Maurice Benard promised Sonny Corinthos would be back in Port Charles “soon” and he meant it. Beginning today, September 17 on “General Hospital” look for the character formally known as “Mike” to get his memories back as he calls out his wife’s name, ironically on the same day Carly (Laura Wright) is to wed his best friend, Jason Morgan (Steve Burton).
In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, on newsstands now, Benard tells the publication, “When you see Sonny come back, it’s as intense as anything I’ve ever portrayed.” He adds, “It’s deadly. I had to play true Sonny; there are no traces of ‘Mike’. It’s very intense.”
As Sonny fights to get back to his loved ones, Benard told Digest, “How I play it is that when he becomes Sonny [again], he is Sonny from a year ago. He knows he’s been f—-d with, and he knows he’s not where he’s supposed to be, but he’s not going, ‘Oh, my God, I missed eight months!’ and that kind of emotion; he’s just Sonny who wants to go home and see his family. He doesn’t feel like he’s been gone for a year; I played it more that he feels bad for people [who’ve been mourning him].”
While Sonny doesn’t know what’s happened since he left Port Charles and landed in Nixon Falls, he does know that he wants to get back to his family, particularly Carly. Without giving too much away, Benard jokes that while his character doesn’t know that part, he himself didn’t know that Carly and Jason would be “making out and stuff.” He further states, “All I can say is that when he gets back, the scenes are really great. I think the audience is going to dig it. It’s a big deal, and there’s a lot of suspense. However good I thought the scenes could be – it’s better. People will be on the edge of their seats.”
The show’s executive producer, Frank Valentini, credits his actors, specifically Benard, Wright and Cynthia Watros (Nina Reeves) for their tremendous work and efforts during the demands of COVID protocols, scheduling and more. He says, “‘GH’ has an unbelievable stable of incredible actors, and all the stories are coming to a crescendo that will keep the audience guessing and gasping.”
On the Thursday, September 16 episode, Max Gail reprised his role as Sonny’s father, Mike, as “Mike” began his transition back to becoming Sonny. Watch the clip below.
