KRISTEN ALDERSON: YES, GENERAL HOSPITAL EMMY WINNER YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN!
There is little good news to come from the past several months of the coronavirus shut down. But, the down time for Kristen Alderson and her Pennsylvania based family, has turned into sort of a modern day fairytale.
“When I was a small child my father built a house in the Pocono Mountains, but had to sell it when I was around eight,” she tells HollywoodHI. “We were all so devastated when we had to sell it, and we’ve always talked about how much we loved and missed the ‘mountain house’,” Kristen recalls.
Having already appeared on Broadway in Annie at the Martin Beck Theatre, Kristen has been a soap fan favorite since her very first appearance – at six years old – on One Life To Live. Playing the always cute and often conniving Starr Manning, she grew up before our very eyes, taking the character to General Hospital in 2012 – and quickly winning a Daytime Emmy Award with her very first nomination.
Now, back to our story!
“So last fall, we were talking about the house and I said “I wonder who owns it now, I wonder if we could go visit it?” Curious minds! “When we looked it up online – it was FOR SALE! And, two days later – my dad bought back the mountain house in two days!”
“It’s been amazing! Everything was the same as it was 20 years ago. The owners hadn’t changed a thing. It was the coolest experience to walk into a time warp from my childhood!”
“Ever since, we’ve been renovating, mostly we’ve done everything ourselves. We ripped out all of the carpet, we ripped out the kitchen, we painted – it’s been a blast!
But, it hasn’t been all work.
Much of the time, Kristen and her brother Eddie – who also starred on One Life To Live as a child actor (and was a Daytime Emmy nominee for his portrayal of Matthew Buchanan) have split their time at the mountain hideaway. “It’s a great escape from our house in the suburbs,” she says.
Kristen does lay down the law on what her guests do for entertainment while visiting. “We do not watch any murder shows or unsolved mystery shows when we’re up here,” she half laughs. “It’s too creepy.”
Jim Warren
Exclusive to HollywoodHI