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Interview!

ICYMI: GH's Maurice Benard Gets Personal

© Howard Wise/jpistudios.com310 657 9661
- © Howard Wise/jpistudios.com 310-657-9661 Credit: JPI

It’s not a great time to be Sonny Corinthos — his kid is dead, he’s facing a jail term, his marriage has hit the skids — but it is a great time to be the actor playing him. Maurice Benard chatted with Digest about all the drama in Sonny’s world — and how he’s managed to keep it out of his own.

Soap Opera Digest: When did you find out that they were going to kill off Morgan, and what was your reaction?

Maurice Benard: Bryan [Craig, ex-Morgan], he was like a son to me on the set. I really, really loved working with a young kid that good. It was sickening! It was just amazing. He came to me pretty early and said he was thinking of leaving — and part of me wanted to say, “Don’t!” But I knew he was too good to stay, and sure enough, now he’s got a movie. He’s going to do well out there. Later, Frank [Valentini, executive producer] came to me and said that they were going to kill him off. I said, “Oof! But that’s great story.” And that was that.

Digest: We’ve gotten a few comments from viewers who feel like killing Morgan off was a negative message to send to people who are struggling with bipolar disorder. What are your thoughts on that?

Benard: That’s actually a good question, but the thing that we have to remember is, we’re not all perfect in the TV world, and the fact is that Bryan did that story so beautifully, and it was so beautifully told. Coming from a guy who is bipolar, it was written as realistically as you can be on a soap opera. You may not get the ending you want, but you’ve got to have drama.

Digest: Before you shot Sonny finding out about the explosion, were you excited? Nervous? What is your vibe on a heavy day like that?

Benard: Anybody who knows me knows that I personalize everything and I make it as real as I can make it, and it’s gotten me in the past. This time, with this story, I was 100 percent ready to do it and felt that my state of mind was perfect. So I just did what I do and let it fly. It’s been great, because I leave it on the set and I go home and everything’s fine.

Digest: To what do you attribute this positive turn?
Benard: I just went through something about six months ago, and I think you get to a point where you learn what your triggers are. By learning, it doesn’t happen again; you stay in your good state of mind. That could be because of my age and experience, but I think I have learned what to do, which is leave it on the set. Now, if I feel like there’s too much stress, or I’m taking on too much, I know to just stop, as opposed to going, “I can do this, I can do this.” That’s when it can get kind of shaky.

Digest: Shelly Altman and Jean Passanante have been co-headwriting the show for a while now. Have you been pleased with their grasp of Sonny?

Benard: Yeah, I’m very pleased with the writing. And let me just say, I’m pleased with the editing, the producing — Frank has been very delicate with all this, and I appreciate that in him. But the writing, the story, the way it’s going — you know, every story — daytime, movies, prime-time — it’s all been done a thousand times over. It’s how you do it [that matters]. And I believe this time, it has just been done very smart and very delicate. I think that’s why people are into it.

Digest: Sonny’s facing the possibility of going to jail now because of how Morgan died. Do you think he feels like that’s what he deserves?
Benard: Oh, yeah. He feels like, if he doesn’t kill himself, he can at least go to prison. All these fans who go, “Oh, Sonny has never paid for his lifestyle, for his crimes,” well, that’s why I’m doing this acting. For them. So that they can know that Sonny is suffering. So, all those people going, “He doesn’t pay, he doesn’t pay,” well, what are you gonna say now?

Digest: The Carly/Sonny fans are kind of torn up right now, because they’re not together. But are you glad that they have some kind of obstacle to work through?
Benard: Yeah, because I think Sonny and Carly are actually better in their own worlds, trying to get back into one world. They’re too dysfunctional and too volatile to be together too long. There’s more stuff going on now, right? Am I going to see her, am I not going to see her, what’s going to happen? That’s stuff to play. I know the “Carson” fans, they’re like [in panicked voice], “They ain’t together!” But hey! Everything in time.

Digest: Sonny has two surviving sons, Dante and Michael. How do you see his relationships with them at this stage?

Benard: Michael’s a traitor. He hates me, boy — [adopts sneering tone] “My dad, my dad!” But Dante’s cool; he’s coming around. I love Dominic [Zamprogna, Dante]. I love Chad [Duell, Michael], too, I’m just joking about Michael. They’re both great. All my kids are great!

Digest: As if Sonny doesn’t have enough to worry about, all of a sudden, Jax is back in the mix.
Benard: I love Ingo [Rademacher]. We’re friends and he’s kind of funny, so we laugh and do Snapchats. As characters, though, we just hate each other. Sonny hates him! I did a scene today where I talked about him like I wanted to tear his head off! But me and Ingo, we’re so far from that.

Digest: What are your thoughts about how the Sonny/Jason relationship is evolving? I thought it was pretty heavy when Sonny told him, “I can’t count on you anymore.”
Benard: I dug that. It’s being written so true to who Sonny is. When I first read those scenes, I was like, “Oof.” So what I really wanted to convey was the pain and the longing. One thing about Billy [Miller, Jason] that I dig is that I get to play with him that I know he would take anyone down for me. He plays that protector thing really well. Plus, he’s so big, you know [laughs]?

