‘GH’ Icon Maurice Benard Hints He’s Nearing Retirement After Nearly 30 Years As Sonny
‘General Hospital’ veteran Maurice Benard admits that he’ll be retiring from acting ‘soon enough.’ He’s played Sonny on the ABC soap since 1993.
General Hospital without Sonny Corinthos — is it even possible?! Maurice Benard revealed in the latest episode of his State of Mind YouTube series that he may be gearing up to retire from acting soon rather than later.
“If I ever left [General Hospital], I would want to bring this State of Mind [to] a place where I could make a good enough living to just do this. I think there’s less pressure here for me, and I can still work with mental health,” he said. Maurice added, “But acting… I don’t know when, but soon enough I’ll be done with it. Sorry. I hate to say that, but it’s the truth.”
The 59-year-old soap veteran did admit that he’s “really happy” on General Hospital right now. “If you know me, you know it’s in waves how happy I am on General Hospital. Up and down, up and down,” he continued.
Maurice has played Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital since 1993. His mobster character quickly became a fan favorite on GH. The actor is a 3-time Daytime Emmy winner for his performance as Sonny. However, he noted that “acting isn’t what it was when I was young… Sometimes it’s difficult and it hits me in places to act that I don’t like. But right now, I’m really happy on GH.”
In addition to his full-time gig on General Hospital, Maurice is also dedicated to his State of Mind YouTube series, where he brings awareness to mental health and speaks to fellow soap stars about their own personal struggles.
Maurice has been an advocate for mental health awareness since he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 22. His character on GH was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2006 after Maurice publicly revealed that he was bipolar.