Former General Hospital Star Sydney Mikayla Dishes New Movie, ‘Sprina’ Legacy (Excl)
It was four years ago this month that General Hospital alum Sydney Mikayla handed the Trina baton to Tabyana Ali and exited the show to focus on her studies. Now a graduate of UCLA, Mikayla checked in with Soap Opera Digest to discuss her new movie, Crybaby Bridge, and to look back on playing Trina and helping to bring the phenomenon known as “Sprina” to life.
Fright Night
When Mikayla got the call to take on the role of Samantha Kane in a horror movie, the actress jumped at the chance to step out of her comfort zone. “It seemed like a great way to expand what I had done previously,” she says. “I had the gift and the privilege and honor to be on General Hospital, but Trina was a very reliable and incredibly trustworthy character. And so I was actually really excited to play Sam because she had a lot more complexity, in the sense that she’s 16, she’s pregnant — she’s got a lot going on! Sam had a darker tint to her; Trina had a lot more of that light and warmth. I was excited to do something that was new, but just as interesting as Trina, and just explore the variety of what I could do in terms of acting.”
The actress “thoroughly” enjoyed the challenge. “I thought it was really interesting to play her,” Mikayla says. “I feel like Trina and I agreed on everything. When Trina did something, I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s what I would do.’ Sam was the complete opposite. If I’d say go left, Sam’s gonna go right!” What with this being a horror flick, she adds, “If there’s a scary sound or a noise, Trina would probably be like, ‘No way! I’m not going anywhere near that and I’m gonna make sure to tell my mom.’ Sam is like, ‘No, I’m gonna go check it out, I’m gonna go against what my parents are saying.’ It was definitely a fun exploration to play someone that is so different from me.”
Her mother in the film is played by Florencia Lozano, who portrayed Téa Delgado on both One Life to Live and General Hospital, and they became fast friends. “We just connected over being ladies who love to act,” reports Mikayla. “She has such a bright and youthful energy, but she was such a maternal figure to me. She’s absolutely incredible! We are close in real life and still keep up. We actually just went to see a show together when I was in New York.”
Back to the Future
Mikayla shot Crybaby Bridge back in 2022, when she was still an undergrad, and now that school is behind her, she remains confident that she made the right choice to say good-bye to Trina to make college her priority. She says, “First of all, I’m so grateful to the cast and crew for being so understanding and accepting of my decision. Everyone was so supportive, and I genuinely appreciate that. With that being said, no regrets [about leaving]. For me — and I think I wanna take this into adulthood — I don’t really think there’s such a thing as multitasking. Yes, you can do multiple things at once — I was doing General Hospital, going to school, doing classes, but I felt like I wasn’t really able to immerse myself in any one thing. I was rushing from work to be able to then, ‘Okay, now I’m going to do my homework real quick,’ and then I was at school, but people were doing events or joining clubs, and I was like, ‘I absolutely can’t do that. I need to be focused on work.’ I feel like I did really immerse myself in General Hospital and I got to make amazing relationships with the cast and crew, and I got some accolades that I’m so forever grateful for. I wanted to do the same thing with college and I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to do so.”
She graduated last September and enthuses, “The transition out of school has been great. It’s definitely been interesting kind of re-auditioning as a young adult versus going in as a younger person. I’ve just been rediscovering what I want to do and what my new career goals are.” In terms of the roles she’s pursuing, she muses, “The sky’s really the limit. I’m so glad to have done some dramatic acting and now horror, so I think I would love to do a comedy next. But overall, I’m just open to things that will grow and challenge me.”
Mikayla is grateful to still have so many GH fans rooting for her and appreciates their enduring fondness for her work as Trina. “Of course, I want to shout-out Tabyana Ali for killing the role of Trina Robinson,” she praises. For her, “Playing Trina was an honor, honestly. I came on as a day player, which essentially means that I just kind of signed on to be on maybe for an episode or two, and if they wanna extend it, they can. I remember when Frank [Valentini, executive producer] said, ‘Hey, I think we want to extend this and really give Trina her own storyline.’ I think that just goes to show showing up on time, prepared and with a good attitude can really take you far. I just feel grateful and blessed just for the opportunity and I had no idea that it would become all that it became, you know?”
One of the major highlights of Mikayla’s run as Trina was the kickoff of the love story of Trina and Spencer Cassadine — “Sprina” to their fans — who was played by Nicholas Chavez. “Nicholas was incredible,” she smiles. “When I worked with him, he was always prepared, always on time, and getting to portray that love story was so fun to do. I’m so glad that we got to create that representation on screen for black women just to be put in a positive light, to be loved, to have whimsy and fun and heartbreak and just, you know, all these relatable things that don’t always have to be rooted in trauma. I’m really grateful for that. I had a ball and I hope Tabyana is having a ball!”
Crybaby Bridge is available now on Prime Video and Fandango At Home and can also be purchased on DVD.
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