‘General Hospital’: Maurice Benard Says He Does Not Miss Playing Sonny
Maurice Benard is best known for playing Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital. However, in recent months, Benard has been able to take on a new role. In fact, Benard even revealed that he does not miss playing Sonny.
Maurice Benard has been taking a break from his role as Sonny Corinthos
In late 2020, Sonny suffered an accident when he fell into a river after a bridge collapsed. His friends and family believed he died. However, Sonny later showed up in the town of Nixon Falls, Pennsylvania, with amnesia. He had forgotten his identity and, instead, now goes by the name “Mike.”
Benard has spent the past several months mainly portraying Mike, a simple bartender who works at a bar in Nixon Falls. It’s no doubt a change of pace from the mob lifestyle that Sonny led.
Maurice Benard does not miss playing Sonny
Benard can feel the differences between Sonny and Mike, and he admitted that he is enjoying his time as Mike.
“[Mike] operates in, like, first [gear] and I knew I would have to make him [Mike] more like me — make him laugh more, make him smile more, his hands would be in his pocket,” he told Soap Opera Digest. “You know, [different from] the way Sonny stands, the way he does things. The way Sonny thinks is always, somebody’s out to get him. That’s his thinking process, [whereas] Mike is like, ‘Hey, I’m a good guy. Wanna dance?’”
Benard added, “I’m not really missing playing Sonny. I gotta tell you the truth! And fans are gonna hate me and be on my a— but you know, I’m just an honest guy. I’m not gonna lie to you. Like three weeks ago, I played both characters and Sonny was just — I don’t know what he was! But I felt like taking a shower after I played him [laughs].”
Maurice Benard previews what could happen when Sonny regains his memory
Although Sonny has a wife and kids back in Port Charles, Mike is totally unaware of this. Rather, Mike has been in Nixon Falls and falling in love with Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros). When Sonny eventually regains his memory and realizes Nina had been dishonest with him, Benard believes he would not “react well.”
Benard also shared, “You can lose your memory, but can you lose your heart? That’s the dilemma there, right? [I] think it’s going to be fantastic scenes. I think that’s where we’re going to see who Cynthia Watros really is as an actress and I can’t wait.”
Additionally, Sonny’s wife, Carly Corinthos (Laura Wright), and his right-hand man, Jason Morgan (Steve Burton), are getting married. Benard told Michael Fairman TV that his character would not take this well.
“For him, this is not a good thing,” Benard said of Sonny. “I would assume he’s just going to go, ‘What the…’ and all hell is going to break loose… It’s going to be a great fight when Sonny does return.”
