How Kate Mansi’s Diagnosis Inspired Molly’s ‘General Hospital’ Story

Kate Mansi (Kristina Corinthos) is stepping behind the camera for the March 16 episode of General Hospital, directing a story that hits particularly close to home.

The episode revisits Molly Lansing’s (Kristen Vaganos) struggle with endometriosis, a painful condition that Mansi has in real life, in which uterine-like tissue grows outside the uterus, sometimes affecting fertility. Though Molly’s diagnosis played a major role in the baby storyline of 2024, she’s now dealing with a flare-up that brings the issue back into the spotlight.

“We always used to lament that Molly has this condition, and it should come up more often,” Vaganos notes. “I would watch Kate go through little flare-ups and work through pain and things like that all the time, and it just really dawned on me that this is not something that just goes away day to day. It felt like a more honest representation of somebody with endometriosis would be for it to come up a lot, and when it’s inconvenient and how people work through it, so I was really delighted that it came back up.”

Disney

For Mansi, hearing that the show would continue to explore Molly’s journey meant a lot. “Part of the reason I took this job as Kristina was because Frank [Valentini, executive producer] said there was a storyline surrounding endometriosis,” Mansi explains. “That was the first time in my life I’ve ever read in any script that there was a character with endometriosis. So, the fact that they have continued to want to honor that with telling more intricate stories about endometriosis is incredible. And to do it with Kristen, who is a friend and such a phenomenal actor, I knew that it would be handled so well.”

When Mansi later learned she would be directing the episode featuring the material, the moment felt especially meaningful. “I was just so moved, as was my family, to see that Frank really took the care that the storyline deserves,” she praises. “And then beyond that, when he called me to tell me I was directing, I just was so honored.”

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Mansi’s insight helped shape how Vaganos approached the material. “Even before knowing that she would be directing, just having been her friend for the past few years has been research that I didn’t even know would become so applicable,” Vaganos notes. “I’ve seen her endure it, so I have been able to get firsthand knowledge. I just felt like I was in such safe hands and it meant so much to me to know that I was doing right by Kate personally.”

Although Mansi previously directed an episode in November, this installment carried additional weight because of its subject matter. “It came really easy in a lot of ways because I understood the physicality first,” she explains. “And Frank was so amazing. I had a couple of things I went to him with and said, ‘Hey, there’s one moment where they’re talking about endometriosis and I think it’s really important that Molly says, ‘It’s not just bad periods, this is what it’s like,’ and he was so supportive and really incorporated that feedback.”

The scenes also explore how Molly’s health crisis impacts her growing connection with Cody Bell (Josh Kelly), and Vaganos gives kudos to her costar. “Working with Josh is so lovely and he handled it all so well,” she shares. “We have such a funny, quirky dynamic on the show that Josh and I both really love. For us to bring it down and get grounded and real and emotional is not necessarily something that that couple is comfortable navigating yet, so it was also really special, because it’s a first for them. It’s the first really big conversation and it goes well, which is just such a win.”

Disney

For Mansi, who credits her husband, Matt McInnis, with being there for her through her own experience with endometriosis, the material also resonated on a personal level. “It depicts how a supportive partner can handle it, and I think that’s really important for us to also represent the people who love people with endometriosis,” she explains. “Honestly, there were a few moments in the beginning when I was blocking it and I was seeing it happen that I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I can’t believe I get to do this. This is so meaningful.’ So, it was just an incredible experience.”

Mansi and Vaganos’ real-life friendship only deepened the emotional dynamic of the episode. “We worked out together this morning at 9 a.m., and this woman who was in front of us turned to us and said, ‘Are you guys sisters? You really look alike,” says Mansi. “And we laughed, but this story is really special, and it was very vulnerable for both of us, and really just so intimate and personal. But it’s just so nice to have that bond with someone; it immediately snaps the story into a deeper level for everything we’re doing.”

Courtesy Kate Mansi

The impact of the tale has already been felt by viewers. “Kristen and I were saying just from talking about it, we’ve had our DMs flooded with people saying, ‘I have it too. Thanks for speaking out,’” says Mansi. “So, I think the whole point of this and the beautiful job that General Hospital, Frank, and ABC have done with this storyline is it’s opened the door for people who have this to feel empowered to speak about it.”

Mansi hopes they continue to find meaning in the tale. “It really encourages women to take ownership and control over their fertility and their future in ways that I don’t think are talked about often,” she offers. “So, my hope is for this story is that it makes women get curious, speak out and speak up.”

As for what comes next for Molly and Cody, Vaganos teases, “They are going to continue to go through a lot of firsts together, and they’re going to still go through some bumps in the road. But this has brought them closer in a way that is irreversible. For him to be there for her during this moment puts them some light years ahead of where a relationship might typically advance. It’s just very mature and vulnerable for them, and they’ll keep going like that.”

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• How Kate Mansi’s Diagnosis Inspired Molly’s ‘General Hospital’ Story