GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Maurice Benard Opens up About Writing His Autobiography (EXCLUSIVE)
Daytime star Maurice Benard has signed a publishing deal for his autobiography — which promises to be much more than just a Hollywood tell-all about his quarter-century run as Sonny Corinthos on GENERAL HOSPITAL. On the heels of winning his second Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor, Benard announced that the memoir he’s been working on has found a publisher. “I just signed a book deal with Harper Collins, and it will be out next April,” he revealed on THE TALK in May. “It’s about my life. I’m bipolar, and I’m an advocate for mental illness, so there’s going to be a lot of that stuff in there.”
Industry insiders confirm that Benard’s autobiography will go well beyond his experiences as a soap star on GH and ALL MY CHILDREN (where he played Nico). Rather than a juicy tell-all, readers can expect an in-depth, honest account of his personal, lifelong struggle with mental illness — which hasn’t always been pretty.
“I’m really excited,” Benard told Soaps In Depth. “The book is pretty much done — and it’s pretty intense, as you would imagine. It’s about my life, and you guys are going to be tripping, because there’s a lot of stuff in it that’s dark, funny, cool, sexy. I can’t wait.”
Benard has used GH to tackle mental health issues and will use his autobiography to continue doing so. (Photo Credit: Howard Wise/jpistudios.com)
The GH star counts Stone’s AIDS storyline, Morgan’s passing, and the ongoing Alzheimer’s tale as highlights of his run in Port Charles. But nothing Benard has played on screen can compare to being able to speak for, to, and with members of the mental-health community as both himself and Sonny, who is also bipolar.
“The letters I get, people coming up to me, the tweets, anything like that — I just love hearing about it, and I’m often so touched,” Benard shared when we spoke about his 25th anniversary earlier this year. “It’s important. It makes me feel like what I’m doing is worth it.”
For more on your favorite GH stars, keep reading the ABC edition of Soaps In Depth magazine.
This story originally appeared in our print magazine
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