General Hospital star Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos) went on his State of Mind podcast again on Sunday and he hosted actor Larry Romano. It took time to get to a discussion about mental health, but eventually the duo got there.
Larry Spoke A Lot About Acting
If you don’t know, the podcast focuses on addressing much-needed mental health awareness. When Maurice introduced Larry, he reminded folks that he’s more than an actor. Actually, he’s also a musician. Additionally, he mentioned roles by Larry in movies like The King of Queens and The Thin Red Line.
The duo discussed rock music, other actors, and much more. However, at the 21:37 mark during the discussion, Maurice Benard asked, “Do you have any mental…” Interrupted by Larry Romano, the musician and artist opened up a bit about it.
The Mental Health Segment
Larry told Maurice that he talked about it with his cousin, Dominic. He added, “You know, we talk about people who experience…depression.” Then he explained that he lived in St. Louis but spent time working in Los Angeles. Happy in St. Louis, he explained that he held been working in LA.
Next, he elaborated, saying, “LA’s not really my home, right? And it’s not really probably the best place to go to a place when you’re a little down if you’re not really home.” So, he said to his cousin, “I don’t know, man. I’m kind of depressed.”
Dealing With Depression
Well, Larry Romano elaborated on how his cousin reacted. He told Larry, “Don’t say that. Don’t say you’re depressed. Don’t say it.” Larry’s cousin seemed to think that if Larry was depressed, then that would make him depressed as well. So, he accused him of “putting that in my mind.”
The discussion with Maurice revealed that Larry and his cousin chatted about how not speaking about depression “for the last three weeks” saw the depression lift. Thinking back, Larry was able to tell the ABC star, “all I had to do is have a conversation with my cousin who’s, you know, not a psychiatrist.”
What Helps?
Asked by the real-life Sonny Corinthos what “depression feels like” to him, Romano said that it feels like:
Life is slipping, life has slipped by, opportunities have slipped by or I didn’t make the most out of out of an opportunity or people are gone…
Next, Larry told the GH actor, “I don’t watch the news anymore,” arguing, “you know they just…design [news] to make you argue with your friends.” Then he claimed, “And I’m like, just not doing it, man.” Obviously, the news makes him feel bad, so he avoids it.
What helps, the GH actor heard, is that, Romano’s been “listening to a Shaolin Monk.” Additionally, he listened to “Bruce Lee stuff.” Well, it seems that he learned to stay grounded.
For example, he noted, “Stay like right here. You’re in Los Angeles, California right now. We’re sitting here together. This is great. Stay in the moment. Stay in the moment, man.”
Fans React
In the discussion area, fans of the ABC show felt grateful that once again, Maurice Benard had a guest with ideas on coping with depression. One of them said, “Thanks for having Larry Romano on State of Mind!”
Here are a few more remarks:
Do you enjoy the way Maurice gets his guests to open up about their mental health experiences? Does it help you? Let us know in the comments below, and remember to come back here for all your General Hospital cast news and updates.
