Catching Up With...
ANOTHER WORLD/ GH alum Alicia Leigh Willis on her busy life after daytime.
Soap Opera Digest: Your first soap gig was on ANOTHER WORLD in its final months. What stands out to you about the time that you spent in Bay City? Alicia Leigh Willis:
It was pretty unforgettable! I was 19 years old, I had to move to New York from L.A. when I got the job and it was one of the most incredible experiences I think a girl could have. I developed some really amazing friendships. Taylor Stanley [ex-remy] and I were roommates in New York back on ANOTHER WORLD.
When the show was canceled, Taylor and I ended up getting jobs at a bar, the bar that the movie Coyote Ugly was based on. And it was a blast. A little too much fun, back in the day! We were so young, I was maybe just turning 21 at the time. It was pretty crazy when the movie came out because it was very similar to our life! We were there six months before we decided to move
to L.A. to do season. pilot
Digest: In 2001, you returned to daytime and joined GH. Willis:
When I joined the cast, Maurice [Benard, Sonny] really took me under his wing. He and Steve [Burton, Jason] were always there for me when I needed any kind of help or if I felt I was struggling with a storyline. It was a really good feeling to have that support system. I was still so young. I made mistakes at times, but I think I developed that character over the years and she became a really interesting person to play.
Digest: Let’s talk about some of the men you worked with there over the years. Tell me about being Steve’s love interest. Willis:
Steve was great to work with. I think the chemistry with Courtney and Jason, right off the bat, was really great. We had some great storylines, too, and they were so much fun to play. I was going through photos the other day and I found one from our wedding — or we may have had a few weddings, I can’t remember [laughs]! There are times I see pictures of things that I don’t even remember filming!
Digest: And what about Billy Warlock (ex-a.j.)? Willis:
Billy was my first love on the show and we had such a cute little relationship in the beginning. Of course, Courtney didn’t really see him for who he was, but that’s part of being young, right? But I loved working with Billy.
Digest: What about Tyler Christopher (ex-nikolas; exstefan, DAYS)? Willis:
Tyler! That was such a great storyline and when I screen-tested for DAYS OF OUR LIVES a couple of years ago, I got to have lunch with him and Greg Vaughan [ex-lucky; ex-eric, DAYS]. We picked up right where we left off. I adore Tyler. He’s such a good guy.
Digest: And then there was Ingo Rademacher (Jax). Willis:
Ingo is hilarious. He was always doing some kind of crazy cleanse. He was superfun. I think that may have been my favorite wedding dress, the one I had on when Courtney married Jax. Ingo and I actually had a lot in common — we both love to surf and are superoutdoorsy. We had a good time. I have to say, I had it really good on GH with my co-stars, I really did. I had some pretty amazing love interests. I was pretty lucky.
Digest: What stands out about working with Ron Hale, exmike, your on-screen father? Willis:
Ron was always a delight. I remember telling him that I loved blues and jazz — I named my daughter after Nina Simone — and when I told him that I loved that kind of music, he’d always bring me CDS. “Oh, you gotta listen to her, she’s the best.” Ron was such a sweetheart and I miss him dearly. I need a proper catch-up with him one of these days.
Digest: And of course, Courtney’s brother is kind of a big deal in the GH universe. Tell me about working with Maurice. Willis:
I always felt like when I was in a scene with him, I wanted to prove to him that I could bring in that realness. I feel like there weren’t a lot of
characters who would go toe-to-toe with him. And Courtney, in the beginning, she definitely would speak her mind and I think that the relationship between those two was really beautiful. When I saw him at the studio [in 2020, when she returned to play Courtney’s spirit when Mike died], obviously, we couldn’t hug or anything because of Covid, but I wanted to give him the biggest bear hug ever. It was just so great to reconnect.
Digest: In the early days, Courtney was a stripper. Was that intimidating? Willis:
The stripping? Um, yes! They put me in some interesting costumes. I felt like I looked like Shirley Temple — the Shirley Temple of strippers! There were a lot of ruffles and they brought in a dance instructor who mainly taught, like, jazz dancing, so I make the joke all the time that I was the only stripper who had jazz hands. I remember walking out on that stage in these giant heels and having to do these risqué dance moves; I think that was probably the most nerve-wracking storyline I had, for sure.
Digest: What was it like to reprise Courtney last year? Willis:
So amazing. I was so excited and I loved being back on set there and getting to visit everyone. That was my family for a while, so it was pretty cool. Max Gail [ex-mike], I had heard so many great things about him from [Executive Producer] Frank Valentini and Maurice and you could tell that everyone truly loves him there. Frank couldn’t say enough nice things about what an amazing person and actor he is, so I felt very fortunate that I got to be there to kind of see him off in such a beautiful way.
Digest: After you left GH in 2006, you had a daughter, Simone, who’s almost 9 now. Willis:
When I first left, I was still working quite a bit, but when I had her, I took a couple of years off to focus on being a mom, which is nerve-wracking for anyone in the business because you think, “If I step away, am I ever going to work again?” But I’ve been so fortunate. I’ve been doing a lot of Lifetime movies and that sort of thing and it’s been great because it allows me to go and get my fix and do what I love, and I also get to be home and be Mom, too. I’ve really had the best of both worlds.
Digest: Tell me about Simone. Willis:
My heart, my everything. She is just this bright light. She makes me laugh all the time. She’s just a great kid. I’m a single mom, so if it weren’t for my parents, I wouldn’t be able to still work. We were just in Georgia for the last month on a Lifetime project and
if it weren’t for my parents helping me out and coming with me and bringing her to visit me, I don’t know how I would do it.
Digest: You worked with another daytime alum, Ashley Jones (ex-parker, GH; ex-bridget, B&B), on that project. Willis:
We had the best time working together. I adore her. She is so incredibly talented and I’m so excited that we’ve become really good friends. She’s a single mom, as well, so we could relate on that level and we had lots of chats and hangouts when we weren’t working, which was really nice. It’s called DOUBLE KIDNAPPED. The title could change, but the whole experience with the cast and crew was great.
Digest: What is life like outside of work and parenthood? Willis:
I have a lot of interests on the side. I went to culinary school and I’m getting my pilot’s license to fly private airplanes. I learned how to salsa dance. I just feel like life is too short not to try everything that you want to try!
Digest: What motivated you to get your pilot’s license? Willis:
Both of my grandparents were pilots and my uncle is a pilot and my boyfriend is a race-car driver, but he has his pilot’s license, so we fly everywhere together. I figured that if I’m going to be his co-pilot, I needed to do it properly! We’ve flown to Colorado, we’ll just fly to Catalina for lunch sometimes. We always joke that it sounds way more glamorous than it is. He says his plane is basically a tractor with wings! But I’ve actually flown up to L.A. for auditions from Laguna Beach, where I live, and I get to miss all that traffic, which is awesome!
Digest: How did you two meet? Willis:
We actually met because his daughter lives across the street from me and we’re all friends. We’ve known each other for years but we only started dating probably about a year-and-a-half ago. We started out as friends and it went from there and he’s a great guy.
Digest: Would you consider another stint on a soap? Willis:
Yeah, absolutely. Like I said, I tested for DAYS a couple of years ago. I’ve always kind of thought that eventually I would go back to another soap, but we’ll see what happens. I love daytime and I would definitely keep that door open.
Digest: Any message to the fans? Willis:
Thank you so much for all your love and support over the years! I am forever grateful.