‘General Hospital’ Actor Maurice Benard Landed ‘All My Children’ 1 Year After Getting Out of a Mental Health Facility
Maurice Benard is one of the most recognizable soap stars out there. The actor has been with the long-running soap opera General Hospital for decades and has become known for his role as Sonny Corinthos.
Benard is also an advocate of mental health awareness, having also struggled with it. The actor recently revealed that he landed his role in All My Children one year after getting out of a mental health facility.
Maurice Benard’s role in ‘All My Children’ was written for him
Benard has always been open about his mental health issues. The actor recently sat down with Melissa Claire Egan, whose character on The Young and the Restless attempted suicide after dealing with depression. Benard congratulated Egan for her recent performance as Chelsea Lawson before recounting his own experience with depression.
Benard joined the cast of All My Children in 1987. However, a year before that, he’d found himself in a mental health facility after suffering a mental breakdown. Benard recounted his entry into the soap world by revealing that he’d been confined to a mental health facility.
One year after getting out of the facility, Benard said he landed the role that established him as a revered soap actor. The actor recalled reading for a role and not landing it, saying he was in the makeup seat when the producer announced that they’d filled the part Benard had planned to audition for.
After reading for the role, Benard said the showrunners asked him to return to read for another part, but he didn’t land either of the roles he tried for. However, he was informed that the show would create a role for him. “I desperately needed to get it because what I’d just been through, if I didn’t get it, it may have been too hard for me,” Benard said.
Maurice Benard opened up about his mental health struggles in his book
When Benard was coming up as an actor, his acting coach told him to hide his struggles because they would prevent him from landing jobs. In his book Nothing General About It, Benard recalled fighting with his bipolar diagnosis and mental health issues with a few friends and family.
In the memoir, the actor recalled experiencing “the high end of the bipolar disorder spectrum,” which often saw him battle anxiety, depression and even deal with suicidal thoughts that led him to manic outbursts, violence, and eventually, hospitalization.
Benard chronicled some of the most severe manic episodes, including one when he was 21 that saw him become so violent that his parents had to get the police involved. He revealed that he received a bipolar diagnosis at 22 years old, and the doctor prescribed him lithium, which helped him immensely in managing his bipolar disorder.
The actor also recounted an incident in 1993 when he suffered his third breakdown. According to him, since he hadn’t disclosed his struggles, his costars and crew members on the set of GH believed he was just too deep into the character.
Maurice Benard almost quit ‘General Hospital’
Benard began playing his award-winning role as Sonny Corinthos on August 13, 1993. The role has helped him land several award nominations and wins. While fans adore the mobster, they almost lost out on a chance to see Benard in his full glory, as one of his manic episodes almost pushed him to quit playing Sonny on GH.
Sharing a sweet tribute to GH‘s producer on Instagram, Benard revealed that Shelley Curtis convinced him to stay on the show after wanting to quit three weeks in. Benard got vulnerable, revealing that he had suffered his third breakdown and was ready to throw in the towel, but Curtis, who felt he had more to offer, encouraged him by reading his lines with him.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.
