Since his 1993 debut as Sonny Corinthos, Maurice Benard has been paired with a lot of different leading ladies on General Hospital. The actor recently sat down with some fans and shared his thoughts on many of the women he’s been paired with and which one(s) are considered the great loves of Sonny’s life.
At a GH Fantasy Event last month, Maurice Benard was asked about the women in Sonny’s life. He says he’s a lucky man in that he’s currently working with two performers he calls “such great actors” and those women are, of course, Laura Wright (Carly Corinthos) and Cynthia Watros (Nina Reeves). He applauds the latter for doing such an amazing job during the Nixon Falls/”Mike” storyline in which Nina kept the secret from Sonny’s loved ones that he was alive but had amnesia.
“I knew going into [that] story that it was going to be tough going for Cynthia,” Benard shared with GH Fantasy Event attendees, hastening to add, “not her as an actress — for the character. It had too much baggage.” Benard feels that Watros was able to humanize Nina and earn audience support through her heartfelt performances. “Because of her talent, she’s been not only able to survive but turn it around,” Benard raves. “She’s amazing.”
Asked how many love interests Sonny’s had, Benard dryly noted, “Too many to even count!” How about true loves of his life? “He’s only loved maybe…three,” Benard muses. He says Nina is counted in this group, but points out “that’s Mike loving her — not Sonny. [There have been] three or four altogether.”
As to one of his first co-stars, Cari Shayne (Karen), Benard says, “Sonny didn’t love Karen. He cared about her but he didn’t love her. That’s in the beginning when he was a bad guy.”
There have been many other women in Sonny’s life over the years including Lily (Lilly Melgar), Kate/Connie (Megan Ward; Kelly Sullivan), and Margaux (Elizabeth Hendrickson), and, of course, all the different Carlys (Sarah Brown, Tamara Braun, Jennifer Bransford, and Laura Wright). Maurice Benard says fans often try to pin him down as to who his ultimate favorite is — Carly or Brenda (Vanessa Marcil). “I always say I love the one I’m with the most,” he offers.
General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Port Charles, check out all the latest that’s been posted on GH spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.
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