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WATCH: GH's Maurice Benard Talks Life In Front Of The Camera & Behind It On OPRAH's: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Courtesy/OWN

Courtesy/OWN

Last night, General Hospital star Maurice Benard (Sonny) appeared in a follow-up interview and segment on OWN’s Oprah: Where Are They Now? The popular actor has been very public over the years about his battle with bipolar disorder and how it has affected his personal and professional life, at times.

In this newly aired segment with Benard, the cameras take you on the set of General Hospital where Maurice reveals even though he plays a tough guy mobster, growing up he was always the guy who would stand up for the underdog.  Later, the cameras sit down with Maurice and his wife Paula and their four children for some spirited conversation.

Finally, Maurice discusses his bipolar disorder and his latest film, The Ghost and the Whale which addresses the issue through the main character played by the soap star!

After the jump, watch three clips from last night’s Oprah’s: Where Are They Now? with Maurice! Then, let us know what was your most favorite or most touching part of Benard’s segment?

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KansasGuestsu0000Charday4ever DAYSJules Recent comment authors
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jimh(leave it to beaver)
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jimh(leave it to beaver)

I for one knows what he suffers from…ive struggled for years with off and on irritablitity, mood swings, night cries and overwhelming sadness, depression…in my younger years ive attempted suicide it got so bad(too much detail to why i went there)…and many threads ago i had an episode which im certain many commenters remain aware of…i had a lot of family issues and medical crises(just recently two more family members ended up at the hospital one was serious but this happen after i had that episode) so i got so upset i lashed out on my soaps and got some… Read more »

Donny
Guest
Donny

Jim kudos to you, you are such a nice guy and very open. I admire your honesty and openess, my sister suffers from depression and is also bi polar. She finally is on the right medication, but sometimes she gets nasty with our family, because my sister wants to be left alone. Last night she visited me, and she told me that she loves me very much. We cried together, and she told me thank you for being by my side and not judging me, GOD bless you jim, Also I love reading your comments on this site. Some of… Read more »

jimh(leave it to beaver)
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jimh(leave it to beaver)

Thanks, you perked me up and i really needed it!!!

CeeCee
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CeeCee

I hurt for you, jimh. I have never gone into a deep depression, but I went through the “winter blues” with this last pregnancy. For some reason, I just hated winter. I felt aches and pains all over…mostly psychological. It is so weird because it is October and I already dread winter, something which I had never before experienced. It isn’t as bad as last year, thank goodness, but I am so afraid I’ll feel those weird pangs again. I am lucky to have a loving family and friends around. I knew about Maurices’s bouts with deep, clinical depression….really sad…but,… Read more »

jimh(leave it to beaver)
Guest
jimh(leave it to beaver)

Strange, me too is dreading winter and its just the beginning of October…Jan to March is my usual winter blues months…recent family health scares might have been the cause for me to experience it earlier but i usually love this time of year of fall colors, apple cider and pumpkin pie…hopelfully ill get through it…actually watching soaps is helpfull now that my shows have improved and i find them more entertaining of late…thanks for the reply!!!

Timmm
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Timmm

Well Jim, I enjoy your posts and it is brave of you to be so open about your struggles. I hope and pray you remain upbeat and realize that you are important to people and people on this site enjoy your sense of humor and insight. Stay standing, Timmm!

jimh(leave it to beaver)
Guest
jimh(leave it to beaver)

Thanks Timmm i enjoy yours too…this site has been a Godsend…thanks to Micheal Fairmen and all of you!!!

jimh(leave it to beaver)
Guest
jimh(leave it to beaver)

Thanks Donny, CeeCee, and Timmm for your kind words…its people like you we need more of…it meant a lot to me and i love you all for it!!!

