it.  And, I knew it was something that I was going to be an outsider in, and I have just been overwhelmed by the love and appreciation that people have for my character.  It has been really phenomenal for me as an actress to see the whole thing unfold.

MICHAEL:

Honestly Kelly, I have not seen a metamorphosis like this for an actress, and a character, on a soap in I can’t remember when.  And, I have been covering this genre for decades. (Laughs)  This whole journey of Britt, and for you, has been incredible.  And right now, the character of Britt is on FIYAH! (Laughs) Recently, one of the more heartbreaking scenes was when Nikolas brings Britt’s baby to her in the hospital and she does not want to hold him.  Did you think this was going to dovetail into a post-partum depression storyline?

KELLY:

Courtesy/ABC

No, but I understood it completely when I read it, and it made so much sense why she did not want to bond with the baby at that time.  I don’t know if I am just getting used to how things work on a soap, but over the last couple of weeks with the material I have been given I have really been able to access it easily, and get there emotionally and understand it.  I put myself into this situation, and thankfully the outcome has been good.  I have been really proud of myself for what I have done, and extremely thankful for every one else being appreciative, and thankful for where the character has gone, and what I have done as an actress.  In soaps things get presented to you not that far in advance before you shoot them, so things can be a shock to me as they are to the fans.  It’s all been really exciting!  And, so exciting to see what happens with Britt, and Britt and Nikolas, and that has been a huge blessing for me as an actress to get to work with Tyler Christopher (Nikolas).  I am loving us together.

MICHAEL:

You have you own leading man!  Britt had her own guy, finally! (Laughs)

KELLY:

I know, and a stellar one at that!

MICHAEL:

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

How was it when you first met Tyler?

KELLY:

I honestly was a bit star-struck, because when I was watching GH was when Nikolas and Emily had their love story.  I fell in love with their romance and their relationship. So when I heard Tyler was coming back to GH, and that they were going to try us together and see what happened, and how fans would relate to that, I was kind of flipping out!  Still to this day, there are times when I am a little bit uncomfortable and not myself thinking, “It is Nikolas!”  It has been awesome.  Tyler is very supportive and talented as an actor to work with.

MICHAEL:

It is kind of implausible right now for many in the audience as to why Nikolas is digging this girl?  What is the deal?  He has seen her lies and manipulations, yet he is standing by her!  But Nikolas does have a penchant for damsels in distress, although I wouldn’t exactly call, “The Britch” a “damsel”! (Laughs)

KELLY:

I know, I have even been asking myself that, “Why is Nikolas there for her?”  I think Britt thinks that, as well.  It doesn’t make any sense why this person would continue to look past her flaws and mistakes, while everyone else want to stay away from Britt. But, Nikolas is continuing to be there for Britt, like no else before has.  I think that is what makes it very special.

MICHAEL:

Do you think that Britt truly loves her baby?  Does she want to be a mother?

KELLY:

She does love the baby, but I don’t know if I would say that she wants to be a mother, but I think you can say that she, given the opportunity, would like to right her parent’s wrongs. That is how she looked at it when she had the kid.  Even though she was going to be scared, she wants to be everything for the baby that her parents weren’t to her.  I definitely feel like she genuinely loves the child.

MICHAEL:

Courtesy/ABC

There is one big hurdle for Britt coming up, and that was set up pretty brilliantly by General Hospital head writer Ron Carlivati and his team.  It appears that Britt knows the truth about Dante and Lulu’s baby.  So, if Britt does know that her baby is theirs, then once again she is a complete and utter bitch!  How are they going to redeem her then?

KELLY:

I don’t know!  Honestly it’s like, “ugh!”  That is something else she has had to juggle with Nikolas as well, because he has been this amazing man who stepped up and done so much for her, and there are just so many things that she is lying to him about.  And that makes her uncomfortable to have to do that, but it’s just the circumstances surrounding the whole baby thing.  I don’t know if it read this way to the audience, but in the show that aired last week in the scene where Maxie comes to see Britt in the hospital, in my mind, as the actress reading it, and hearing Maxie say, “She gave up her baby”, that whole conversation that they had was Britt’s acceptance that, “I am going to do this then. So, if you are going to give up your kid, then no one will ever know whose child I have.  I am going to keep this kid then and I am going to be the most amazing mom to the child.”

MICHAEL:

Let’s talk about a few of your other GH scene partners.  First, Britt has had a conspirator in all the baby madness and that was with Brad!  How is working with Parry Shen (Brad)?

KELLY:

Photo Credit: Thomas Montalto

Parry is awesome, and he came in and has been so professional.  He is very talented, and I did not know how long his character was going to stay around, but it’s been around as long as it has, because he is really good!  So I did not know at first, and I don’t think he even knew at first, that the character was gay.  He has done such a phenomenal job with that.

MICHAEL:

Also, many fans love the scenes between you and Kirsten Storms (Maxie)!  Both of your characters are holding some powerful secrets that could explode at any moment.  How is working with Kirsten?

