One of the best parts about having soap operas that have run for over 14, 000 episodes like General Hospital has is the ability to see both the characters and the actors grow in real-time. For a young actress like Sydney Mikayla , who just turned 18, having starred on the show as Trina Robinson since the age of 15, her progression as an actress and her character’s progression is even more obvious.
Diply had the chance to sit down with Sydney to talk about filming during a pandemic, her character’s growth on the show, and her career as an actress.
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Syndey opened up about how she appreciates that the show manages to be an escape from the real world.
“I think General Hospital works really hard to make sure that it’s an escape from the real world. We don’t mention COVID in the show, and we try to keep it as normal as possible, which makes it fun for the audience to watch,” Sydney told Diply.
“I appreciate that we don’t talk about COVID so that the viewers can just escape for a little while and kind of forget their troubles.”
Sydney also discussed the powerful special episode of the show where her character goes back in time and learns first-hand about the suffragette movement.
“It was really empowering. I learned a lot of history that I really didn’t know. I thought it was all in the ‘20s, but the suffrage movement even took place before that. I also didn’t know that not every [woman] was for it, I don’t know why, I just thought, like, ‘oh, yeah! Every woman wanted this!’ But not necessarily,” Sydney revealed.
“I think the writers and the costume [department] did an absolutely amazing job on that piece and I’m really excited, I really hope they get nominated for an Emmy,” she went on.
“Just to do it all, and to really feel in that time, and to work with an all-female cast, it was an incredible day.”
What was the most interesting part of the costumes? “No zippers!” Sydney laughed. “I was like, hats off to them because every single thing had a button. It was maybe 30 buttons. The costume department has to win an Emmy this year, they did all that, all the alterations.”
Sydney’s character has grown both as an on-camera presence and as a character since her first introduction in 2019. Sydney told Diply, “Trina kind of started as the bad girl, and transitioned. So I had to do a lot of character work and dig to see what she was really about.”
“I don’t really think she’s a trouble-maker, I think she’s a problem solver,” Sydney said.
“She’s willing to solve problems by any means necessary. She wants to help others, but can’t help herself, or doesn’t know how,” Sydney explained.
Sydney may be young, but she has some incredible acting experiences under her belt, including working with legendary stars like Betty White and Regina King. “I remember Miss Betty White was such a joy to work with on set on Hot In Cleveland . Live studio audiences are basically extinct, because of COVID, so I remember having that laughter and that real [connection] was really nice,” Sydney explained.
We’re sure that the list of legendary actors Sydney will work with will only continue to grow with her career! Be sure to follow Sydney on Instagram and Twitter to keep up with her!
