Maurice Benard found his niche on 'General Hospital'

Contra Costa Times (MCT) - Oh, the frenetic life of a soap opera star.

I'm inside the Prospect Studios near the Silver Lake area of L.A. watching Maurice Benard _ better known to "General Hospital" fans as the dashing crime lord Sonny Corinthos _ do his thing.

One moment he snarls fiercely in the face of a Russian mob boss ("Don't make the mistake of threatening me!") and just minutes later he totally shifts gears to make goo-goo eyes at his fiancee, Kate Howard, in a scene with the lovely Megan Ward.

"I can't wait for the world to see how much in love we are," he says in a soothing, soulful tone that is guaranteed to melt hearts in living rooms across America.

Cut and print ... and move on.

All the things you've heard about toiling on a soap _ how they burn through script pages and turn around scenes with lightning speed _ are apparently true. "We jam around here," Benard says while ducking behind a set and dropping his drawers for a quick wardrobe change. "You only get one take, man. Only one take."

Benard, 45, started doing this kind of hectic work in 1987, when he landed a role on "All My Children." Since 1993, he has played the intense and enigmatic Sonny, and he admits that, at times, it has been a grind.

"I figure that I'll give it another couple of years," he says. "After a while, it starts to get to you. You get burned out."

Ah, but Benard has been having a blast on the job lately. Dramatic occurrences in Port Charles have compelled Sonny to leave the mob behind _ at least for now. Then there's the romance with Kate that appears headed for the altar next week, despite the fact that Sonny cheated on Kate (and she knows it).

The story line has given Benard a chance to stretch as an actor and play some different emotional textures.

"I'm really into it," he says. "It allows me to be kind of like a George Clooney for a while. There's some romance and a lightness to it. It's something I haven't done in 15 years."

Despite his Emmy-certified acting experience and his undeniable status as one of the most popular stars in daytime television, Benard sometimes still finds it hard to believe that he ever made it out of Martinez, Calif.

"I had a lot of Sonny in me when I was a kid," he admits. "I used to have a low-rider and I hung out a lot on Main Street in Walnut Creek, just looking for girls and for fights. And I also drank a lot. That was my thing."

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The son of parents from Nicaragua and San Salvador, Benard attended College Park High School, where he played football for one season and quit ("I just wasn't into it"). He also didn't last long in several low-level jobs at local grocery and department stores.

"I hated it, but there was nothing else I could do. I had no real education," he recalls. "I really had no idea how things would turn out for me."

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On a whim, Benard tried his hand at modeling, which led to roles in several Bay Area theatrical productions. After landing the part of Nico Kelly on "AMC," he relocated to Southern California, where he lives in the Hollywood Hills with Paula, his wife of 18 years. They have two daughters and a son.

In his early 20s, Benard was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a serious but treatable mental illness. The condition was eventually written into his character and the actor, years ago, went public with his struggle in interviews on "Oprah," "The View" and elsewhere. He also has worked with the National Mental Health Association to help educate people to recognize the signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder.

"The letters I get from people will make you cry," says Benard, who insists he's "fine" as long as he takes his medicine. "One guy told me how I helped him get through his ordeal after his brother committed suicide."

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Like the actor who plays him, Sonny Corinthos has experienced some rough patches in his life. It's a dynamic that helps make him relatable to fans and worthy of empathy.

"You've got a guy who seems very tough on the outside, but he's been through a lot," Benard says. "I think the secret to his appeal is that men (viewers) like him because he's tough and cool. And women are drawn to him because they want to fix him."

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© 2008, Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.).