In the most recent episodes of State of Mind hosted by famed General Hospital actor Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos), the guests were real-life couple Carlo Rota (Jenz Sidwell) and Nazneen Contractor in separate episodes. Both actors delved into their acting careers, their roles on General Hospital, and for those who may not know, Contractor played ADA Turner, Kristina’s lawyer. The couple also shared how they met and how they balance life as actors!
Nazneen shared, “I met Carlo when I had just turned 18.” She explained, “It was my first time meeting him; it was my second job ever, my first big guest-starring role on a show called Relic Hunter, where Tia Carrere was like this female Indiana Jones, and I was this princess of a made-up Middle Eastern state called Endan, and Carlo played my strict father who was trying to marry me off.”
She joked, “I mean, Carlo would flirt with a houseplant, okay? Like he’s the most flirtatious guy ever, and I was exactly the same way, you know? So we really clicked.”
Nazneeen Contractor and Carlo Rota!
Nazneen thought they probably wouldn’t see each other again, but fast forward to years later, they did. “Six years later, fate brought us together. He walked into this bar I was working in in Toronto, a very famous bar, and I had just done a pilot for a network.”
She added, “He walked in with his co-star from 24, Mary Lynn, who plays Chloe. My best girlfriend was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s Chloe from 24.’ She said, ‘Oh my God, she’s with that really hot guy that used to come in here all the time,’ and I looked at him and thought, ‘I think that guy played my dad on Relic Hunter.’ She was like, ‘What?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’m pretty sure.’ She was like, ‘Oh my God, you have to give him your number!’ But I had a boyfriend, and I was like, ‘I’m not going to give him my number.’”
Nazneen admitted she used to give out a fake number, but long story short, “In the end, I actually gave him my real phone number—the only guy I ever gave my real phone number to.” In his interview, Carlo also noted that he was very flirtatious.
Nazneen Contractor married British-born actor Carlo Rota on April 1, 2010—their 15th anniversary is just around the corner. They have a son born the day before Christmas and a daughter born the day after Christmas. Watch the embedded episodes below!
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