GH Tanisha Harper Opens Up About Why She Left Modeling

General Hospital (GH) spoilers state that while Jordan Ashford is having a difficult time right now, healing from her awful car crash and dealing with other drama, her portrayer, Tanisha Harper, is living her best life!

Harper recently was a guest on the YouTube show, ‘Soapy’, hosted by The Bold and the Beautiful’s Rebecca Budig (Dr. Taylor Hayes) and Days of Our Lives’s Greg Rikaart (Leo Stark).

The actress talked about the road to working on GH, as well as the reason she left modeling behind.

Tanisha Harper’s Time As A Model

During her Soapy interview, Harper tells Budig and Rikaart that she was a 14-year-old when she was ‘discovered’ at a Phoenix, Arizona, mall.

While Harper’s mom was skeptical at first, when her daughter got offered a major Nike campaign, the mother changed her tune.

Harper found herself quickly juggling a modeling job for a major brand, as well as high school.
Harper would eventually model full-time and moved to L.A.

She snagged runaway gigs for big companies, as well as beauty campaigns; however, when social media emerged, this changed the game. Casting directors placed priority on followers versus hard work and solid portfolios.

Harper stated, “I saw that it no longer mattered if I had 20 magazine covers and did these prestigious campaigns.” She added, “Because I didn’t have a million followers and at the time I probably didn’t even have an Instagram.”

The daytime drama actress noted that it was a ‘tipping point’ for her. Harper also revealed that nitpicking over her physical appearance was taking a toll on her.

The Transition Was Challenging

Harper goes on to say that the pressure of modeling prompted her career shift, but the transition was challenging.

She noted being pigeonholed by casting directors because of her modeling background.

Harper said, “… you know they’ll say, ‘Oh well, she’s too pretty.’ Not that I’m saying I am, but you know, ‘she’s too pretty for this job,’ or they won’t even consider me for different roles.”

Still, her luck changed when she decided to audition for a mysterious role on GH. She wasn’t even sure about the character she was trying for.

Harper tells Budig and Rikaart, “Initially, they didn’t say what the role was for, but it was … I thought I was going to be playing a district attorney.” In fact, she didn’t know who she was playing until a week before she began shooting and got a full script!

As they say, the rest is history! Harper entered the Jordan Ashford recast role in March 2022 and has truly established the role as her own.

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