The real reason General Hospital's Katelyn MacMullen chopped off her hair

General Hospital's Willow shocked all when she arrived on the Nurses' Ball red carpet sporting a brand-new short 'do. It was a whole new look for Willow's whole new world. It was a new look for Katelyn MacMullen, too, who has been bringing every incarnation of Willow to life for the past seven years.

General Hospital star gets a makeover

It turns out that it wasn't MacMullen's idea to find a new look for herself. Instead, the short, choppy style was the brainchild of GH Executive Producer Frank Valentini. Willow's world was about to take off in a whole new direction, so Valentini felt debuting a new 'do at the Nurses' Ball was a way to launch a whole new chapter for the character.

"We were kind of thinking that going into the Nurses’ Ball, it would be great for Willow to have a bolder look, something different than what we’ve seen in the past with her,” MacMullen told Soap Opera Digest. "Because she was going into the Nurses’ Ball sort of on a high — just for everything to then fall apart."

When Willow first came onto the Port Charles scene in 2018, her hair was long and flowed halfway down her back. She eventually moved on to a shorter, shoulder-length bob before growing it long again. But the Nurses' Ball was the place to debut a different Willow altogether.

"It was a fun, creative choice,” MacMullen explained. “The idea stemmed from Frank kind of going, ‘It would be great [for Willow to have a new look] as she comes into the Nurses’ Ball feeling so confident.' And he was helpful in determining what haircut I got and [participated in conversations about] what we were all thinking would be fun."

Willow's life since the Nurses' Ball

It did indeed all fall apart for Willow. She was all smiles as she watched Wiley and the other Port Charles kids perform an adorable rendition of The Jackson Five's I'll Be There. Then, before she knew it, Michael returned unexpectedly after months in a burn unit and snatched Wiley away.

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Since then, Willow lost custody of both her kids, was denied visitation (for now), learned her mother slept with Drew (Cameron Mathison), and left Drew at the altar. She also stalked baby Daisy to the point where a terrified Sasha (Sofia Mattsson) felt she had to leave town. Now, Willow is left with no fiancé, no kids, and no real home of her own. But at least she looks absolutely fantastic with a snazzy new hairstyle.

Catch all-new episodes of General Hospital weekdays on ABC and Hulu.

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