‘General Hospital’ Maurice Benard Addresses Sonny Recast
Maurice Benard has been upfront about his mental health struggles over the years. Recently, it kept him away from the set of General Hospital for about two weeks. The soap star had to take a step back from filming to focus on his mental health. There have been rumors that his beloved character Sonny Corinthos might be recast. Here is what the GH star had to say about it.
Maurice Benard Talks About Potentially Being Recast
The General Hospital star found himself in a dark place a few weeks ago. His wife, Paula, and son, Joshua, left to go on a trip to Europe. Maurice Benard stayed home to continue his work on the soap opera and his “State Of Mind” podcast. However, soon he found himself feeling extremely anxious and not wanting to leave the house.
This led him to take two weeks off from filming on the ABC soap. At the time, Maurice shared with fans on his “State Of Mind” podcast that if he had to take another week off, General Hospital would likely have to recast the role of Sonny.
It would be a shock to see anyone but Maurice Benard in the role of Sonny Corinthos. He has portrayed the character on GH since Sonny’s storyline started on August 13, 1993.
He told fans, “If I had to stay away another week. They would have to recast. And I’ll tell you right now, if they had to recast I’d have been in really bad shape.” Many people took this to mean that Maurice Benard was in danger of losing his job on General Hospital due to his mental health struggles.
However, on Tuesday, he took to Instagram to clarify his previous statement. First, he wanted to make it clear that no one on the production team pressured him into returning. He was also not threatened with a recast.
General Hospital Producers Were Supportive Of Maurice
Maurice said, “During a rough period recently, I spoke about being recast and I can’t tell you how generous and great, and amazing Frank Valentini was during that period.”
He continued, “I guess it kind of seemed that some people thought that he was threatening me in in some kind of way to recast if I didn’t come back, and that wasn’t the case at all.” Actually, Maurice said, it was the “exact opposite.” He spoke about how generous executive producer Frank Valentini was in dealing with the situation. In the end, it all worked out. Maurice got back to work when he felt well enough to do so.
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The General Hospital actor captioned the post, “During one of my State of Mind’s, I mentioned that I could be temporarily recast if I didn’t get back to work. And I totally understood Frank Valentini and General Hospital were nothing less than incredible. Frank spoke to my wife, Paula every day, and spoke to me nothing but generous. 2 weeks is a long time, and I was so ready to get back to work!!!”
Sonny Corinthos is one of the main characters in the ABC soap opera. So, it is noticed when he isn’t on for several episodes. In the coming weeks, viewers will see a few Sonny-less episodes reflecting his time off.
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well I certainly wish actor Maurice Bernard will with his person illness. and speedy recovery. that said it’s time for Sonny to go on a long over do vaction and never return.
General Hospital would not be the same without Sonny he is one of my favorite characters flaws and all
Absolutely 💯 % Agree!!!
Agreed! I’ve been concerned for him having to play Sonny-off-his-meds for a while. Very happy to see both Maurice and Sonny getting the support they need!
Maurice take care of yourself. Depression runs in my family. My mother was bipolar and only received treatment later in life (she lived to be 89). My sister is also bipolar and has been on medication for years and functions well. My two other siblings and I have all experienced depression. Be kind to yourself. It has been admirable of you to portray the character as it hits so close to home. I don’t know how you have done this for so long. Keep the faith.
I don’t see why they would fire him over something like this. They have dealt with stars and health issues in the past, including temporary recasting while the actors handled their separate problems.
Maurice you take care feel better soon, you can get back to a good place once again, I have watched you from the start., gh will never be the same without you prayers your way
l hope you get better soon
your mental health is the most important thing right now, I wish you well and hope to see you back soon ❤️
So pleased to hear that you took the time off to take care of “You” ❣️Unfortunately, not everyone follows suit…your health / mental health go hand in hand. God 🙌 🙏
My thoughts and Prayers are with You & Your Family. Yes We will Miss You Dearly but You take care of Yourself & remember You are Loved by many & We all want You to take care. Come back when you are ready we will all be waiting for the Sonny we all kno & Love.
I totally understand what your going thru
My brother & Son both have Bipolar so you are very Special to Me