“General Hospital” star Maurice Benard (Sonny) has spoken out about filming his last scenes with Steve Burton (Jason) before the latter’s exit. Burton is in the middle of a temporary hiatus and will return this summer. However, knowing it was only temporary didn’t make Benard and Burton’s last scenes together any easier.
Maurice Benard Talks Emotional Final Steve Burton Scenes on ‘General Hospital’
Speaking with Soap Opera Digest, Benard was brutally honest talking about his last scenes with Burton before his exit.
“General Hospital” fans will recall the scenes had Sonny and Jason came up with a plan for the latter to kill Cullum (Andrew Hawkes). The move was supposed to help protect Sonny while Jason went on the run indefinitely with Britt (Kelly Thiebaud). In true soap fashion, things didn’t go as planned, and Jason ended up in WSB custody.
When Burton and Benard were in their scenes where the two men were plotting, things got emotional for Benard, who realized it would be a while before he would see Burton again. The emotions Sonny shows in the scenes are Benard’s real feelings about not having Burton around for months.
“I knew that I wouldn’t see Steve for a while, and that was sad to me. And I can’t help but play sensitivity; I have a lot of that in me. I can cry on a dime, and sometimes I have to stop because it doesn’t make sense,” the actor expressed to the outlet.
Benard explained that he had to pull back the emotions he was feeling about Burton, which was challenging because he was tearing up. The soap vet knew his real emotions were too much for what was happening between Jason and Sonny in the moment.
‘General Hospital’ Star Maurice Benard Reacts to Steve Burton’s Break
There’s no question that Burton and Benard have been close friends for decades. In fact, Benard credited Burton him duing an appearance ont he Soapy podcast for helping him during a dark hour amid his struggle with bipolar disorder last summer.
Since the two men are such good friends, it’s no surprise that Benard supported Burton’s decision to take time away from the ABC soap to spend time with his family.
“I get it completely, 100 percent. You have to understand, Steve has been through quite a lot in the last couple of years. He should be able to do whatever he wants with whoever he wants,” Benard expressed.
