How does Ward see Kate? "Well Kate’s very complicated," Ward observes, "I watched a few soaps as I was growing up but this is the first time I’ve ever performed on a soap. I’m not sure if she fits the typical profile of a soap character but she has a ton of contradictions about her which makes her great to play and, I think, fascinating for people who invest in her journey. On one hand, she’s a very A-type, motivated, self-propelled, self-made woman and she has pride for all that she’s accomplished. She has confidence in her abilities and dreams – and made choices for those dreams. Those choices came with a cost and those are the things that make her vulnerable and human and relatable as well, which are things she can’t take away: Having left her family and having left the love of her life. And where’s she’s at in her life is trying to find the balance between both of them and really have it all, which is what we all want, you know, a job or an interest that defines us as individuals, but we also want to have the love of our family and a mate and that gives us meaning to our heart. I think she has all of those complications at once but I also think she has tremendous integrity and that puts her in more jeopardizing positions when there are other people in her life right now who don’t have her best interests in their heart. She’s constantly put into situations where she has to make moral choices to take the high road, or keep a secret or protect somebody else or protect herself from things that she’s afraid of, from truths that she’s afraid of about herself."  

"The French thing was just crazy!" she continues, laughing, "I was nervous because I wanted to do well and I didn’t know what to expect, but it was the most triumphant day as well as the most difficult because I actually did it! And then they said, 'Okay we’re moving on,' and I stood there for several minutes thinking, 'Where am I? What’s happening?' And through the course of it, Maurice was great and he was really attentive to me… Diane was in the scene and Carolyn (Hennesy) kept whispering to me what the shorthand meant called by the stage manager. They do all these things differently and then, in the middle of it, you get a voice from a speaker somewhere in the middle of the stage giving you a direction – where is that voice coming from? It was just surreal and exciting, and when I was finished I really felt like I had been hit by a truck! I never slept so well as that night, I was exhausted. Just my own adrenaline from the pacing and excitement from being there on the first day…. I got it the first day, I definitely got it, but it did take me a while to become accustomed. Those are the things that really matter for soap actors. The more you don’t have to figure out for yourself, like who the other person is, or what the set is like – those things that become more familiar, you’re not thinking about them while you’re actually working because they’re now real to you. The first time you work on any kind of set is a little strange because it’s make believe and you have to believe it or the audience won’t believe it – that wall is really a wall and not a piece of cardboard. So there is always these secondary things and not just the story and the words and the other thing is, not only did they give me French but Kate does not speak like I do. She uses more prepositional phrases than anyone! Especially in the beginning, she was a bit pretentious about her language, her aspect that she was trying to put on to impress Sonny or put up her walls. So there were all those technical things about learning way too many words to tell one thought! Colorful language and words with multiple syllables and getting them out of your mouth…. It’s challenging but this whole experience has definitely made me a better actor…. But they’d give me a couple of references that I had to look up on the internet! How do you say this word and what does this adjective mean? I had no points of reference for some of the stuff that they were bringing up! It’s great because I really like to create a full-bodied character; as an actor, you’re always somewhat playing yourself. Kate, in the beginning, was an aspect for me which was fine because I was an aspect for her, so it was natural process."

