General Hospital Star Maurice Benard Weighs In On Playing Mike

These past five months, General Hospital fans have definitely seen the softer side of Maurice Benard, as the actor aptly transitioned from playing stern mobster Sonny Corinthos to a more kind character, Mike, thanks to Sonny’s bout of amnesia.

A New Side Of Maurice Benard

After having played Sonny for close to three decades, fans are loving seeing this new side of Benard’s talent, which includes plenty of smiles and a gentler way of life — things that would probably frustrate his original character to no end.

Frank Valentini, the executive producer of GH, sent out a Tweet previewing that Sonny and Nina (Cynthia Watros) will be getting closer and closer this week, and that set off a string of responses from fans and cast about the storyline. Most notably, Benard himself weighed in on the enjoyment he’s having with his new character.

“I wanted different energy something totally different with Mike than what I do with Sonny,” he wrote. “I can imagine people don’t like change. But after playing the same character for 28 years, I’m having a lot of fun, and I love [Watros].”

In another Tweet, Laura Wright, who plays Sonny’s wife, Carly, expressed her opinion as well. “I love watching you !!! You’re a star my friend !!!” she wrote. “You make a black cowboy hat look good !!!” Benard was quick to reply. “Thank you Laura At some point Sonny’s/Mike is going to get his memory back,” he said. “And we’re gonna have a hell of a lot to play. BIG TIME”

Fans are definitely looking forward to Sonny recovering his memories and the reaction he’ll have to Nina over what she’s kept from him, but at the same time, don’t want that moment to come too soon because they’re enjoying his Mike moments so much.

But perhaps Sonny will take some of Mike’s characteristics and become something of a hybrid of the two, which would spare Nina, and also create something of an interesting triangle with her and Carly. We’re excited to see what happens next! General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes.