General Hospital’s Maurice Benard and Eden McCoy Discuss Mental Health

On his YouTube show, State of Mind, General Hospital’s Maurice Benard has welcomed many of his castmates to talk about life, acting, and mental health. On his latest episode, Benard was joined by Sonny’s on-screen step-daughter Eden McCoy (Josslyn Jacks). Benard’s real-life son, Joshua, was also part of the show.

Maurice Benard And The Teens

“We had a great time talking about life, sports, acting, and mental health,” Benard wrote on his Instagram account, posting a short video preview of the talk, as well.

McCoy noted how she plays beach volleyball as a stress reliever and a way to decompress from the worries in her life.

“It’s taught me so many life lessons,” the actress said about the sport. “It’s a part of my life where I just let it all out and I get to use a different part of my brain.”

Joshua chimed in that music is his stress relief, while the older Benard said he’s found that relief in boxing—at least before he hurt his shoulder.

“Boxing has been a Godsend because you’ve got to, especially with mental health, get out of that bed,” the man behind Sonny Corinthos said. “You got to get up, you got to do what you were doing, and for me, working out, meditating, yoga…I wish I had music.”

Benard, admitting he was getting a little emotional, then talked to McCoy about her singing during Mike’s Alzheimer’s story at his funeral, singing a song that “broke his heart.”

The two also talked about how Josslyn is dealing with Sonny’s “death” since she is one of the many in Port Charles who thinks he’s dead, and how she as an actress leaves those emotions behind.

McCoy credited Laura Wright (Carly) with helping her control those emotions, as she had no life experiences of someone close dying to her and that helped her make the scenes more real. The complete show premiered Monday and can be viewed here.