GENERALHOSPITAL/X (formerly Twitter)
Before Tabyana Ali assumed the role of heroine Trina Robinson on General Hospital, she shot a special film that was released at long last on September 27.
Girls On Film
Titled Empire Waist, “I filmed it in 2021, right before I got General Hospital,” reports the actress. “It was written and directed by Claire Ayoub and produced by Justin Baldoni [ex-Graham Darros, Bold and Beautiful]. I play the role of Honor, who is part of the mean girl clique in this high school, but she is not the mean girl. She actually is a very free, vibrant, kind of silly young girl who just wants to have fun. But because of the friendship clique she’s in, she doesn’t really get the opportunity or chance to express herself so freely.”
The movie, enthuses Ali, “is a really fun coming-of-age story. The premise of it, the actual synopsis of the plot, is that there is a young plus-size girl who is not so confident,” played by Mia Kaplan. “She loves designing and making clothes, but because of her insecurities, she doesn’t feel like she can [succeed as a designer]. But then she meets another girl who is also really vibrant and plus-sized,” played by Jemima Yevu, “and they kind of work together with other girls to kind of show that no matter your race, your age, your size, your height, your sexuality or your gender, you can be confident and be happy in your skin.”
What most stands out to Ali about the process of filming Empire Waist, she says, “is Claire Ayoub, the actual writer and director herself. Claire is just amazing, and the heart and soul that she put into this movie was so alive that it ran through all of the cast and crew. I don’t think we could have gotten a better cast and crew, honestly. The majority of the cast and crew were women, and to see all of these women doing what might technically be considered a ‘male-dominated sport [movie-making] and taking it on and running with it and thriving in it — it was just amazing to see. It felt like everyone was on the same wavelength and I really credit that to Claire because, as I said, she put so much heart and soul into that script that it literally transformed into something magical. I think her energy is just unworldly! She has to be an alien [laughs]. But from a planet of love! She is just an absolutely amazing person.”
The actress says she is “so excited” that people — herself included! — are finally going to get to see the final project of Ayoub’s labor of love. “This is going to be my first time seeing it, too; I haven’t seen it since we shot it,” Ali notes. “And I’m just really excited to see what everybody thinks of it. I know they’ll like it. I know they’ll love it! I mean, it has won a lot of awards already [on the festival circuit], and I think that’s saying a lot.”
Ali introduced the flick and shared a snippet of her alter ego, Honor, below.
Check out the full Empire Waist trailer below.
