Is Stella going to get her groove on in an upcoming General Hospital storyline? Well, if Vernée Watson has her way, she just might! The actress revealed to Soaps.com that there was a love interest who got away from Stella in the past and coyly shared what her character’s future romantic life could look like.
“Oh, my goodness,” she said. “Well, we had talked about this guy in Europe… me falling in love with somebody while I was in Europe. But I was working so much on Bob Hearts Abishola that we couldn’t develop it.” A missed opportunity for the strong-willed Stella! Still, Watson did put a halt to one idea that was briefly tossed around.
“We were thinking about me and my sister’s husband. But I just thought that morally, I would never do that as Stella,” Watson reflected. It makes sense to stay true to her character’s moral compass, but we want to know what Stella’s future paramour would look like. “I don’t know,” she laughed. “He better be cute, whoever it is. I think Stella would enjoy that.”
Watson made sure to note that she wanted Stella’s hypothetical romantic storyline to have “conflict.” She continued, “If it’s somebody that Curtis has a problem with or doesn’t trust or something, I think that would be interesting. There have to be problems, like maybe I find out that he has a wife somewhere or some kids that I didn’t know about or something. If there wasn’t drama, there wouldn’t be a soap opera.” Isn’t that the truth!
When not trying to manifest — or help Curtis bring down Drew — Stella’s dream man, Watson is giving back to the Los Angeles community through her work with Heartfelt Education Through the Arts. It’s a non-profit organization that teaches acting, singing, and dance to kids from three to 18 years old. In addition to a mentorship program with notable artists, Watson proudly shared that the group is performing A Lesson in Blackness from Thursday, Feb. 27 through Saturday, March 1 in Valley Village, California. The show is an original stage production that celebrates the “life, culture, history and contributions of African Americans” in the U.S.
The show, which has been performed for over a decade, “brings light to the hidden truths and the harsh realities of the Black experience.” Watson pointed out that her work, along with that of founder Eartha Robinson, is a multilayered approach. “We’re just very passionate about giving the kids the arts and helping them to overcome their insecurities in becoming more confident and expressive to develop their personalities. We teach life lessons as well.”
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The children also get the opportunity to learn from someone consistently working in the entertainment industry. The kids might not be able to watch General Hospital regularly, but Watson admitted “the grandmas” know who Stella is. Plus, she gets some love when the children see her on a rerun of Disney Channel’s Jessie as Mrs. Harris. Watson received the biggest compliment of them all from one of her tiny students after watching the kids’ series. She recalled, “One little girl said of my teaching, ‘She’s really strict, but she’s always full-out on TV. And I love it!’” Watson happily got a stamp of approval from a tough critic.
A Lesson in Blackness runs Thursday, Feb. 27 through Saturday, March 1. Visit Heartfelt Education Through the Arts’ website to purchase tickets.