The many facets to Kate is what makes the role such a fun challenge for Ward, including Kate as a leading fashion magazine editor. "I really hope that they explore the work life of Kate, and then obviously the people who are in that work life. Maxie and I hope Lulu will come back, and whatever they do, because it’s something that is not always written for on General Hospital," the lovely actress says, "Most people work in some degree and some nature and we all have relationships within that world, problems and challenges, accomplishments. There is a lot of story that they can write, especially because Kate is at a sort of crossroads in her life, she is mature and reflective and she can see herself in Maxie, especially. She has no children that we know of… that I know of, I should say, and she missed that part of her life. Even though she made the decisions and she’s very proud of her accomplishments, that is one of the things that is missing for her, and so she can put all of that maternal guidance into a girl like Maxie." And of course, there is the fun side of the character, most notably in scenes with other headstrong women, such as Diane and Alexis. "I think what is so great is that when you take the boys out of the situation, the circumstances, you see girls be girls essentially, and even though they’re grown women and they’re awfully complicated, you can see so much more of who they are, that they protect in business relationships or in romantic relationships. They can just be girls, through the good, the bad the ugly – and the pretty! I hope they write more for that because I think that audiences want that. As a soap viewer, I want to see women that I relate to and I want to see circumstances that I have with my friends. They’re just as dynamic as romantic relationships." And as many actors can tell you, bringing a part of yourself into the role that you are playing always helps make it more enjoyable both for the actor and the audience. What aspects of herself does Ward bring to Kate? "In general, I’m an ambitious person but I think I bring a sort of enthusiasm and a passion for my job to Kate and a commitment and a pride about my capabilities and my accomplishments," she shares, "I think I bring a lot more of me to Connie, which is just… I feel like Connie is very hopeful which is interesting in what comes out in this next week. She feels tragic about her past. But I think in general, Connie is a fun, spontaneous, exciting girl who wants to feel good, wants to find the good in people and good in the situation and do the right thing. That’s been great for me to play the two sides of my character. The Kate that is the stronger, defiant, take no prisoners version of myself that I could think I am and everybody tells me I am (laughs). The truth is, I still see myself as a sixteen year old girl and that’s the Connie, that’s the vulnerable woman to Sonny’s love, the sympathy she had for Carly and Michael and things that maybe make her softer. The things that make her feel and emote from Connie, and Kate is all about putting her foot down and putting a wall up and protecting herself. I have all of those things."

Once Kate was paired with Benard's Sonny, both characters began to show endearing traits previously unseen as they attempted to recapture the love of their youth, and Ward gives her personal view of the romance. "I think that one of their best qualities as a couple is that they are their true person when they’re together versus any sort of posturing that they might do with other people. They really are confessional about how they feel and that is sort of the magic of their romance," she states, "They become “Connie” and “Michael” together and they’re who they were as young people before choices steered them on different paths and qualities of their personalities were defined by the circumstances. What their relationship is really about is the security of their souls and who they want to be and the way they think it should be. They have this private, safe place to be together without judgment or consequence, the problem is that those life choices and circumstances that happened in the time between their young romance and now are constantly put as roadblocks for the future. That’s really what they’ve been enduring; with Kate’s safety, almost getting shot, Trevor was trying to kill him, Kate’s romance with Trevor, her relationship with Trevor that is somewhat controversial and up for debate, his on-again/ off-again love/hate relationship with Carly, his hopeful romantic yearning for a relationship with Brenda. All of those things, I personally feel, that to some degree, that relationship with Brenda was reflective of a younger Michael, of who he was as a younger person. And all the women in between, but also his relationship with Jason, adopting Michael and having Morgan and Kristina – all of that life he lived is constantly in the way of Sonny and Kate. And Kate’s choice is of 'I’m proud of my life, and I’m proud of being a professional and having accomplished something that very few people have.' She’s not going to diminish those accomplishments and those responsibilities to herself, which is to be a professional and continue to have a job that she loves and live in a completely separate world, which is just as competitive and just as treacherous as the mob. It’s just you don’t get shot in fashion! But just as many high stakes, just as cutthroat professionally as any mob dealings. It doesn’t have the life danger of it or the criminal element or going to jail. To define Sonny and Kate, you have to look at both sides, which is the purity of their connection, of their souls, but also the complications of their lives that has often kept them apart."

What else could possibly happen to Sonny and Kate? “Right now, it’s been intense, the story’s gotten very intense and it’s been a lot of work, which is great because then it has meaning," Ward previews, "It’s all about story for me and I really enjoy taking the journey of a character….Our relationship is like a rollercoaster, the thrills and the stomach cramps too. So it’s been quite a journey and quite a ride and now we’re just about to have the wedding which is really the big climax of the ride so it will be a lot to watch for, for Skate this week and the next week."

