General Hospital's Maura West Explains Ava's Unusual Friendship With Nina

Although the enmity between Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros) and her newfound daughter, Willow Tait (Katelyn MacMullen), seems like it could be starting to thaw on "General Hospital," they won't get very far once the secret that Nina snitched to the SEC about insider trading between Drew Cain (Cameron Mathison) and Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) comes out. Nina's still in a famous feud with Carly, and considering that her impulsive nature has rendered Nina completely despised in Port Charles, it's surprising that she and Ava Jerome (Maura West) went from mortal enemies to besties — especially considering she once induced a pregnant Ava's labor and subsequently stole the newborn.

But now, no one would ever guess that Nina had wronged her in the past. In 2019, Ava and Nina teamed up to get revenge on their respective exes, Nikolas Cassadine (then Marcus Coloma) and Valentin Cassadine (James Patrick Stuart). Ever since then, the two women have been thick as thieves, even sharing their deepest secrets with each other. Well, Ava hasn't yet told Nina that she accidentally killed Nikolas, but Nina did confide that she'd ratted out Carly and Drew. 

Ava advised Nina to just tell the truth, but she ignored that and is still letting everyone believe that Ned Quartermaine (Wally Kurth) was the snitch. Ava should still hold a grudge against Nina for her past infraction, but that's all water under the bridge now. Actor West recently discussed why she thinks this unlikely friendship works so well, pointing in particular to the co-stars' friendship offscreen. 

Beloved soap star Maura West recently participated in a "General Hospital" fan event question and answer session via Zoom, and Soap Hub reported on the virtual gathering. One fan inquired about the unlikely friendship between her character, Ava Jerome, and Nina Reeves. West remarked that although Michelle Stafford originated the character in 2014, a friendship between the two would be tough. But now that Cynthia Watros has been portraying Nina since 2019, she "brings an entirely different energy to the character than Michelle had." 

West feels it's within the realm of possibility that the two could be friends, explaining that her real-life self embraces forgiveness. The soap star noted, "I believe in second chances, I believe in open-heartedness. And so, I'd like to think that even though Ava is a badass b*tch, she also is capable of great compassion and empathy, and forgiveness." West described both characters as outsiders who are often afraid and struggle with life's drama. 

"That's a good friend to have, someone who shares that experience with you," she stated. The actor further explained that she was at Boston University around the same time as Watros, who was a couple of years older, and she always admired her, quipping, "She was a goddess to me when I was 20 years old and she still is a goddess to me now, decades later." West enjoys exploring the complicated dynamic between Nina and Ava, even though theirs is an unlikely friendship.