General Hospital’s Ryan Paevey On Maxie’s Return, Lulu-Nathan Connection: ‘There’s Definitely Chemistry’
When Ryan Paevey returned to the General Hospital canvas in September, there was a critical piece missing from the storyline life of his Port Charles alter ego: His wife — er, widow? — Maxie, played by Kirsten Storms. That’s because prior to the actor’s comeback, his one-time leading lady had begun a hiatus from the show, one she requested to facilitate her move to Nashville and to focus on her health after learning she would need to undergo brain surgery. Now, Storms is teasing the possibility of heading back to GH soon — which would certainly create a range of dramatic possibilities for both Nathan and Maxie, especially due to his growing emotional bond with her best friend, Lulu. Paevey dished all about the potential love triangle in a recent interview with Woman’s World.
Three’s Company
Before Nathan was seemingly killed in the line of duty back in 2018, shot dead by his own father, Cesar Faison, he and Maxie were happily married. Not only that, but they were looking forward to the birth of their first child together. Lulu and Dante were also in a period of domestic calm, having just remarried the previous fall after their first union fell apart. Since then, of course, a lot has changed. Dante and Lulu divorced for the second time, and she’s been single since she emerged from a four-year coma in 2024, while Maxie — who is currently comatose herself, off camera in Boston — reunited with Spinelli, who was the great love of her life prior to her romance with Nathan. As for Nathan, he has no memory of the last seven years of his life, and is presumably still very much in love with Maxie … but his connection to Lulu has been deepening in recent weeks.
“It’s always good to have a love interest on a soap, and Nathan could certainly do worse than Lulu,” Paevey mused to Woman’s World. “Will we or won’t we? We have a lot in common, so we commiserate. And there’s definitely chemistry there, so I’m interested to see [what happens]. From a storyline standpoint, that’s some good drama.” Especially in light of the fact that not only are Maxie and Lulu best friends, but so were Nathan and Dante before Nathan’s untimely “death.” Nodded the actor, “There’s all kinds of friction there.”
Paevey spoke highly of new scene partner Alexa Havins, who assumed the role of Lulu during his absence from the show. “Working with Alexa is awesome,” he enthused. “We have fallen into a very comfortable, easy routine. We get the nuts and bolts of the scene down, and then we’re free to play.”
On the subject of possibly getting to reteam with Storms, the actor said, “We don’t know when Maxie’s returning,” Paevey says. “But I know Kirsten loves this place, and I would like very much to see her back in her happy place.”
So far, nothing physical has happened between Lulu and Nathan, but if that line was to be crossed, it would make Maxie emerging from that coma and heading back home that just juicier. Paevey noted, “From a canvas standpoint, I’ll be interested to see what it does to our… situation,” acknowledging, “Things have been set into motion that could clash with her return, shall we say.”
Between the likelihood that Maxie would be torn between Nathan and Spinelli, the potential romantic spark between Lulu and Nathan, and the eternal possibility that Dante and Lulu’s feelings for one another are far from extinct, the show could have a messy gold mine on its hand. Paevey declared, “There’s all kinds of question marks, and they’re all aimed in interesting directions. We’ve got a bit of a bubbling cauldron here, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes.”
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Soap Opera Digest does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.