"I would really like to see Sonny and Kate continue their journey together," she adds, "It’s just one thing after another for them and that’s all I can really say about it, but… They have so many life experiences that they could go through together that would obviously mean change for both of them, which I think is good, I think that’s what people want to see – they want to see the conflict and see their favorite characters sort of meet the challenges and succeed and persevere and I think that they’re perfectly set up for that kind of journey, whether it’s them having a child together, or actually creating jobs for themselves that are a side of what they know. I would love to see that happen for them." And what a journey it's been, looking back on the couple's first comical scenes together. Near-misses and humorous situations helped each to wear down the other's defenses - by way of shot-down statues and harpooned decorative koi, among others. "What was funny about that is that he broke her down! She put up all her defenses and underneath, you knew the whole time that she wanted him!" Ward smiles, "That she missed him, that she regretted leaving him and everything she did, she had to get bigger and bigger about her protests – you know what they say about that! And he knew it all along, he became the teenager on the street corner, the wise-ass, who thought he knew better and to some degree, did know better and could get to her. To break down that protective wall she had built all of those years away from him."

The accomplished actress may be new to soaps and to GH but is certainly not new to the screen. She boasts an impressive biography in both episodic television and film, including one memorable 'groovy chick' named Donna. "That was fun, that was like a dream come true to do that movie," she says of the role in The Brady Bunch Movie. "The movie that we shot is not the movie that you saw, like I had a much bigger part and they changed the story a little bit right before we started filming, and then a little bit more in the editing. But I had always had like a Brady Bunch thing, just growing up, watching it after school, I came home by myself and had my snack. I loved Brady Bunch! Through sort of funny, personal circumstances, I went to Barry Williams' (Greg) wedding, and they were all there and we had dinner with Robert Reed (Mike) before he passed… It’s like I’ve always had this connection with Brady Bunch. To be cast in that movie…. And I also loved The Monkees! I was sixteen years old and don’t ask me why, but I was crazy for the Monkees. They were also in the film and I got to meet three of them  and it was like, oh it was just so cool! I was just a little girl on that movie!" Of her many roles, several others also come to mind as personal favorites for Ward. "I have a few that I’ve really loved but the two that always seem to come up first for me… One was a short-lived series called Boomtown because that was the first job I did after I had Oliver and I was a little nervous about going back to work. My first day, I had to be completely naked with Donnie Wahlberg in the bed! There were three people in the room and one of them was my brother, pushing the camera! Totally random coincidence and my brother in law was setting the lights, he just wasn’t in the room. It was very surreal! But the writing and storytelling on that show was just gorgeous. For me, as an actor, it really personified what storytelling could be on television and she was a complicated, dark character, and tragic because she did have all of this hope but felt doomed and very sad because her child had died and I just enjoyed acting in an environment which so much integrity. The other two parts, that sort of go hand in hand, were a show called Class of 96, which was also short lived for a year, and I was on the first year of Party of Five. Again, they were just polar opposite characters, but the commitment and the dedication of the storytelling, the quality of the writing and the production value… Class of 96, we were all very young, we all went to Toronto to shoot the series, it was about freshmen in college and I had the most adorable character who was obsessed with being an actress, her mother was an actress. She was just goofy; she was kind of like a Spinelli. She was just goofy and eccentric and full of personality and that was great… The person who got to be the funny one, just precious, a great character. The Party of Five (character) was a girl who was just tragic because of her family situation and her self esteem issues and she had drug and alcohol issues and sort of went through this co-dependent relationship with Bailey where he was saving her and then she died accidentally of a drug overdose at the end of the season. That was just a pleasure again, to live that character’s journey, and work with all those qualified people. It was great!"