What role does Maura West play on General Hospital? Character details explored

Maura West plays the role of Ava Jerome on General Hospital, a character she has portrayed since 2013. Ava was introduced as a mysterious art dealer with connections to the criminal underworld. Over time, she was revealed to be the daughter of Victor Jerome, a figure tied to one of Port Charles’ most prominent crime families.

Maura West’s portrayal of Ava Jerome has been critically recognized, earning her a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2015. In an interview with Soap Opera Digest on May 17, 2023, Maura reflected on playing the role for a decade on General Hospital.

“My intention with her [look] — always in dresses, and I chose that sort of wavy bob, like a mob moll of old — was really making her kind of a throwback to that ’40s kind of mobstress. love this idea that this woman had a gun and she knew how to use it and she didn’t flinch when it was shot. As Maura, I hate violence of any kind, but I can set that aside and say, ‘This is the character, this is the world that she lives in.’”

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Maura West plays Ava Jerome on General Hospital

Maura West acts as Ava Jerome on General Hospital. Ava was brought in as an art dealer in 2013. Soon, her identity as the illegitimate daughter of Victor Jerome becomes clear, tying her to the Jerome organized crime family. Her arrival in Port Charles re-ignites past rivalries and creates new ones, particularly within the Corinthos organized crime empire.

Ava’s most scandalous plot involved a romance with Morgan Corinthos, the son of Ava’s longtime nemesis, Sonny Corinthos. Her tampering with his bipolar medication resulted in Morgan’s death in a series of events.

Maura told Soap Opera Digest on May 17, 2023,

“That’s how I could sell it to myself, was to make it about her love for her daughter…. Ava was a cog in the wheel that led to the death of Morgan. And I didn’t love that, to be honest. But I don’t have to love everything Ava does. I just have to do it as best I can.”

Ava also had a volatile marriage with Nikolas Cassadine. One of the most defining aspects of Ava’s character was her dynamic with Kiki Jerome as her mother. Their bond was often strained, marred by secrets and Ava’s manipulative tendencies.

Kiki’s tragic death marked a turning point in Ava’s storyline, plunging her into grief and a quest for redemption. In an interview with Soaps.com on March 15, 2019, Maura said the following on Kiki’s death,

“It’s draining to kind of be in that Ava world. No one wants to think about the reality [of losing a child]. And I’m not thinking about, God forbid, one of my own children having a similar situation or anything like that – I’m faking it, I’m acting. But still I’m entering that world, I’m still letting those thoughts come into my being.”

Despite her often villainous actions, Ava is portrayed as a multi-dimensional character on General Hospital.

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More about Maura West

Maura West, born on April 27, 1972, in Springfield, Massachusetts, is an American actress renowned for her roles in daytime television. She began her soap opera career in 1995 as Carly Tenney on As the World Turns, a role she portrayed until the show’s conclusion in 2010.

West briefly joined The Young and the Restless as Diane Jenkins before taking on the role of Ava Jerome on General Hospital in 2013. West holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Boston University and has been married to actor Scott DeFreitas since 2000.

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