Benard is known for his long-time role as mob boss Sonny Corinthos, for which he just celebrated his 25-year anniversary on the soap opera. “The past couple of weeks have been fantastic. They did something for me on the show and it was beautiful,” he said. “I am going next week to play John Gotti in a movie.”
On August 25, Benard appeared at Punchline Comedy Club in Sacramento, California, which he praised for being a “great event.” “I had a really good time, and we had a lot of fun,” he said.
On September 29, Benard will be at Irvine Improv in Irvine, California, where he will be joined by Dominic Zamprogna. “You can expect a lot of laughing, and a little bit of crying,” he said. “Dominic, who is no longer on the show, is coming with me, and he is fantastic.”
In 2003, Benard won the coveted “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series” Daytime Emmy award for his portrayal of Sonny Corinthos. “I love it,” he said. “That’s the joke we had. For 10 years straight, Steve Burton had called me the male Susan Lucci.”
For aspiring actors, Benard encouraged them to do a great deal of studying. “That’s what I did,” he said. “Study, study, study.” He acknowledged that the key to longevity in the acting business is about “taking things seriously” and “having a great life with a great career.”
On the hardest part of his job as a daytime actor, Benard responded, “It is preventing from having anxiety.” “The roles are too deep, so I have to work on that,” he said.
He also complimented his female acting partners on the show, which include such Emmy-winning actresses as Laura Wright, Maura West and Nancy Lee Grahn. “I work with best actresses in daytime. Bar none. Laura Wright is 100 percent professional. She is so great, and so are the others,” he said.
Each day, the veteran actor is motivated simply by “feeling peace inside” and balance. “I am starting to feel joy. It has taken me about 55 years, but it is finally happening,” he said.
On juggling a family life with an acting career, Benard shared that his wife, Paula, and his children keep him “humble.” “I force my kids to watch General Hospital with me. It is good for me, since if I start getting a big head, I come home and they humble me,” he said. “My wife does it all. She keeps it all together. She is just amazing.”
He also defined the word success as “peace of mind.” “Without that, success doesn’t feel as good,” he admitted.
On the impact of technology on the acting and entertainment business, Benard, “I didn’t get on social media for years. Now with social media, it helps all of the actors since they can promote things themselves. It is fantastic.”
For his loyal fans, Benard concluded, “I love the fans to death. At the Sacramento appearance at Punchline Comedy Club, the fans were unreal. Even if I wasn’t funny, they would laugh. I did a skit with the fans, where they played Carly. They are just amazing. I can’t wait to see them at Irvine Improv.”
To learn more about Emmy award-winning actor Maurice Benard, follow him on Twitter, and check out his homepage.
