General Hospital Star Makes Her Directorial Debut — and Admits There Was One Co-Star She Didn’t Want to Direct

General Hospital pulled a fun little twist this week: Kate Mansi, who plays Kristina Corinthos, hopped into the director's chair for the November 18 episode. Big milestone. Bigger twist? The one person she begged not to direct ended up right in her lineup.

How she wound up behind the camera

Mansi told TV Insider the directing bug bit her after watching Alison Sweeney do her thing over on Days of Our Lives. Once she joined GH, she let executive producer Frank Valentini know she wanted to learn, and he put her in the control room to shadow for a full year. Then, on her birthday in September, Valentini handed her the chance to direct her first episode.

Exciting, yes. Also terrifying. Mansi admitted she told him she was ready but had one request: please do not make her direct Laura Wright. Not because she does not like her — the two are friends — but because giving notes to a daytime legend can be... intimidating.

About that request

It did not stick. On top of Laura, Mansi learned she would also be directing a few other GH heavy-hitters. No pressure, right?

• Laura Wright
• Genie Francis
• Maurice Benard
• Steve Burton

Prep, panic, and a lot of support

Mansi took a minute to freak out, then dove into prep. Her coworkers had her back from the jump. Genie Francis told her she was proud to see another woman directing. Kristen Vaganos, who plays Mansi's on-screen sister, quietly documented the day with photos and videos to cheer her on — even after Mansi asked her not to watch because it would spike her nerves.

The Laura Wright moment

The trickiest part for Mansi was calling action on Laura's scenes, which were emotional and romantic. She hesitated to give notes. Laura immediately put her at ease and basically handed her the greenlight to go bold.

'I don't want to tell you what to do, but I think we should just, like, go at it.'

That was the confidence boost Mansi needed. After they wrapped, Laura told her that in 34 years, she had never played a scene quite like that, and she praised Mansi's creative approach. Not a bad review for a first-time director.

So, does she want to do it again?

Absolutely. Mansi said she would love another shot in the chair and made a point to thank Frank Valentini for trusting her. For a debut that involved steering Laura Wright, Genie Francis, Maurice Benard, and Steve Burton through big, romantic beats? That is one seriously high-wire first day — and she stuck the landing.