General Hospital newcomer Jens Austin Astrup is ready for a romance with Trina

After a while on the General Hospital Much of the year after Spencer Cassadine’s death, Trina Robinson comes back to life. She re-enrolled at Port Charles University and soon clashed with PCU’s star quarterback, Kai, played by Jens Austin Astrup.

Meet General Hospital star Jens Austin Astrup

After graduating from Vassar University with a theater degree, Astrup headed to Los Angeles to hit the audition circuit. After landing a role in a production of Cyrano de Bergerac at the Pasadena Playhouse, Astrup scored an audition on General Hospital. He read for the role with Tabyana Ali, who plays Trina, a young actress who Astrup now praises.

“Tabyana was there in the room reading along with everyone for the callback,” Astrup said Soap Opera Digest. “And once Tabyana was in the room, it was pretty immediate that the scene found its footing, just because she was so generous and because we had real chemistry there in the room.”

The actor later did a screen test with Ali and got the role while still appearing in Cyrano. Astrup’s new GH co-stars even attended a performance, including Ali, Giovanni Mazza (Gio Palmieri) and Finola Hughes (Anna Devane).

The man Trina has been waiting for?

So far, Trina and Kai’s first few meetings have been contentious, but isn’t that always the case on a soap opera? Astrup also knew what he was dealing with. After all, Spencer and Trina were GH’s hottest young couple in years before Nicholas Alexander Chavez chose to leave the soap to work on the Ryan Murphy series. Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez And Big question.

“Trina hasn’t brought (Spencer) to Kai yet, but I knew ‘Spina’ was going in,” Astrup said. “I was very aware of it; Frank even brought it to me. And it’s interesting because even with Tabyana, sometimes I talk to her at the beginning of the day and when we’re working on a scene, I’ll suddenly remember, ‘ Oh my god, she was just in another relationship for years.” It’s an interesting dynamic.”

Astrup believes he is up to the challenge and is ready to create a whole new relationship between Trina and Kai, which is completely different from Spencer and Trina’s relationship.

“I don’t feel intimidated because I feel like this (potential romance) actually exists on a different level than Sprina,” Astrup added. “I think we have a very different dynamic,” he says. “I don’t feel like I’m competing or filling Spencer’s shoes. I don’t feel like I’m taking his place. I just feel like I’m excited to get to know Tabyana better and Kai Trina better get to know.”

Watch all new episodes of General Hospital weekdays on ABC and Hulu.