GH’s Maurice Benard On Acting & Anxiety With Michelle Danner

General Hospital (GH) star Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos) and well-known acting teacher and director, Michelle Danner chatted on the latest episode of State of Mind. Of course, part of their conversation turned to mental health and coping with those issues. Read on for more details.

Life In France

Michelle spoke about her life in France and reminded viewers that she grew up in Paris. If you don’t know, she grew up in Paris because her dad opened the first William Morris office there. So, during her childhood, she hung around and many famous faces walked in for meetings.

While that might sound awesome to GH fangirls, she didn’t always have it easy. Michelle told Maurice about how she often became a target for school bullying. An outsider with her American background, it seemed that she was an easy picking.

However, her talent on the stage won over some friends and confidence after she directed a school play that involved about 40 classmates.

Turning To Mental Health

As always happens with the real-life Sonny Corinthos, he got Michelle Danner to open up about her mental health, especially during her 20s.

What Maurice sometimes describes as a “monster,” Michelle likened to a “black pool” or a “black river” running inside her. Well, she saw a therapist who dished out some pretty tough love.

She told Maurice that the therapist said:

You have a slice of Swiss cheese inside of you, and you may go to LA and you may experience success, but if you don’t address those holes that are inside of you, you will never, you know.

 

High Stress Careers

Anyway, she went to therapy for years and eventually, she became a mom. Afraid of passing her levels of trauma down to her children, she told Maurice Benard, “The buck ends with me.”

Of course, Maurice related to the struggle of success in the entertainment world. On General Hospital, he has to knuckle down and get on with the job even if his mind won’t just shut up and let him be.

The ‘Golden Box’ Technique

Talking about how she copes with anxiety and depression, Michelle Danner revealed that she uses what she calls a “Golden Box” technique. She thinks actors should study everyone from Stella Adler to Lee Strasberg to find what works.

If you don’t know, Michelle’s signature acting philosophy is a multifaceted method. It encourages actors to build a personalized “toolbox” using the best elements of legends like Meisner and Stanislavski.

Apparently, it helps folks like GH actors and others stop overthinking. If they find their emotional triggers, they can stay present and still act their role.

Maurice Benard Relates & Recent Work

Meanwhile, Maurice related a story about his old teacher, Howard Fine. Back in the day, Howard kicked him out of class because Maurice failed a fake crying scene. He called Maurice “arrogantly ignorant” which smarted, but after all, it helped him find a better technique.

Apart from mental health, the State of Mind podcast also covered Michelle’s big directing projects. Recently, she worked on the movie, Miranda’s Victim.

Certainly, it seems she admires the skills of Donald Sutherland in his final film role. Notably, she described the experience of working with him as a “privilege and an honor.”

Viewers React

ABC fans really enjoyed the podcast and many of them admired how well the duo relate to each other.

One of them penned, “Great episode. I loved hearing about her and all those experiences. It was an episode that not only talked about mental wellness but also satisfied my historical curious side.”

Here are a few other responses from the discussion:

• Great video Maurice. