Maurice Benard (Sonny, GH), whose Port Charles alter ego is known for bucking the law, is charged with upholding it in the new flick Equal Treatment, which is now available to rent and stream at www.equalstandardmovie.com. was drawn to the project in part because of the passion of its creator, Taheim Bryan, who not only wrote the script but co-directed and produced (Ice-T served as executive producer). “It was a labor of love from Taheim,” praises Benard. “He did this movie for, like, $100,000 on a credit card. He had a very strong vision. Taheim’s movie is really relevant to what’s going on in the country with cops and African-Americans. He’s a great guy, a smart guy, and very talented, obviously. I went to New York for a few days to do this because I liked the script and the director and when I watched the movie, I felt like I had some really nice moments.”
The lead character in the film is played by ONE LIFE TO LIVE alum Tobias Truvillion (ex-Vincent), while Benard takes on the role of Captain Chavat Issak. Benard notes this his character, a cop, “is so different from Sonny. Sometimes that’s difficult, because in this role, I can’t use my hands. I had to keep them to the side because he’s straightforward, and I had to change the way he speaks. When I played a priest in a Mickey Rourke movie, I didn’t use my hands, either. It’s a very different feeling and it’s hard, because I’m so used to playing Sonny for 27 years. In this movie, there are good cops and bad cops, and Tobias’s character has kind of been framed, and I’m his captain and I’m an honest guy, as is Tobias, and I’m trying to help him. I’ve got a small role but it’s kind of important, especially for Tobias’s character. He has nobody to be friends with, except his wife, because everybody else is looking at him [with suspicion] because he shot a cop.”
The actor enjoyed his scenes with Truvillion. “He’s a cool guy. He’s a really good actor. We didn’t talk a lot, but there was mutual respect and it was nice. One day, we had to do scenes inside a real police precinct and it was so hot, I’m telling you, I could not breathe. It was a closed space and I thought I was going to have a panic attack; it felt like a sauna. But you do what you’ve got to do!”
When he did watch the finished product, he did so with a critical eye. “The only thing I’m really cool with is watching Sonny on GH,” he admits. “I’ve done it so long, it’s almost like my friend’s acting. But when I do a movie, it’s almost more personal because I want it to be great.” His most honest feedback, as always, came from wife Paula, who gave the movie a thumbs up. “She knows about budgets and all of that and she said that for the amount of money Taheim had, it’s fantastic.”
