A DREAM COME TRUE FOR ‘HOSPITAL’S’ LILLY MELGAR

For Lilly Melgar, who plays Lily Rivera on “General Hospital,” the hardest part of daytime stardom has been adjusting to granting interviews rather than conducting them.

“It’s so hard,” confesses the interviewer turned actress. “It’s so strange. I get this nervous feeling, because I have no control. And I’m used to being the one in control, the one asking the questions and gearing the conversation.”

Melgar comes to soaps with three years of reporting experience as host of her own Latino television shows.

“My first show, ‘Tu Musica,’ was a lot like MTV,” Melgar explains. “I interviewed people like Santana, Luis Enrique, Yuri, and Ricky Martin when he was a member of the group Menudo. Then, I did ‘Desde Hollywood,’ which is like ‘Entertainment Tonight,’ and ‘Ritmo International,’ a show done by the producers of ‘Star Search.’ ”

While her reporting career flourished, Melgar admits that she never stopped dreaming of becoming an actress.

“I had too much passion for it,” Melgar says, noting that she took acting classes on and off over the years. “I knew I had to pursue it.”

Last December, Melgar promptly landed an agent and began going to auditions. A meeting with “General Hospital” executive producer Wendy Riche was among them. As fate would have it, the show was looking for a love interest for Ricky Martin (Miguel Morez), who was a friend of Melgars from her television shows.

“The two of us did some scenes together, just to show (the “General Hospital” brass) my work,” Melgar recalls. “We had such great chemistry. Wendy just fell in love with it.”

By April, Melgar was part of “General Hospital.”

“I’d been watching ‘General Hospital’ since junior high school,” she says. “I always knew I’d be on it one day.

“My mom taught me that there’s nothing you can’t achieve if you really want it bad enough,” Melgar continues. “All you have to do is go after it, and it’s yours. She supported (my desire to become an actress) a lot. She always saw it in me. She gave me confidence in myself to go for it.”

Melgar also credits her mother with keeping her grounded throughout her fame.

“When I did the Hispanic market, I was pretty popular; everybody knew me,” she explains. “It’s easy to forget your focus. My mom has always been there to remind me of that, which is great. She’s not one of those moms who says, ‘Oh darling, everything you do is beautiful. My daughter is the best.’ Her advice has been, ‘Keep your feet on the ground honey, because as fast as (success) comes, it can be gone.’ And I’m very aware of that. I thank her so much for that.”

Melgar appreciates her wonderful colleagues at “General Hospital” too.

“Everyone is awesome,” she says. “I’m so lucky to be working with Wendy, producer Francesca James, and the whole cast. For a first-time actress, it’s great to be working with such talented people who are so sweet and willing to help.”

“General Hospital” airs weekdays at 2 p.m. on ABC.