For many years, soap operas primarily focused on the bad guys and very little on the good guys. The seasoned criminals either stayed that way or changed for the better and emerged as perfect heroes. Then Sonny Corinthos, played by Maurice Benard on General Hospital, broke that “rule” by becoming the show’s main character despite being a complex and multifaceted criminal.
Six Months Turned Into 30 Years For Maurice Benard
Maurice Benard, who played Nico Kelly on All My Children from 1987 to 1990, was already well-known in the soap opera world in 1993. Benard was informed that he could play the mafia heir Damian Smith (a role that ultimately went to Leigh McCloskey) or the nightclub owner Sonny Corinthos when GH came along and wanted to bring him back to the daytime television fold. Benard chose Sonny because he liked the name and because Damian was expected to stay for two years, but the position was only intended to last for six months.
Sonny was chosen because Benard didn’t want to sign a multi-year contract. He and we both had no idea that thirty years later, he would still be alive and well, celebrating three decades as Port Charles’ coffee king with a very significant and significant side business that no one is allowed to talk about but that everyone is aware of.
When Sonny first made his appearance, he was the seedy proprietor of a seedy strip club who lured drug-addicted teen Karen Wexler (played at the time by Cari Shayne) into his bed. Usually, characters of that type don’t last very long, but there was just something about the way Benard portrayed him that made us believe there was much more hiding beneath the surface, and this intrigued the audience. After a year passed, Brenda Barrett, played by Vanessa Marcil, became Sonny’s very own love interest in 1994. As they say, the rest is soap opera history.
Sonny And Brenda’s Romance Was Brief But Epic
Some viewers (possibly including this one) think Sonny and Brenda could be the endgame and would be the endgame if Marcil decided to return to the soap opera at some point. Benard and Marcil had a special chemistry together that was impossible to replicate from the moment they first shared screen time in a car dealership. Brenda even forced Sonny to make an effort to give up his mafia life, but that effort failed and Brenda decided to wear a wire to monitor what Sonny was really doing when he wasn’t running his brand-new nightclub, Luke’s Place.
It was difficult to watch but also difficult to turn away from the emotionally and physically brutal scene where Sonny confronted Brenda over the wire. Sonny’s anguish over Brenda’s betrayal was evident, but we also saw him turn violent and dreadful. It wasn’t something you saw frequently on soap operas, and without a competent actor playing the part, Sonny’s status as a likable “villain” might have ended there. For a while, Sonny and Brenda’s relationship was over, and despite numerous attempts over the years, the two were never truly happy together again.
Benard left the soap in 1998, but we were thrilled to see him return in 1999 and has stayed in Port Charles ever since.
Maurice Benard Turns A Mobster Into A Leading Man
We have had the opportunity to observe Sonny’s softer sides as well as those hardened edges in the 24 years since Benard returned to GH following that one-year break. Sonny has had many children, and each of them has a special and endearing relationship with him as a father and husband. (And who doesn’t enjoy watching Benard interact with children? It always makes us smile.) Every scene Sonny has with them in 2023 offers the sense of family that soap operas are famous for. He has two young girls and adult children.
Sonny, a man plagued by an abusive childhood and bipolar disorder, has also shown us his darker side. He has married Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) five times, and we have seen him fall in love with her countless times. Our hearts ached in 2021 as Sonny said goodbye to his father, Mike Corbin (played by seasoned actor Max Gail), whose life was taken from him by Alzheimer’s Disease. A year later, a brand-new Sonny appeared in the form of Mike the Bartender.
Nixon Falls Gives New Life To Sonny Corinthos
After Sonny washed up on the Pennsylvania side of the river in the fictional town of Nixon Falls (which is ostensibly close to Loving’s Corinth), his loved ones mistook him for dead for nine months. He had no recollection of his previous identity and lived there as Mike The Bartender. Away from the demands of managing a criminal enterprise (that doesn’t traffic in drugs, people, or guns) and from the ongoing arguments with Carly, that simpler life seemed to suit Sonny.
Naturally, the plot became extremely soapy when Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros) discovered him and chose not to reveal his identity for a variety of complex reasons. Sonny and Nina fell in love, and after he regained his memories and discovered how she had lied, he even forgave her. Compared to the Sonny who fought Julian Jerome on a New Jersey footbridge before being assumed dead, the one who returned to Port Charles and the mob life exudes more swagger and style.
This new Sonny is so self-aware that he made fun of Tony Soprano, the mobster who could compartmentalize his personal and professional lives in the popular television series The Sopranos, with Anna Devane (Finola Hughes). It has been a 30-year evolution to get here, and if it weren’t for Maurice Benard’s talents, we wouldn’t have followed this journey for as long as we have. We eagerly await his upcoming actions.
Weekdays, ABC broadcasts General Hospital. For airtimes, check your neighborhood listings. Check out the most recent GH spoilers for more information about what will happen in Port Charles, and click here for a detailed look at the show’s history.
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