KELLY:

Working with Kirsten … I love that.  I wish I had an opportunity to work with her even more.  She is so much fun, and so experienced on the show.  Fans love her, and we have fun bantering back and forth.

MICHAEL:

Did you think the reveal to Patrick that he is not the bio-dad of Britt’s child dragged on way too long?  Towards the end of that secret, Patrick ended up wanting the child to be his and to have an opportunity to raise a son.  Were those scenes challenging and difficult to continue to play for you and Jason Thompson (Patrick) ?

KELLY:

Courtesy/ABC

It did drag on for a while.  I can’t speak for Jason.  They wanted Britt to be wrong for him, and for Britt to still want him and be in love with him.  I think her motive to committing to keeping the baby a secret was because she knew that Patrick could provide what she wanted for her son, and she wanted to have this family she never had, and she knew that Patrick could give her that.  I just had to keep reminding myself of that, when I would get frustrated with having the story being dragged out as long as it was.

MICHAEL:

At what point did Britt not “love” Patrick, anymore?  She was quite obsessed with him.

KELLY:

It was not a point of not loving; it was a point of being tired of being looked past.  Even an obsessive person can obsess over someone before either someone gets murdered; (laughs) or you kind of just get tired of it not going anywhere.  She is not like a psychopath, although some people may disagree with me on that comment.

MICHAEL:

Courtesy/ABC

Let’s go back a second in that story!  When you read that Britt was going to march in to the Nurses Ball with this huge over-sized coat and expose she is pregnant to Patrick and all of Port Charles, what did you think?  Did you have a laugh about that one?

KELLY:

I did have a laugh about that!  I was like, “Are you kidding me?”  But I have laughed about a couple of things like Baby Ariel being set on fire!  There have been a couple of moments that are like, “Is this really happening?”  But at the end of the day it all played out really nice.  It was very dramatic with what played out at the Nurses Ball.  But I guess that is what it was supposed to be and it served a purpose.   So yeah, I was rolling my eyes a bit! (Laughs)

MICHAEL:

For fans who believe in the reality of it, can you please tell us that you and Brooklyn Rae Silzer (Emma) do get along in real life?  (Laughs)

KELLY:

Courtesy/ABC

Oh, my God, yes!  Every time I would see Brooklyn she would come up to me and give me a hug, and I am very friendly with her mother.  Our first scene we had together, in which she runs away, I said to her, “You know this is make believe, right?  You’re awesome!”  She is a champion and super professional, and she gets it.

MICHAEL:

Truly, Baby Ariel tinkling on Britt, and then she inadvertently throws the doll onto the charcoal grill at the 4th of July barbecue, was one of the funniest stunts I have seen on the soaps which featured you and Brooklyn!

KELLY:

I know!  But, did I think it was going to land up on The Soup?  No! I totally didn’t! It was funny, and when I read it like I said earlier, I kind of rolled my eyes at it like “You have to be kidding me?”  But again, it was well-suited for the character.  Britt just can’t do anything right, even when she does try to do good, she just can’t and it just fails epically, and honestly it was a very fun scene to shoot.  We all had a good time with it and did our best with it, and it turned out great.

MICHAEL:

Courtesy/ABC

Kathleen Gati has also taken off in the role of Dr. Obrecht, and has been kept around much longer than probably anticipated on GH.   Britt’s mom is a monster! She has been amazing to watch, too.  What are your thoughts on the Britt and Dr. O dynamic?

KELLY:

It’s been kind of tough, honestly, but it actually works in my favor.  Dr Obrecht is so ridiculously over the top and crazy. Every time I work with Kathleen, I am discovering more about Britt’s mom that I didn’t know.  I did not know exactly who she was and stuff.  But it has been great.  Kathleen has embraced that character and all the craziness, and I love working with her.  I am so excited she stuck around as long as she has, because I did not know what was going to happen with that, and if it was just going to be a one time thing with my mom and she is out, or if we are actually going to have a storyline here.  They have turned it into that, because Kathleen is so great.

MICHAEL:

Patrick really laid into Britt for all of her deceit!  Do you think Britt actually knows of Robin’s  whereabouts?

KELLY:

Courtesy/ABC

She knows her parents are psycho and crazy, and that they have done some horrible things, but she does not know the connection of Robin and Patrick, to all of that.  She does not know a lot, and that is why every time there is a scene between Britt and her mom, more gets exposed.  She is kind of learning as much as everyone else is.

MICHAEL:

So in Britt’s mind, Robin really “died”?

KELLY:

Yeah!  She does not know anything about Robin.

MICHAEL:

What are your hopes for Britt in the future?  She has just been through hell right now!

KELLY:

It is hard to say, because I want Britt to find love, but I don’t want it to be this perfect love romance situation, which it rarely ever is in soaps.  I would love for this Nikolas and Britt storyline to really go somewhere.  And, for her to finally experience what genuine real love is like, and mix that all in with all the crazy flawed layers of who is she, and kind of have all that and a relationship too, if that is at all possible! (Laughs)  I am not ready to give up the crazy and malicious side of her. (Laughs)  I think that is what makes her great!

