Kate Howard is a fictional character from the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital. The character was originated by actress Megan Ward, who portrayed the role from May 2007 to October 2010. In September 2011, the role was re-introduced with actress Kelly Sullivan. Connie is known for having two distinct alternate personalities – Connie, who later changed her name to Kate Howard, who established her career and who the character was initially introduced as, and an alternate personality also named Connie, who was based on her life back in Bensonhurst. Sullivan departed the role in August 2013, when the character was killed off, but made a one-off appearance in October 2014. Ward briefly returned for one episode in January 2018, and for another in December 2020.
Casting
The role of Kate Howard was originated by actress Megan Ward in May 2007. Lisa LoCicero, who would later be cast as Olivia Falconeri, auditioned for the role prior to Ward's casting. Ward remained on contract with the series until 2009, when she and actor Rick Hearst were dropped to a recurring status. Ward continued to make appearances as Kate, until she vacated the role in 2010; her final appearance as Kate was on October 20, 2010. In summer 2011, it was rumored that then-new headwriter Garin Wolf was looking to recast the character. In July 2011, it was confirmed that actress Kelly Sullivan had been cast in the role. Sullivan debuted in the role on September 12, 2011. Lindsay Bushman briefly played the role of a young Kate in flashbacks later that year.
Speculation arose in June 2013 that Sullivan had been let go by the ABC series. Sullivan later confirmed her exit on her Facebook webpage, confirming, "Thank you all so much for your support and loyalty," she wrote. "You are my life long family and I cannot express how much I appreciate each of you. You have really made my experience here on GH a wonderful adventure. I wanted to fill you all in on the details and try to answer some of your questions. I am not returning to GH after August. This is not a contract issue, I have been written off the show. I do not have any information on potential Daytime opportunities. Lastly, I have no ill feelings towards any of the staff or crew connected to the show or the network. I will miss everyone dearly. Love, Kelly" Sullivan will remain with the series through August. Sullivan filmed her final scenes on Friday, July 26, 2013. Following the news of her departure, rumors began to circulate that the character of Connie would be killed off. Sullivan eventually confirmed those rumors at a fan event in late July. Upon Connie's death on August 27, 2013, Sullivan tweeted: "RIP Connie [...] It was a great two years! Thank you for your love and support, it means so much. Long live GH!" Sullivan reprised the role during the October 24, 2014, episode.
Ward made an unannounced one-off visit on January 17, 2018, during a special one-off episode focused on the surgery of Ava Jerome (Maura West). On December 16, 2020, Ward made a surprise guest appearance, appearing to William deVry's Julian Jerome.
Character development and portrayal
Megan Ward Megan Ward has stated in various interviews that in her opinion, Kate Howard is a woman full of contradictions. She is a character constantly trying to hide where she came from and who she really is, Connie Falconeri. Ward explained "I'm not just playing Kate, [...] [i]t's Kate and Connie and then the person who was in between in the arc of how she became Kate. There are a lot of contradictions with her because Kate comes on incredibly strong and incredibly dismissive[...] But, the reason she is that way is because she's concealing and hiding. She's projecting a persona to intimidate, but she's also putting up a wall to cover the truth of who she is and the emotion and vulnerability she has."
In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, Ward further explained that it was challenging portraying Kate, who is "that person who is strong and flawed and one can be critical of", because she had to maintain "the qualities of Connie, the girl Sonny fell in love with. She's still completely in there." Additionally, the actress mentioned: "I have to play the projection of Kate Howard, but it's all covering the Connie Falconeri underneath. Creatively, I've had to constantly balance being forceful and dominating in situations, but still let you see the true girl doesn't mean to be that forceful and dominating."
During an interview with Soap Opera Weekly, Ward cited Anna Wintour as inspiration for the character, an "older woman who's had a long career", but she wasn't "of that age yet". Of inspirations for the character, she further said: "I draw from Aerin Lauder, Estée Lauder's granddaughter, who runs the Estée Lauder company, and a well-known interior designer named Kelly Wearstler, who was one of the judges on Bravo's TOP DESIGN. What I loved about her was every week she had a completely different look." Ward relates more to Connie, a "smart girl" who knew what she wanted, than Kate who is a "creation" and a "manufactured identity". She stated that "What's sad about Connie, and she's learning that as we go along, is she might have been wrong that she had to be Kate Howard to get where she is. That's what Sonny represents for her. You have to be strong and ambitious to accomplish great tasks, but you don't necessarily have to be purely Kate Howard."
