General Hospital star Maurice Benard opens up about 30-year role in soap opera and his battle with bipolar disorder in interview with New York Post

Top 5 Takeaways:

1. Maurice Benard, who has played mob boss Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital for three decades, initially feared that he would lose his job after having his third manic episode when he first started on the show.
2. Despite this rocky start, Benard has won three Daytime Emmys and credits the fans for the show’s continued success. He believes that the prescription for success is “a lot of hard work” and “fans who are more loyal than any fans in the whole world.”
3. Benard, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, has used his experiences with the condition to inform his portrayal of Sonny, who also has bipolar disorder. He has made some different choices as an actor for the character, which have made Sonny more likable to the audience.
4. While Sonny initially started out as more of a villain than an antihero, Benard’s choices have helped him become half of his own soap supercouple, as the dark and dangerous older man seducing trust-fund diva Brenda (Vanessa Marcil) in the ’90s.
5. Benard has been married to Paula Smith for 33 years, and they have four children together. He wishes he could have acted alongside Demi Moore, who played Jackie Templeton on the soap from 1982 to 1984, but is grateful for the opportunity to play Sonny Corinthos for over 30 years.

“General Hospital” actor Maurice Benard recently gave an interview to the New York Post about his three-decade-long stint as Sonny Corinthos on the iconic ABC soap opera. He revealed that he initially feared that it would be a short gig as he had his third manic episode when he first started, but the producers were incredibly loyal and didn’t fire him.

Despite this rocky start, Benard has won three Daytime Emmys in his decades on the show, which is the longest-running scripted drama on TV. On Saturday, the show celebrated its 60th anniversary, and Benard credits the fans for its continued success.

“The prescription for success is ‘a lot of hard work’ and ‘fans who are more loyal than any fans in the whole world’,” he said.

Benard, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 22, also discussed how his own experiences with the condition have informed his portrayal of Sonny, who also has bipolar disorder. He explained that he has made some different choices as an actor for the character, and the audience started to like him.

When he was offered the choice to play one of two gangsters on the show — dimpled Brooklynite Sonny Corinthos or nepo-baby mobster Damian Smith — he chose Sonny. “I said, ‘Ah, that’s a cool name!'”

While Sonny initially started out as more of a villain than an antihero, Benard made some different choices as an actor for the character, and the audience started to like him. Sonny became half of his own soap supercouple later in the ’90s, as the dark and dangerous older man seducing trust-fund diva Brenda (Vanessa Marcil).

Despite his successful run on the show, Benard wishes he had the chance to act alongside Demi Moore, who played Jackie Templeton on the soap from 1982 to 1984. However, he is grateful for the opportunity to play Sonny Corinthos for over 30 years.

“It’s been a great run,” he said.

Off-screen, Benard has been married to Paula Smith for 33 years, and they have four children together. He also embraces his age, including his gray hair.

“Sometimes my hairdresser paints a little more, sometimes less,” he said with a laugh. “It is what it is.”

Source: New York Post URL: https://nypost.com/2023/04/01/general-hospital-star-maurice-benard-on-soaps-60-years/ Date published: April 1, 2023