Julie Marie Berman Happy at the ‘Hospital’

She’s not sick, just twisted. Only when she’s at work, though.

Julie Berman is a 22-year-old recent graduate from USC, who now spends so much time in her character, Lesley “Lulu” Spencer, the scandalous daughter of Luke and Laura on the daytime soap opera “General Hospital,” that sometimes Berman feels she’s actually merging with Lulu.

“[My job is] professional pretending,” says Berman, who landed the role last year. “I get to be someone else. I feel like [Lulu] is a part of my life now. She’s not this little character that’s written down on paper; she’s a part of me.”

Berman works on the set of “General Hospital” between 8-12 hours each day, five days a week, filming up to three episodes per day. So, it’s pretty understandable that the lines between Berman’s characters — on-screen and in reality — have become blurred.

“I’ve invested so much of myself in her, and I love that. It’s like, I get to be a different person half the time, and then go back to my real life, and then go back to stealing snowmobiles and having pet monkeys,” Berman says, then laughs. “You know, whatever they have written for me.”

Though Berman’s always lived in and loved California, her recent graduation has prompted some to ask if she’s planning on relocating anytime soon. However, her four-year contract to star on “General Hospital” doesn’t give her any reason to think about relocating from the sunny west coast.

“I honestly love going in to work,” she says enthusiastically. “I have fun every single day.”

Berman enjoys that there’s always something different going on at the set. The soap opera format is reliant on fresh, (over)dramatic twists occurring at least every five to ten minutes of each scene. This constantly shifting arrangement helps keep Berman (as well as millions of viewers) interested. “General Hospital” celebrated its 43rd anniversary this past April, making it the “longest-running daytime drama produced on the west coast.”

“[The show] never stays static,” Berman explains. “It’s enjoyable. It’s not the same boring thing every day. It’s a soap opera; it’s got crazy story lines.”

Her total enjoyment of working — as well as watching the show — comes as a surprise to Berman, as she had never seen the show before joining the cast.

“I was really on the outside when I started,” she recalls. “I had no idea how [soap operas] worked or what went on.”

Berman was no stranger to the entertainment industry, however. While growing up in Santa Monica, Berman’s family was approached by several different talent agents who liked her look and sought to represent her. After signing with the Kellman-Arletta Agency at the age of three, Berman went on to book several national and international commercials.

Over the years, she has starred in over 200 commercials, as well as landed several recurring guest appearances on shows such as “7th Heaven,” “ER” and “Boston Public.” Her long-term commitment to a future in acting makes her consider her contract with “General Hospital” as the true beginning of the road to limelight.

“[‘General Hospital’s’] a really great starting point,” says the former honor student at Marymount High School. “A lot of people begin their careers on a soap opera.”

Never mind the head start she got when she was younger. Berman claims that two things lead her to where she is now; the first being a deep and profound appreciation (bordering on obsession) with the movie “The Princess Bride.”

“I memorized it and preformed it for my family as a 5-year-old,” Berman recalls. “They were like, ‘Maybe she should do acting.’”

So when an agent approached her parents soon after this, offering to help get their cute kid into the acting/modeling world, this natural just took off.

“By the time I was seven, I started getting commercials,” Berman says. “It was fun. I would get to eat cereal the entire time I was promoting some box of cereal. It was great, as a kid. That’s like your dream, to eat cereal all day and play with toys. Then, when I got older, I realized, this is something I could make into a career. It’s not a hobby; it’s something I’m really passionate about.”

Acting became more challenging with time, of course. Working for “General Hospital” proves to have its fair share of hard work for Berman.

“You have to learn how to work with the most outrageous storylines, and try and make them relevant and believable,” she says. “People think of daytime television as something lesser than primetime. It’s hard to break that stereotype; have people give you a bit more credit for the work that you do.”

She pauses to think it over. “There’s a stigma with daytime television. I think a lot of people assume that it doesn’t take much work or talent to be on a daytime television show, but I disagree. We work hard, we get scripts three days in advance, and I have to be prepared. I think it’s hard work and it’s great training.”

Not only is Berman battling stereotypes and fighting for respect despite the daytime-serial-drama handicap, but she’s also playing a character with a heavy past and a lot of expectation to live up to.

“There were a lot of pressures with the character I took on,” Berman explains. “[Lulu] had a really big legacy that was there before her with her parents Luke and Laura. There was a lot of pressure for the character to live up to the legacy [her parents] had begun. It forces me to work harder, and I think it’s a good kind of pressure — to make sure I’m honest about this character, and I work hard every day.”

That doesn’t mean that Berman doesn’t have fun with her character. She’s constantly finding ways to reinvent herself.

“[The show] has me doing the best things; things I would never do in my own life,” she says. “Everything I’ve wanted to do in my real life, I pretty much get to do with this character. [Lulu’s] completely rebellious, fun and crazy, confident and independent.”

Berman pauses, then laughs. “Which isn’t to say that I’m not [those things]. But, she gets away with a lot more than I would.”

Berman hopes to continue with her career, eventually gracing the big screen with her talent. She’s in no rush, however, and seems to love every step of the way.

“I am so happy right now with the way my life is,” she says. “It’s a very good feeling when I go to work.”