4ever DAYS
Guest
4ever DAYS

jimh…You’re never alone and people are always thinking about you…just write your way through the lows and always know tomorrow will be a brighter day!

su0000
Guest
su0000

I come from a family of Psychiatrists..
(try growing with a mother who sees through you and a father who can tell all.. Mental health was monitored always with that look, you might know the one lol .. :
Anyways.. now is time for a group {{{{{{HUG}}}}}}} 🙂

Tea
Guest
Tea

Maurice’s segment was amazing, wish it was longer. I loved the family stuff the most. They are very inspiring to those of us who has mental illness in our families. Thank you Maurice for all you do!!!

Jules
Guest
Jules

I’ve hated Sonny for over 20 years. He’s always been the worst part of the show for me, along with his cohorts Carly and Jason. Nothing about this character is redeemable.

But I have always loved and have had so much respect for Maurice. He is generous with his fans and fellow actors, he speaks so thoughtfully and honestly. His candor about his mental illness is remarkable and truly brave. Of course, we know where he’s been all this time, but it’s nice that Oprah gave him a segment.

Charday
Guest
Charday

Agree with you 110 percent about the Sonny character.

su0000
Guest
su0000

.
I and a million others have always love the Sonny character !!

KansasGuest
Guest
KansasGuest

I wish him the best with his movie, and hope it gets a good response. Mental illness & depression has been in the forefront of many news stories lately, with Robin Williams suicide and high-profile crimes being perpetrated by people who needed, but didn’t receive, treatment. Bringing more attention to it can only help IMO because for so long, people have been written off as “crazy loons” because their problem is “all in their head.” Even if someone becomes more compassionate to those with PTSD, bi-polar syndrome, or depression, that’s a step in the right direction.

Breaking News

Walt Willey Brings All My Children’s Jackson Montgomery to General Hospital

Look for another legal eagle character from a former ABC soap opera to pop up on General Hospital!

News today out of Soap Opera Digest has that none other than Walt Willey set to reprise his role as All My Children’s Jackson Montgomery on upcoming episodes of GH in July.

Willey played Erica Kane’s (Susan Lucci) love interest and the Pine Valley lawyer from 1987 through to till ABC’s cancellation of the series back in 2011.  The actor previously crossed-over to another soap opera in 1996, when he played Jack on ABC’s The City.

Photo: ABC

Taking to his Facebook account, Walt confirmed the news on his appearances on GH: “Hey Folks… Been sitting on this one for a while but now I’ve been given the clearance to announce that “Jackson Montgomery” is visiting Port Charles! I’ll be doing a few episodes of General Hospital, due to air mid July. So excited to reprise my character and see and work with old friends! I’ll keep you posted on any details. “Jackson” in Port Charles…who would have thought it? Let me, and ABC, know what you think about it!”

Could Jack’s sudden arrival in Port Charles have to do with the SEC and the trouble that Carly (Laura Wright) and Drew (Cameron Mathison) find themselves in?   Will AMC fans get to see Cameron Mathison and Willey share scenes together again?  Mathison played Ryan Lavery on the beloved former soap opera.

So, excited to see Walt on General Hospital? What do you think brings Jack to Port Charles? Weigh-in below and stay tuned.

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General Hospital

B&B’s Scott Clifton Reflects On His Conflicted Emotions on Winning Lead Actor Daytime Emmy Over Y&R’s Kristoff St. John

The Young and the Restless’ beloved Kristoff St. John (ex-Neil Winters) passed away back in February of 2019, and at the age of 52-years-old.  Back in 2017, St. John along with The Bold and the Beautiful’s Scott Clifton (Liam), were nominated alongside each other for the Lead Actor in a Drama Series category at the 44th annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

A win for either would put them in the Emmy record books to become the only actor to win all three of the Daytime Emmy acting categories as of that time: Outstanding Younger Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actor and Lead Actor.

During his appearance on Maurice Benard’s You Tube series, State of Mind, Clifton talked about the emotions and ups and downs of eventually winning the Emmy over St. John, while knowing how much it meant to Kristoff, and given late actor’s reel. In it, St. John shared scenes with the late Nichelle Nichols, who played Neil’s dying mother.