Kelly Sullivan Sullivan admitted during an interviewer with soap columnist Michael Fairman of On-Air On-Soaps that she was not hesitant taking over the role following Ward's departure. She said she wasn't worried because she didn't "know a lot about Megan and Kate's story", and "Ignorance is always bliss", explaining: "Obviously, when I first started I was very much introduced to the soap opera fans, and all the Megan fans. You can't win em all, but that's OK. Megan did an incredible job and is such a great actress, and she really set the bar high." Sullivan also admitted she did not know about the "split personality" storyline:
Sullivan stated she would love for Victoria Lord (Erika Slezak) and Jessica Buchanan (Bree Williamson) to crossover from One Life to Live to General Hospital to help Kate out with controlling her alter, "Connie". She described the disease as "a scary thing. It's a mental illness and it's terrible, and how you work through it to get healthy is such a journey. That is why I am really happy that Ron is here at GH. There is a very specific way to deal with this illness. I don't know much, but I know that they are going to take their time to work it out."
In an interview with MSN Entertainment, Kelly Sullivan has stated in interviews that coming in as a recast, "Recasting is never easy, for any party involved. Megan [Ward] created the role and set the bar very high. To be able to come in after that [...] She established a strong presence and essence of the character. A lot of her fans were resistant, but it's different now, because we started recreating something that is mine." She hoped that "as this storyline keeps getting more interesting and crazy, more people will get on board and just have fun." The actress wanted Connie to come out as the winner, explaining: "Connie's a broad and I always root for the underdog, the misunderstood person - Connie's not just "evil." She has a right to feel the way she does. She's hurt and scared. And also overtly sexual".
In the interview with MSN, Sullivan also discussed portraying a character with dissociative identity disorder, "It's awesome. When I get my scripts, I can't wait to see what mischief I'm up to. I've been doing the most insane, exciting things and it's all culminating." Kate is Connie's "worst enemy in some ways". Of how her disorder came about, the actress said it "stems from past trauma. We spent a bit of time talking about these issues she's never dealt with, regarding her family and her choice to run away and create this whole new reality for herself. Kate is her worst enemy in some ways. With her resistance to violence and guns, she's now neck deep in it again with Sonny. She loves this man so much, but she also has to marry into is his life." The show's head writer Ron Carlivati also weighed in on the storyline and opened up about the character's descent into her life with D.I.D. He said: "the seeds of Connie – this other personality of Kate's – were planted long before I got there. It was very clear that that's the direction the story was going in, and I had two options: To continue it, or to drop it. And having written multiple personalities on the other show, at first I felt this wasn't something I wanted to do again, but it was so beautifully set up".
Storylines
Backstory Upon first introduction, Kate Howard is famous for being the editor-in-chief of a high fashion magazine, similar to the character of Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada. Her history is told through bits of dialogue, primarily between her Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard). Through these glimpses, it is revealed Kate Howard was born Constanza Louise Falconeri, Connie for short by those who knew her. She was raised in Bensonhurst, New York, to an Italian American family, where she worked at a bakery and attended Sacred Heart Catholic school in Brooklyn, New York.
At the age of 18, wanting a better life for herself, Connie legally changed her name to Kate Howard, after Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. Her desire was to choose an easily recognizable name that alluded to a good background and social standing. She attended Princeton University, on a full scholarship and worked her way up the ranks to become the editor of the fictional top fashion magazine, Couture. Since then, she has hidden her past as Connie Falconeri, claiming instead to be from Connecticut.
Kate and mob boss Sonny Corinthos dated as teenagers and had planned to run away together, but on the night they were to leave, she stood him up. She later explained to him that she wanted to pursue her dreams of having a career, something she could not do had she run away with Sonny.
2007–2010 The character was introduced on May 8, 2007, when Kate walks into Sonny's office unannounced, and demands the use of a phone because her car had broken down. Sonny eventually recognizes her as Connie Falconeri, his former love from Bensonhurst. Diane Miller (Carolyn Hennesy), Sonny's lawyer, later mentions Kate is considered one of the "100 Most Powerful Women in America." Kate purchases a mansion next door to Sonny. Soon after, Kate is suffering from a headache and mistakenly takes a libido-enhancement pill from a friend instead of ibuprofen. Under the effects of the drug, she seduces Sonny. When Kate is arrested for reckless driving and a hit and run, she is released into Sonny's custody, after spending the night in jail. The interim District Attorney, Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst), refuses the plea agreement, seeking to take revenge on Sonny through Kate. Kate's friend and former lover, Trevor Lansing, blackmails his son Ric, threatening him with losing custody of his daughter if he did not reduce the charges against Kate.
Trevor tries to blackmail Kate into choosing between Sonny or him and her career, but pulling crucial advertisements from Couture magazine.Soap Opera Weekly, "GH's Kate Crashes - and Burns Sonny", September 18, 2007 After a confrontation with Trevor, Kate is drugged and gets into a car accident.ABC's Soap Opera's In Depth, "Kate breaks up with Sonny", October 23, 2007 She faces serious legal action due to her prior driving records, but when Sonny blackmails a judge, she instead receives six months of community service. Infuriated, Trevor has her fired from Couture, leading Kate to start her own magazine. Jasper Jacks (Ingo Rademacher) becomes her partner and financier.