Maurice Benard Reveals Why He Said Yes To Playing John Gotti!

General Hospital doesn’t air on the weekends, but Maurice Benard fans can still see the actor on TV Saturday night as mob boss John Gotti in the Lifetime movie Victoria Gotti: My Father’s Daughter.

Benard shared with TV Insider the reason why he wanted to take on the role. “To be honest with you, I was questioning whether I was good or not,” the actor says. “I didn’t know for sure. When I got back to GH from filming Gotti, I realized that Sonny’s not Gotti.”

The actor noted that there’s less pressure playing someone who’s already passed on. If they’re alive and involved in the film, they might easily be on set watching.

“I’d played [the late] Desi Arnaz (in the 1990 TV movie Lucy and Desi: Before the Laughter) and Frances Fisher (ex-Suzette, Guiding Light) played Lucy,” said Benard. “If John were alive and in the room with me when I had to play him, there’d be pressure.”

Benard notes there was some strain he felt when it came to bringing the don to life for TV.

“My pressure was that there wasn’t much on him. You can go to YouTube and see a video of him when he’s older. I didn’t use that. There was another one when he’s talking to Victoria and her son. He says, ‘I’m your grandfather! You don’t mess with me!’”

Don’t miss Benard’s performance as John Gotti this weekend! Victoria Gotti: My Father’s Daughter airs on Lifetime at 8 p.m. on Saturday, February 9.

General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes.