General Hospital’s Emma Scorpio-Drake has a new face and a new attitude, as evidenced by her arrival on Monday’s Christmas Eve episode. Braedyn Bruner debuted in the role that had been played by Brooklyn Rae Silzer since 2011.
Braedyn Bruner Can’t Wait to Bring Emma to Life
Texas native Braedyn Bruner appeared in a few independent films before landing the role or Robin Scorpio and Patrick Drake’s college-age daughter this year. When Bruner learned she was up for the role, she took the audition process seriously and went back through old YouTube videos of Emma’s life, including when she was born.
“Part of the audition process for me was going back and watching old episodes and YouTube videos of what I could find of Robin and Patrick and what their relationship was like with Emma and also what Emma’s relationship was like with Anna,” she said in an interview with TV Insider. “I started with her birth scene and then as she’s grown up to understand her relationships with everyone in Port Charles. Pulling from that has been really important for me.”
Although Bruner will not be working with Emma’s parents, she will have plenty of scenes with her grandmother, Anna Devane, played by beloved soap vet Finola Hughes. Bruner is already grateful for Hughes’ help in getting used to working on a soap opera set.
“She is obviously incredibly versed and experienced in this universe, so she has shown me the ropes for sure,” Bruner noted. “And any time I have a question, she answers me. After she found out I got the job, she called me and kind of gave me the lowdown on everything, which was really nice. And she’ll text me and call me and she’s just been incredible; such a joy to work with.”
A New Kind of Emma
Fans took notice of Emma right away without even realizing that was who she was. A young woman ran into Gio in Rice Plaza and slipped him a wallet that later turned out to be stolen. The girl claimed she took it from a man who had stolen from an old woman selling handmade ornaments. Gio didn’t report her to the police, which was a good thing when the police commissioner answered the door at Maxie’s house knowing Emma would be on the other side.
Bruner has given her own assessment of the character and more mature personality now that she is a college student.
“Emma is confident. She’s bold, she’s unruly, you could call her rebellious,” Bruner said. “But I think underneath all that tough exterior, she’s really quite compassionate. As we’ve been filming, we’re kind of peeling back those layers and getting to see more and more of the vulnerable side of her. But externally, she’s a lot.”
It looks like Emma and Gio are going to be paired, but will she still have her rivalry with Josslyn (Eden McCoy)? Time will tell…
Don’t forget to tune into brand-new episodes of General Hospital weekdays on both ABC and Hulu.
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