Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty
MeetGeneral Hospital’s newest breakout star.
Nicholas Chavez, who plays spoiled rich kid Spencer Cassadine on the ABC soap opera,wonaDaytime Emmy Awardfor Outstanding Younger Performer in a Drama Series in June less than a year after joining theGeneral Hospitalcast.
“Twelve months before I received that award, I was selling cars down in Florida so it was a paradigm shift of epic proportions,” he tells PEOPLE. “It was very, very surreal to stand up on that stage and be recognized for the thing that I’m more passionate about than anything else in life.”
He adds, “It was a real dream come true, and I’m incredibly thankful — and still now, months later, in disbelief quite frankly.”
Kevin Winter/Getty
Chavez, 23, shares that winning the prize for his first professional acting role was “completely unexpected” but he did prepare a speech just in case.
“Whenever I have to be on stage as myself, I can get a bit nervous so it’s helpful for me to have something to fall back on so I’m not just rambling,” he shares. “So in that sense, I did prepare something. The only thing I expected was it was going to be a fun night with my coworkers.”
From how he got started in acting to his career aspirations, learn more about theGeneral Hospitalstar below.
He knew he wanted to be an actor in high school — but was hesitant to pursue it
The Colorado native recalls getting the acting bug while playing Atticus Finch inTo Kill a Mockingbirdin high school after another student called out sick.
“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life when I was in high school,” he tells PEOPLE. “So when the faculty all came and saw the production, I had multiple people pull me aside and say, ‘You should consider doing this as a profession,’ which sounded really, really crazy to me because that wasn’t generally something you did for work in Denver.”
He adds that working in the entertainment industry was a “pretty foreign concept” to him at the time.
Christopher Willard/ABC
He was cast onGeneral Hospital24 hours after his screen test
Chavez recalls the quick audition process for landing the part of spoiled rich kid Spencer Cassadine on the soap opera.
When the actor arrived for the screen test, he looked around the room and saw “pretty stiff competition.”
“But, ultimately I just sorta reconciled that ultimately all I can do is be the artist that I am and bring to it what I bring to it,” he explains.
He found that he got the part only one day later, telling PEOPLE it “was probably the coolest moment of my life so far.” He adds, “I bought a return ticket but they called me 24 hours after the audition and they said, ‘Hey, don’t fly back home. We need you to film here next Wednesday. Congratulations.'”
He is grateful the support of hisGeneral Hospitalcostars
Chavez took over the part of Spencer from actor Nicolas Bechtel, so fans weren’t immediately thrilled with the recasting decision.
“Some of the fans didn’t like me at first because I’m a recast. There was an actor who played my character before me,” he says. “You know I was a bit green at first. I think people were seeing that. So online, people would be like, ‘I like the old actor who played Spencer better.’ I’ve seen him work and he’s a great actor. Very, very charismatic.”
For more about Nicholas Chavez pick up the new issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
Craig Sjodin/ABC
He predicts his character can find a better path
Chavez admits that landing in prison was “a new low for Spencer.”
He has some big career goals
Chavez saysGeneral Hospitalhas been a “a really, really phenomenal training ground.”
He adds that he would like to join the cast of an “HBO-style drama.” His dream shows includeEuphoriaandSuccession.
He’s an adventurer seeker
One look at Chavez’s Instagram and it’s clear that he is always for an adventure.
He booked a trip to Istanbul, Athens and Rome four days before he left earlier this month. He also recently wentskydivingandsurfing.
For his next big adventure, he hopes to visit Vietnam and Thailand.
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General Hospital— which will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2023 — airs weekdays at 2 p.m. ET on ABC.
source: people.com
