General Hospital star Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos) recently appeared on a podcast hosted by Richard Taite. During the conversation, they touched on a lot of things. However, he also shared his stance on acting versus his mental health. Read on for more details.
Mental Health & Acting
On Tuesday, when Maurice and Richard spoke on the We’re Out of Time podcast, GH fans heard that Maurice probably won’t retire in the immediate future. Additionally, they talked about the most impactful State of Mind podcasts.
Naturally, as he’s been on the ABC daytime drama for so long, Richard also asked about his acting career. Briefly, the real-life Sonny impersonated himself in his role. But then, Taite reminded viewers that Maurice “spent three decades on General Hospital…” Additionally, he “spent five years doing State of Mind helping people.”
Then he asked, “What do you want your legacy to be?” Well, you might expect that acting on General Hospital would be the main legacy that he’d like to be remembered for. However, that’s not entirely the case.
It’s More About Mental Health?
Maurice Benard spoke about how not every man opens up about mental health. In fact, he acknowledged that women, in particular, seem more candid. In fact, Maurice acknowledged their role in public mental health awareness by specifically talking about Patty Duke. However, he noted that he was one of the first men who talked about it.
Explaining more, the General Hospital star said:
And so the legacy has to be something… You know, what’s funny when you asked me that, I think somebody else asked me that. It’s not about the acting, right?…I’ve done well, but it’s not [the acting]. it’s the mental health.
The Coming Out
Richard Taite had no idea the ABC star was the first man from the acting world to take mental health to the world online. So, he seemed impressed, saying Maurice is “Magnificent.” And that’s because others now know they’re “not the only one,” or, “I’m not alone.”
Continuing, the real-life Sonny said, “When I first came out [as bipolar], it was on Oprah.” He talked about how his wife, Paula, didn’t want to be there as she was pregnant, but eventually Oprah persuaded them.
Notably, Maurice Benard felt “proud to do it,” and Greg and Oprah have a lot of reach. Admittedly, the actor didn’t see much of a change about openness toward mental health at the time. But then, along came “the pandemic.”
The Pandemic Made Folks More Aware
He mentioned that he noticed changes from that time, and explained he felt pleased when he saw commercials that started with, “I’m bipolar one. If you’re bipolar…” Happy, he added, “I get a smile every time, man.”
What are your thoughts? Do you love that the impact on mental awareness takes the win over three decades of acting? Let us know in the comments below, and come back here often for all your General Hospital cast news and updates.
