Nicholas Alexander Chavez Had 'Whole Body Shakes' on His First Day on Set of General Hospital (Exclusive)

To say that Nicholas Alexander Chavez was nervous on his first day in Port Charles would be an understatement.

The actor, who has made waves as Lyle Menendez in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and in Grotesquerie, got his start on General Hospital in 2021, and he tells PEOPLE he "could barely get the words out" on his first day.

"I had done an acting conservatory, I had done these plays, but I hadn't actually, really, been in front of a camera before," he says. "And I remember the first day that I was on camera for General Hospital, I was so nervous. I had whole body shakes."

Chavez, 25, played Spencer Cassadine on the soap opera for two years, a decision he now calls "one of the best things for me."

"I mean, the soap world is such an interesting world to be a part of — such an interesting world to come up in and experience. And I got to work with such talented people," he says.

There was certainly a bit of a transition period, though, considering he went from "selling cars and life insurance" in Florida during the pandemic to booking the recurring role.

"I was still getting auditions, and I caught this one audition for General Hospital. And I was like, 'Okay, I'm going to really try to get this,'" he recalls.

The self-tape led to his first-ever "professional callback," which took him to Los Angeles.

"I get there, and I'm staying at the hotel, I'm trying to get all of my lines down, and then the day comes. And I'm standing in a room with 20 of the most handsome guys that I've ever seen in my entire life. And I'm like, 'Jeez.'"

"I go back into the room and I'm just trying to center myself. And I'm like, 'Okay, I'm just going to be myself. I'm just going to bring all that I am and all that I can to this, because at the end of the day, that's all that I can do. And if I have to go back to selling cars after this, at least I can say that I had this experience. At least I can say that I gave this thing my all,'" he remembers thinking.

"And then they called me the next day and they said, 'Don't fly back to Florida.' Basically [it was like], 'You start on Monday.'"

The General Hospital cast was "really supportive," Chavez says, especially since it was all so new to him.

"It took me a second to get my footing. But then as my confidence grew, I just felt more and more comfortable. And I was really, really lucky that after a couple of years of being on that show, I got the opportunity to audition for Monsters."

He says he "couldn't be more grateful" to the show — and to the producers — for letting him take the Monsters role and step away from Port Charles. (After taking a leave of absence in the summer of 2023, Chavez officially announced his exit from the soap in May.)

Looking back, he says of General Hospital, "It's kind of an interesting, weird path — a weird way in — but [the show] gave me all the experience and connected me to a really interesting aspect of TV and entertainment culture."

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Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story can be streamed on Netflix and Grotesquerie airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX.