Soap Hub recently reported on a "General Hospital" fan event where actress Cynthia Watros discussed what makes Nina so impulsive. She stated that she incorporates the fact that Nina had been in a coma for 20 years into her portrayal, describing her development as "stunted." She explained, "She's very intelligent, and she's a businesswoman. She does all these things, but there's a little girl inside. I touch upon that with Nina because she didn't quite develop the way someone who wasn't in a coma would necessarily develop, you know, and her big emotions around kids is because she was pregnant [at the time of her coma]." Nina gave birth while in the coma, and her mother stole her twin daughters and sold them.

Watros further explained that because Nina didn't have her children, it created a hole in her life, and that's her major vulnerability. Nina is very impulsive, as Watros states, because "When she feels like she's trapped or pushed into a corner or feels like she was attacked, she'll lash out as a child would do." Watros admitted that playing emotional scenes on a regular basis affects her in real life. She cited one time when she was crying uncontrollably and nearing a panic attack on set when executive producer Frank Valentini found her and talked her through it.

Despite the emotional toll, Watros enthused, "I'm really happy with what the writers give me. They give me a lot of really interesting things."