You’ve been in the business for a long time, and Cyrus is one of many bad guys you’ve played. Why do you think you tend to be cast as a villain — is it your look, which is somewhat imposing? “A fair question! The look is definitely part of it, and the fact that I feel things really deeply, and I lived in personal darkness for a very long time. To express the darkness of someone else is not a big thing for me. It’s actually a relief to let that part of the personality and that part of life see the light of day. There’s a sense of just relief and sometimes even glee to let that be alive.”
When you were introduced last year, right away you had to go up against Maurice Benard (Sonny), and I think it made an impression on viewers that you didn’t seem at all intimidated by him. “That’s interesting. Yeah, well, they wrote it that way. One of the things about being a bad guy and being around as long as I’ve been around, they bring me into situations and make me so bad, they make other people look good! I think that’s good for Sonny, for his character. He’s mafia! He’s been involved in organized crime for 30 years now. So now we’re shining a light on the fact that he’s a criminal, but he’s a good criminal. ‘You could have this criminal or you could have this criminal — he’s really bad.’ ”
With Sonny presumed dead, Cyrus is dealing more directly with Carly. How have you enjoyed working with her portrayer, Laura Wright? “What’s really interesting about her is that we did a scene not too long ago where I really saw how much her character hated my character, but in the moment, it didn’t feel like her character hating my character, it felt like her hating me! I thought, ‘No! Don’t hate me, I’m good! We’re friends, right?’ She is just another multi-talented, multifaceted character. A lot of fun.”
Cyrus’s dynamic with Jordan has also changed recently; she’s started standing up to his demands. What is it like working with Briana Nicole Henry (Jordan)? “I so look forward to us having scenes together. I’m a reprehensible character, but the way they write this stuff, I get to actually just sort of pretend I’m not reprehensible and pretend we’re friends, old friends: ‘We’ve gone through the war together, we’ve got history.’ I get to just talk to her like a friend and she just comes right back at me. She’s always looking for ways to come at me and they finally started writing that and I don’t like it! I don’t like that a lot; I’d rather have the power. The power is much more fun than the not power. But I guess it’s gotta go back and forth. I love working with her. She is just a powerhouse. The people that they’ve put me with are people who really have some acting chops and who really are willing to engage at least as far as their partner is willing to take it, so that’s a good thing.”
Do you have a message for the GH fans who’ve been loving to hate you as Cyrus? “Thanks for watching! I really appreciate it and I hope to keep having fun — and if you have to hate me, do it gently [laughs]. Some of them really just hate, but oh, boy, did I mess them up when I showed them Cyrus’s inner secrets and his broken heart [over Florence’s rejection]. They’re like, ‘But wait, I feel bad for him now!’ That’s been my favorite so far.”
