Maurice Benard Announces Huge News On Johnny Wactor State Of Mind

Fans of General Hospital’s Maurice Benard’s YouTube State Of Mind video podcast were rewarded with a huge news announcement and an added dose of dreamy Johnny Wactor on the side.

State Of Mind Is Going Global!

Yes, you heard that right. Benard (Sonny Corinthos) inked a deal with Indistry Media, an Arts and Entertainment Network, to take the little show that he started live in his car on Instagram Stories and continued on YouTube to the next level and a wider audience. “I didn’t know if it was going to work,” recounted Benard. “Who does that? But you guys came every Sunday, even when I was in bad shape during the pandemic.

“Then I was asked to go to YouTube. And I said ‘No!’ because I say no to everything but I end up doing it,” laughed Benard. “And now it’s been one year exactly. It’s going to be like State Of Mind on steroids. Anyway, that’s the news. Come with me!”

Look for a new set, and even more compelling guests as the-little-show-that-could goes international in the spring of this year. He assured the audience that State Of Mind would continue on YouTube for a while as they build up the audience even more (currently at 53.3K subscribers and counting) before moving on to interview his friend and coworker, Johnny Wactor (Brando Corbin).

Johnny Wactor On Channelling ‘The Beast’ Within

Benard teased the subject matter on an issue both actors share – a struggle with rage. “What I like about him is that he has something that I have,” confided the Daytime Emmy-winning star. “He has an animal inside of him, like rage, a beast. He just doesn’t know how to tame it yet, but he will. When he does, he is going to be someone to reckon with as an actor.”

Wactor humbly responded to his praise, “I’ve got to tell you that it is so supremely awkward to be having my a** kissed and just listening to it sitting so close to you but I appreciated the accolades, man.

“I think that it is probably healthy in a way, especially in the beginning.” Wactor went on to explain, “In a way, it is probably a form of therapy. Because that rage, that anger is there. It is bottled up. I think that the rage is a result of other things that have caused it so it feels good to let it out, but you are not taking care of the rage that is causing it.”

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Benard agreed and reacted to what Wactor described as “the Christian Bale moment” when an actor loses it on the set. “I don’t like scaring people, because I am not a bad person, and it does make me feel bad after. But we need the beast to be good actors.”

Both men discussed the use of corporal punishment in their homes growing up, and the emotional baggage that it creates on mental health. “I’m glad that you mentioned it. That is what my dad did, and his dad did,” acknowledged Wactor. “ It’s a learned method of discipline. Mental health these days has gained so much traction. It is much more acceptable to go see a therapist. It is not as taboo. We go to the gym for physical health, why not do the same thing for our mental, emotional, and spiritual?”

The actors revealed other shared experiences, their troubled relationships with their fathers, the deep love between fathers and sons, and their grief when their fathers passed this year. Wactor disclosed the effects of untreated alcoholism within the home, the importance of finding a balance within, controlling the “beast” and coming out on the other side.

Don’t miss this powerful episode. To follow Maurice Benard on Twitter, Instagram, or State of Mind.

For more about Maurice Benard’s big news announcement, watch his Instagram recording below, where he is also joined by Johnny Wactor and GH’s Marcus Coloma (Nikolas).

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 General Hospital spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.