‘There’s No Perfect Balance’—Alexa Havins on Motherhood, Marriage & Returning to Daytime (EXCLUSIVE)
Plus, how ‘Sweet Magnolias’ and ‘All My Children’ hunk Justin Bruening is helping her take on Lulu
With the General Hospital Nurses Ball slated to air in May, Alexa Havins hangs up her fabulous gown and holds the kids at bay for a few more minutes to catch up with Woman’s World about her return to daytime as Lulu Spencer. In addition to dishing on Lulu and Brook Lynn’s latest battle, the soap opera beauty gets candid about returning to the workforce after being a stay-at-home mom for about a decade and the fallacy of saying women “can have it all.”
Plus, Havins talks about trying to find that work/life balance with help from her husband of 20 years, Sweet Magnolias hunk Justin Bruening—who she met on All My Children, back when she played Babe and he played Jamie.
‘AMC’ alum Alexa Havins says ‘GH’ fans helped her find her character, Lulu
Daytime characters often hit the ground running, but after four years in a coma, General Hospital’s Lulu Spencer rolled out of her hospital bed last November, hitchhiked back to town, and dove into an international search for her daughter. She also fell right back into battling with Brook Lynn over Dante.
“We’ve got to just suspend disbelief—because is watching me in physical therapy for four months going to be good drama?” Havins cracks. “I’ve looked at Lulu like a woman lost in time. She’s hot off this coma, trying to find her footing, and seeking the truth. Nothing makes sense because she’s frozen four years ago.”
With Lulu stuck in the past, Havins turned to the experts to get to know the character previously played by Julie Berman and Emme Rylan. In addition to talking to her executive producer, scribes and costars, that meant querying General Hospital viewers.
“I went on message boards everywhere across the world to see what they liked about Lulu,” she recounts. “I would even ask long-term fans, ‘What are you missing about Lulu?’ The show wanted me to make the role my own, but it was important to me to make sure I honored who she is. We really went back to the core: She’s strong-willed and feisty and jumps before she thinks.”
‘AMC’ alum Alexa Havins talks sparring with Amanda Setton’s Brook Lynn
One story Lulu jumped into is Brook Lynn’s baby drama. In typical Lulu form, she uncovered the secret that when her nemesis was a teen, she’d had Dante’s baby and given him up for adoption—and then she immediately got in Brook Lynn’s face over it.
“She’s certainly not me,” Havins says of her character. “I’m thinking, ‘Lulu, no!’
“But even though the fans are not loving how she’s handling things, I always go back to why she’s doing what she’s doing,” she continues. “Lulu’s not trying to manipulate this to get Dante back, which many people thought. The investigative journalist in her is seeking the truth, and this is not only about her love for Dante—her son has a half-brother out there. It’s an interesting predicament: How do you balance that search for truth without shattering lives?”
While Havins gets why some fans are frustrated with Lulu, she is thrilled to be tussling with Brook Lynn’s portrayer, Amanda Setton.
“It might look like we absolutely hate each other, but when cameras aren’t rolling, we get along beautifully,” Havin says. “We laugh…a lot. That makes work really fun, and Amanda’s enjoying being feisty again, herself!”
‘AMC’ alum Alexa Havins on finding the balance as a working mom
In addition to their shared onscreen drama, these moms have bonded about their broods. While Setton has three kids at home, Havins has been adjusting to the shift from being a stay-at-home mom to a working mom with four kids between 4 and 14.
“The work/life balance… aren’t we always figuring it out?” Havins says. “Amanda and I have so many deep conversations about loving what we do and being able to use our gifts, but at the same time, how important the work in the home is. Fortunately, the daytime schedule does lend itself well to family, versus traveling all over. I’ve found my rhythm and as far as work goes, I’m feeling settled and at home.
“There’s no perfect balance, though,” she adds. “There’s that thing of, ‘You can have it all!’ Can we, really? I want to get rid of that, because I’m not doing anything perfectly. I think we just have to be present where we are and do the best we can. When I’m at work, I’m going to have a great time and love the people around me on set and when I’m home, I’m going to serve my family and pour myself into them—and hopefully this job can be a blessing to the kids.”
‘Sweet Magnolia’ and ‘AMC’ hunk Justin Bruening is homeschooling and running ’GH’ lines
After her second child and a role in The Astronaut’s Wives Club, Havins put her career on the back burner and spent about a decade prioritizing her family. When her husband Justin Bruening went to Georgia to shoot each season of Sweet Magnolias, the whole family moved with him—which was how Havins got to pop in to play his character’s ex in season 3.
As a fan of the Netflix hit, Havins is hoping there will be a season 5, but she admits she’s not quite sure what that would look like for her family now that General Hospital has lured her back to work.
“Justin’s staying home with the kids for me to do this,” she explains. “He cooks. He grocery shops. We even homeschool the kids, so he’s been teaching them. He also runs my lines with me. This man deserves an award! He wanted me to do this, but the kids are also going to look back on this time with him fondly.
‘GH’ star Alexa Havins says full-time mom’ing was a break from the ‘nonsense’ of Hollywood
Having gotten engaged alongside their All My Children characters Babe and Jamie, Havins and Bruening are set to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on June 5.
“When I stepped away and stayed home, I think that was wonderful for our marriage,” Havins says. “We’re growing together, and genuinely enjoy each other’s company. We are quick to forgive and never go to bed without apologizing. He’s my best friend.”
The actress, who was discovered as a dancer when she was only 3, adds that her time at home also served her.
“Stepping away was so good for me to grow, mature, and just love my family well,” she explains. “This business can be very curious. It’s very self-focused on what we look like, the hustle, the next job, fame, money, fortune, and all the nonsense. It was nice to strip all of that away and focus on what was important.”
‘GH’ star Alexa Havins dishes on her first Nurses Ball as Lulu
While her time as a stay-at-home mom may have been grounding, that doesn’t mean Havins wasn’t excited to shoot her first General Hospital Nurses Ball—the titular hospital’s red-carpet talent show that raises awareness and supports research for HIV and AIDS.
“I hadn’t been in a gown in 10 or 15 years, at least,” admits Havins. “I’m in a white t-shirt and jeans right now, so Justin and I laugh that it’s like going through a NASCAR pitstop—get my hair done, get nails, let makeup do their magic! It was so fun because it’s not me in any way, shape, or form. I’ll roll into my book club from work now in full hair and makeup, and my friends are just amazed. In my day-to-day, I’m certainly not that fabulous! They make us the best version of ourselves.”
Beyond enjoying the glow up, Havins had a blast shooting the Nurses Ball, airing May 20-23, alongside her General Hospital costars.
“I don’t perform, but I was blown away at the production value, the talent, the lighting, the props,” she marvels. “It was so fun to see everyone just having a great day. When we shoot group scenes, those are long days, but the stories are fabulous. It was very satisfying to wrap with some powerful scenes.”
‘GH’ star Alexa Havins teases, ‘I don’t know how mad everyone’s going to get at Lulu’
With the General Hospital Nurses Ball less than a month away, Lulu has promised to keep Brook Lynn’s secret about her having given birth to Dante’s son. When Brook Lynn hears what the journalist is up to this week, however, she can’t help but worry.
“You’re just waiting for Lulu to blow it up, aren’t you?” Havins teases to Woman’s World. “She’s trying to be as thoughtful as she can in the situation, but little things keep pushing her towards the truth. I don’t know how mad everyone’s going to get at Lulu… but you are going to have a lot of fun, because there’s a lot of good drama coming!”
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