Maurice Benard is celebrating his 63rd birthday on Sunday, March 1, and in a special episode of “State of Mind with Maurice Benard,” releasing the same day, will feature appearances by his “General Hospital” co-stars Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) and Lisa LoCicero (Olivia Quartermaine).
Look for Zamprogna to turn the tables on Benard by interviewing him, while LoCicero will join the duo for a fun skit later in the episode.
In an exclusive clip provided to Soap Opera Network ahead of the episode’s release, Benard reflects on how the industry can make actors feel like they’re “not enough” and how that mindset followed him for years.
“If we go back to ego, I figured out with all my anxiety and everything that I go through that it truly had to do with ego,” said Benard, admitting the realization came later than he would have liked. “I’m glad, I just wish I had figured that out in my 20s and stuff.”
Looking back on his younger years, Benard says his ego masked deeper struggles, noting, “Because I was so in it, the ego and the, you know, ‘Nothing can get to me, and nobody can hurt me…’ but what happens is because I didn’t recognize it early enough, as it keeps rolling as you get older, now you’re affected.”
Watch our exclusive clip from the episode above/below.
In addition to celebrating his birthday, the episode will also see Benard reflecting on why he believes helping others is “his purpose,” and shares the powerful idea that perhaps his struggles with bipolar disorder exist so he can reach someone else in theirs. The episode is a timely, deeply personal conversation that honors those who’ve been lost by continuing to fight the stigma.
Benard has portrayed the iconic role of Sonny Corinthos on “General Hospital” for more than 30 years, making his Port Charles debut in 1993. He previously appeared as Nico Kelly from 1988-1990 on “All My Children,” making next year (2027) 40 years since making his television acting debut. Some of his other credits include playing Desi Arnaz in the TV movie “Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter” and the film “The Ghost and the Whale,” among others.
Launched in July 2020, “State of Mind with Maurice Benard” focuses on mental health and mental health awareness. The podcast is hosted by Maurice Benard, a Daytime Emmy Award-winning actor and New York Times bestselling author (“Nothing General About It: How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital”).
Following each episode’s release on YouTube, an audio-only edition is later made available to all major podcast platforms, including Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Apple and Google Podcasts.
To watch all episodes and to subscribe, click here.
