General Hospital’s Sonny’s Darkest Storyline Was Actually Inspired By Maurice Benard Real Life Struggles

Contrary to popular belief, celebrities are neither more mentally stable nor less affected by the mental illnesses they may face. While they may have more access to professional help, some conditions will not go away just because of the TV show or movie they star in.

Perhaps the best way to deal with the aftermath of mental health struggles is to let them fuel your work and spread awareness to others. This is the path taken by Maurice Benard, who has been portraying a mobster Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital for the past 30 years.

The actor opened up about the heartbreaking details of what joining General Hospital in 1993 did to his mental health. Unfortunately, the stress brought him to the breaking point almost immediately:

“Two weeks in, I began hearing voices. At the end of the two weeks, I was completely delusional. Since I’m a method actor, the people at work thought I was just really into the role. At home, I began behaving like my character — mean, tough and lethal,” Benard wrote in his book Nothing General About It.

The storyline, which delves deep into Sonny's bipolar disorder and violent tendencies, aired in the early '00s. It's fair to say that there wasn't a lot of content on television that portrayed mental health struggles in a realistic, non-stigmatizing way. Having an actor who had first-hand experience with the disorder was also beneficial to the show.

Many people, including the cast and crew of General Hospital, saw the actor's decision to portray what he was going through in real life on the screen as very brave, while Maurice Benard himself called it “method acting without them knowing it”. It turns out that he always saw Sonny as bipolar in his head, but never said so out loud.

To keep up with what's going on in Sonny Corinthos' life now, don't miss new episodes Monday through Friday on ABC.

Source: Nothing General About It, BP Magazine