Soap fans are SHOCKED after General Hospital star Nancy Lee Grahn revealed a jaw-dropping story about daytime icon Erika Slezak — one that proves just how fearless the One Life to Live legend really is.
Grahn spilled that her very first television job was on OLTL, where she played Beverly Wilkes. For a young actress fresh out of school, it was a dream come true. She worked alongside heavyweights Judith Light, Gerald Anthony, and — of course — the unstoppable Erika Slezak.
But behind the soap opera glamour came a REAL-LIFE drama that could have crushed her career.
👉 After four years on the show, Grahn was offered a shot at NBC’s The Gangster Chronicles. She had already made it to her third screen test, going head-to-head with actress Kathleen Lloyd. With her sights set on Hollywood, Grahn gave OLTL her seven days’ notice — completely within her rights since she wasn’t under contract.
That’s when the nightmare began.
🔥 “Producer Joe Stuart SUED me for leaving even though I had every right to leave,” Grahn confessed. “I was young, intimidated, and terrified.”
Enter Erika Slezak — and everything changed.
💪 Without hesitation, Slezak stormed into the boss’s office and went to WAR for her co-star. “She told him flat out that what he was doing was unconscionable, mean, and unwarranted,” Grahn revealed. “She got right in the middle of a lawsuit and stood up for me. She spoke up for me. That’s the kind of woman Erika is.”
The bold move left Grahn speechless. “She was my mentor, my protector, and a living example of strength,” she shared.
In the end, Grahn’s case went to arbitration — and she WON. 🙌
Decades later, fate brought the two women back together. “To meet up with her again after decades, still beautiful and elegant as always, was a true joy,” Grahn said, her admiration stronger than ever.
❤️ “It is no secret how much I respect and appreciate formidable, courageous women, and Erika is unquestionably one of them.”
