Why Maurice Benard Loves Working at General Hospital As Sonny

Maurice Benard has played Sonny Corinthos for over 25 years. Occasionally, he steps away from General Hospital to take on another role. As many actors can attest, Hollywood doesn’t always have a rhyme or reason on when he’ll land a role.

Maurice Benard Talks Non-Sonny Roles

“For 26 years,” Maurice Benard told attendees in a GH Fantasy event when discussing the mercurial world of show business. “I couldn’t get arrested as an actor. I couldn’t get a job [outside of General Hospital]. Two years ago, something clicked and I started getting other jobs,” he pointed out.

A quick glance of the actor’s credits shows that things actually started to switch up a little bit back in 2015 when Maurice Benard (Sonny) was cast as Ridge in the film Joy. The following year he guested on an episode of the Nathan Fillion (ex-Joey, One Life to Live) series Castle. Then came a part in the film Nightmare Cinema.

My Two Mobsters

“I played John Gotti,” Benard says of his turn as the late mobster in the Lifetime project Victoria Gotti: My Father’s Daughter. While he’s appreciated all the work he’s landed outside of daytime drama, Benard says there’s nothing quite like working on General Hospital as Sonny.

“It’s hard [doing other projects] because you have to wait around,” he notes of the long shooting days in films and primetime TV shows. “You’re in a little trailer. You’re working with people you don’t know.”

Maurice Benard on New Territory

Working on unfamiliar sets is something that Maurice Benard likens to something from childhood. “It’s like going to school for the first day, which I hate,” he says. Benard isn’t afraid of new challenges, however. His memoir — Nothing General About It — was published. The actor won the coveted Christopher Award for his New York Times best-selling tome.

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.