Billy Miller, Dominic Zamprogna, Maurice Benard "General Hospital" Set The Prospect Studios ABC Studios 09/19/16 © ChrisD/jpistudios.com 310-657-9661 Episode # 13660 U.S. Airdate 10/12/16

JPI

Digest: How do you think Sonny will react if he finds out that Ava was tampering with Morgan’s medication?
Benard: Well, it’s not going to be good, but it’s going to be a great story! I love working with Maura [West, Ava]. You never see a lead actor treat a woman like Sonny treats Ava — you just don’t see that! It’s rare. I love working with her, but I treat her like a dog! And I’m really into it, not that I like treating women like dogs! What I love about what Maura does with me is that she plays it like she feels for me. She doesn’t look at me like I’m the worst person in the world.

Digest: Speaking of Sonny’s treatment of women, what did you think of those scenes this summer where Sonny kind of roughed up Alexis at her house?
Benard: Yeah, I felt that it was written a bit harsh. But, you know, some days you gotta go in and do what you gotta do! Maybe it’s not on point in terms of what you’ve got to say. I probably justified it somehow in my head, I just don’t remember how.

Digest: It’s been nice to see the uptick in your scenes with Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis).
Benard: I love my scenes with Nancy. Nancy just knows how to subtly make the right choices and you can tell that there’s a lot of love between those two characters.

Maurice Benard, Nancy Lee Grahn GENERAL HOSPITAL Fan Club Weekend - Main Event Embassy Suites Glendale Glendale, CA 7/30/16 © Jill Johnson/jpistudios.com 310-657-9661

JPI

Digest: And we all loved the scenes between Sonny and Robin on the bridge.
Benard: I thought that was a great twist, that Robin was the one to come and talk Sonny down. From the past, every time we do scenes together, Kimberly [McCullough, Robin] breaks my heart. She makes me cry like a baby! I enjoyed the way it looked, the way she played it. It was great.

Maurice Benard, Kimberly McCullough "General Hospital" Set The Prospect Studios ABC Studios 10/04/16 © XJJOHNSON/jpistudios.com 310-657-9661 Episode # 13672 U.S. Airdate 10/27/16

JPI

Digest: You told me that you didn’t watch the scenes where Sonny and Carly had Morgan committed because you felt that it might be too much for you. Do you find yourselves making those decisions often — “This I want to see”, “This I don’t want to see”?
Benard: I do. It’s funny. As Sonny, I don’t mind watching GH, and what I do, every so often, because I’ve been doing it so long and I like the drama of GENERAL HOSPITAL. I watch it sometimes like a fan; I’m into the stories and whatnot. But when I do movies outside of here, or jobs outside of here, I have to have my wife or other people see it first. Because if they say I suck, I ain’t watching it!

Digest: Okay, who in the Benard household is saying that you suck?
Benard: My wife would never say suck, but she would say, “You weren’t that good, honey.” When we did our own movie [The Ghost and the Whale], I did a monologue that I thought was spectacular and she came out and said, “Uh, that wasn’t good at all.” And she was right! I saw the dailies! But I think the funeral show, where Sonny confesses, I’m not watching until I have her watch.

Digest: When you watch GH, do you watch the whole thing, or just your stuff?
Benard: It depends. Every so often, if I’m not watching at all, and I do something that I want to see, I’ll watch just what I do. But right now, I’m watching the whole show from top to bottom, watching everybody just kick butt.

Digest: I hear from a lot of the younger actors on the show, even ones you don’t work with terribly often, like Hayley Erin (Kiki), about what a mentor you have been to them. Do you ever watch with a sense of pride, knowing, “I helped this person”?
Benard: For me, bigger than anything that I do, has been to help young actors — like Bryan, like Steve [Burton, ex-Jason], like Vanessa [Marcil, ex-Brenda] — and watch them become these great actors. There’s nothing better! I feel like a father, even though I’m not that old. It makes me feel great.

Digest: In real life, you’re a proud father of four. How is everybody doing?

Benard: They’re all great! My buddy, Joshua, is in soccer and he’s having a great time. Cailey is in school at USD, Heather’s in school, college, and Cassidy is just hanging out at home. She’s 17. I have a great relationship with my kids. There are things that I think that I could have been better at, that I’m still working on with my kids, with my wife. But for the most part, we’re all just tight. We’re a tight family; we’re like friends. We love each other. I get emotional even talking about it.

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Digest: In terms of how satisfying you find the work, does a darker, unhappier Sonny make for a better work day for you, because there’s more to chew on?
Benard: Yeah. Doing the stuff I’m doing now, it’s like doing another character in another project —  it almost feels like I’m doing a character and not Sonny, Everyday Sonny. Everyday Sonny, I’m so used to it, 24 years. Now, I’ve got to get into this thing, inside this dark place in his gut, and it’s so much better to play when you have the great material and you can really dig your teeth into some meat.

Digest: So, these days, because you’re in a place where you leave it all at the set, when you’re done with a scene, do you start joking around? Do you give hugs?
Benard: Yeah, you hear me joking with you, because I’m done, I’m good. I just did some emotional stuff upstairs; I had to play drunk and whatever I had to do, but I left it, and here I am joking with you. If this would have been years ago, I wouldn’t be able to be like this. You would hear, like [moans in agony]. But now, I’m cool! It’s all good. I love being this way, man.

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