‘General Hospital’ Introduces Teen Avery With Newcomer Ayla Bullington

General Hospital’s Avery Corinthos is finally back on the Port Charles scene, with a brand-new face and attitude. Ayla Bullington has taken over the role that had been played by twins Ava and Grace Scarola since 2014, when the character was born.

For months, Ava (Maura West) and Sonny (Maurice Benard) have been talking about how grown Avery is now, with Sonny mentioning that she’s now a teenager. That put fans on high alert, knowing a teenage Avery would soon be on her way. On the November 9th episode, Bullington made her debut as a more grown-up version of Sonny and Ava’s daughter.

The 13-year-old Bullington hails from Franklin, TN, and has several acting credits to her name, including roles in Robbery at the Rockvale Theater and The Wildman of Shaggy Creek, per IMDb. Bullington told TV Insider that she auditioned for the role in August and her life has been a whirlwind ever since.

Bullington was also thrown into the deep end on her first day, as Avery had emotional scenes with Eden McCoy‘s Josslyn and Maurice Benard’s Sonny. In the scenes, Avery overhears her former stepsister, Josslyn, shouting at her dad and accusing him of horrible acts.

“It was something I have never done before,” she said. “I did not have a lot of experience with the screaming and the crying stuff, but I got my first script, and I was like, ‘OK, this is a huge opportunity to learn so much about how that stuff works and to become this character that I have never even tried playing before.'”

Bullington admitted that she hasn’t gotten to know her new character very well yet, but she offered an initial assessment to TV Insider.

“I don’t fully know her yet, but I think that Avery is going through a lot at her young age,” Bullington noted. “She’s emotional, and she’s curious, and she’s a really fun person to play with because so much stuff is happening in her life. I think she’s kind of confused about what’s happening and what to believe.”