When discussing his three Emmy wins with Benard, Scott expressed: “It’s beautiful, but remember Kristoff St. John.  I got to do a couple of events with him, and I got to talk with him, and the year that I got ‘Lead’, he was nominated.  He and I both had a Younger Actor Emmy and a Supporting Actor Emmy, and if one of us won, everybody was telling us, we would have this record of the first actor in daytime to have a Daytime Emmy in all three categories.  And, he told me, and this was months before he passed away, he told me, it was really important to him to win that.”  It was then, an emotional Clifton shared: “That Emmy is not worth it to me. It’s bittersweet.”

Photo: NATAS

As to how Scott feels he wound up with the gold statuette, the B&B star acknowledged, “So much of that it is who happened to be submitting that year, etc, and this was the first year they changed the rules. All I did was take advantage of the new rules, and I was smart about it.  I did not have the best performance, but they changed the rules where instead of submitting one episode through the year, you could submit a 20-minute tape and you could grab (scenes) from whatever episodes, and I made a story with it. I was playing the voters, but I didn’t have the best performance.”

In tribute to St. John, Clifton said, “His performance  was beautiful, but it was all in a hospital.  It was so intimate and small, and controlled and authentic, and mine was all over the place, but I told a story.  I’m convinced that’s the only reason I won.”

Courtesy/CBS

Scott’s reel that year was also outstanding, so many could see why he won the coveted prize and made Emmy history.

Check out the poignant story as told by Scott to Maurice in the latest episode of State of Mind below.

Then, let us know what you thought about Scott opening up on of his career-defining moments via the comment section below.

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General Hospital

General Hospital’s Réal Andrews and Finola Hughes Deliver the ‘Power Performances of the Week’

Two different storylines, two noteworthy performances, and both from General Hospital, made our weekly kudofest.  The first, belongs to the heartbreaking performance that still has everyone talking by Réal Andrews as Marcus Taggert.

Last week’s episodes of GH, brought with it the results of the DNA test that ‘proves’ just who is Trina’s (Tabyana Ali) biological father, Taggert or Curtis (Donnell Turner)? When Trina opened the envelope to reveal the answer in front of Portia, Curtis and Taggert, she announced it was Curtis, who was her dad.

However, if you watched the scenes carefully, you saw the subtle work by Andrews as he was attempting to remain calm before receiving the answer and what followed afterwards, but that was in front of Trina, Portia and Curtis and his attempt to put on a brave face through it all.  In reality, Taggert was devastated by the news.  When he said his goodbyes, Taggert got inside the GH elevator.  Once there, he lost it and began to cry, punching the elevators walls with his fist.  A five-hank

Meanwhile, Finola Hughes once again showed us the layers and the veracity of Anna Devane. This time, while at WSB headquarters, Anna’s past as a double agent comes to light.  Agent Hersley had her under arrest, as she is being accused of treason against the state.

Courtesy/ABC

While Anna’s past as a DBX double agent were known to the agency, they weren’t known to the public. Thanks to Victor’s will reading and the revenge plot he set in motion against her, now Anna is up against more formidable foes.  When speaking with her lawyer, Martin Grey (Michael E. Knight), Anna says how can she dispute the charges against her when they are true?  She realizes in this instant that the WSB wants to hang her out to dry to cover their own asses.  Hersley threatens Anna, that if she fights the charges, they will be forced into looking into the actions of her associates, Robert Scorpio and Annie Donnelly.

Not having it, Anna throws down saying she will seriously embarrass the WSB if they pursue this … and if anything happens to Robert, Annie or anyone else she cares about, she will take the bureau down with her.  After Hersley caves, Martin asks Anna what happened. Anna states she is no longer an agent and will never be again.

This material gave the mighty Hughes the material to shine, as Anna went from having the rug pulled out from under her, to fighting back, to now not knowing what her future holds after saving others.

Courtesy/ABC

For all the reasons cited above, Michael Fairman TV names the work of Réal Andrews and Finola Hughes as last week’s ‘Power Performances of the Week”.

Do you agree with our picks of GH’s Réal and Finola? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below, but first check out some clips from their work below.

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