MICHAEL

Courtesy/ABC

No!  You can’t ever lose the malicious side to her.  It’s to fun to watch!  I am confident that once this whole baby mess gets resolved, Britt will find herself in another situation in which she will be manipulative, awful, and keeping a secret! (Laughs)

KELLY:

Yeah, I am sure they will have an easy time doing that, because those GH writers are pretty creative!

MICHAEL:

Was being on a soap something on your radar as an actress?  Did you watch soaps growing up?

KELLY:

My mom never really watched soaps, and I didn’t have family members who would be watching TV when I came home from school.  That is a story I hear from fans sometimes that they watched the show growing up with their grandmothers. I did not start watching soaps till I was in my early to mid twenties.  GH was the only one that I watched because I thought it was the most real and authentic soap that there was.  It never was something where I said to myself, “Oh! I want to do this.”  My career has gone in that direction for now.

MICHAEL:   

Bryan Craig (Morgan, GH) and you are dating!  What happened when the two of you first met?

KELLY:

Photo Credit: Hutchins Photo

Our storylines don’t ever cross.  He had been on the show for at least a month and I had never met him, and we were just randomly out in the parking lot at the studio at the same time one day during lunch. We were on our phones and I think we both kind of noticed each other. Then, it kind of went from there and he asked me out.

MICHAEL:

And you said, “Yes”?

KELLY:

Well, I said, “Wait a second, we will see.” (Laughs)  And then coincidentally, we ended up at the same place one night just by chance and had a really good time.  Then, things went from there.

MICHAEL:

Why is Bryan a good guy for you?  Why do you think the relationship is working out so well?

KELLY:

The list is very long … it is just easy, effortless, and perfect.  I was a little hesitant at first.  One reason was that we work together, but he continued to surprise me the more I got to know who he is.  It’s just really, really nice, especially when you work in this industry and you work in Hollywood, it’s hard to meet genuine people who are just real.  He is so much more than what he is aesthetically.  His personality is awesome, and he is a really good person and he makes me happy.

MICHAEL:

Photo Credit: Thomas Montalto

Have you watched Bryan’s work as troubled Morgan?  What are your impressions?  It can be tough on a relationship in Hollywood when two actors date.  However, some have been very successful at it.

KELLY:

Of course, I love his work on the show.  I think people think that when you are in the industry you don’t get affected by things, such as your significant other having to make out with other people, and that we do.  We are real people, but the good thing is that we don’t work together, so we don’t get sick of each other, if that is even possible, because we spend so much time together that I don’t know if we ever would get sick of each other.  But, it’s hard, my character is taking off and having a romance with someone that he is going to have to deal, and his character is doing things with other people that I have to deal with.  But, we have an amazing relationship and we communicate very well, and the friendship comes first, and works more than anything I have ever experienced.

MICHAEL:

What can you preview that fans should be on the lookout for coming up for Britt?

KELLY:

Now she is moving into Wyndemere, and there are some things that happen with the baby that are unexpected, and Nikolas and Britt kind of team up and try to solve the situation.  

MICHAEL:

Courtesy/Tumblr

Do you hope that the baby drama will finally resolve and come to an end, so Britt can just move on from that?

KELLY:

I kind of do, and I kind of don’t.  If the baby drama ends that means I would not have a baby anymore, and I kind of like playing that side of her.  The new baby drama, which has to be exposed, I do wish that part would come to an end sooner than later.  It kind of takes a turn for the worst once Britt moves in with Nikolas.  Britt gets a visit from her mother and things go really, really south fast.  I definitely hope that does not get drawn out to long, but I definitely would like to have this baby for a while, and see it what happens.

MICHAEL:

Carlos (Jeffrey Vincent Parise) is arriving this week in Port Charles and is a man from Sabrina’s past.  Do you think Britt is going to use his arrival to stick it to Sabrina?

KELLY:

I think she is done with that, and I think her new focus is not on that at all.   Who knows?  Sabrina and Britt might become somewhat frenemies!  So we will see about that.

MICHAEL:

Courtesy/tumblr

In closing, GH really struck gold with this perfect match of actress and the character she plays, with you as Britt.  When you look back at your GH experience thus far, what are some of your favorite moments?  Knowing, as we all do, that there is plenty more to come in the future!

KELLY:

One that does not get talked about is when Britt walked to Patrick’s house, and I think it aired right around New Years, and I showed up in just a trench coat and Britt is flashing him, but Sabrina answers the door.  That was kind of fun.  Then there was the Baby Ariel burning which is at the top of my list.  Another top one was when Britt gave Sabrina her baby to take to the hospital.  That was pretty heavy, and then all the stuff with Patrick when Britt revealed to him that it wasn’t his kid, and the fighting. It was so anxiety-filled and emotion filled.  It was a really tough week for me personally, having to do that every day.  But, the experience I have had on GH thus far has been incredible.