Thanks to the most recent General Hospital preview, fans assumed that someone from the past would be showing up to visit Anna. But what nobody could have predicted

was that when she opened the door to granddaughter Emma, the much-loved character would be played by someone new! Yet as TV Insider reports, that’s exactly the case

when Braedyn Bruner steps into the part on Monday, December 23!

Although there’s no official word as to why the role was recast, it seems likely that the show wanted to age Emma up a little bit. This seems particularly true in light of whom Bruner has bonded with since arriving. “I’m lucky to be in the young adult category with some really incredible people,” she says. Shortly after booking the role, she went out to lunch with new co-star Gio Mazza, who plays Gio. “We’ve become really great friends and we have really similar senses of humor, which is fun and makes work fun.”

She also says she’s gotten to know Eden McCoy, adding that Josslyn’s portrayer has “been on the show for a really long time and she’s been nothing but helpful and complimentary and great.” She also got to work with Tabyana Ali (Trina), whom Bruner describes as “such a joy.”

So what should we expect of Emma 2.0? “Emma is confident,” states the actress. “She’s bold, she’s unruly, you could call her rebellious. But I think underneath all that tough experior, she’s really quite compassionate. As we’ve been filming, we’re kind of peeling back those layers and getting to see more and more of the vulnerable side of her. But externally, she’s a lot.”

Concludes the daytime newbie, “I’m finding more and more of her every day. I hope everyone loves her as much as I do!”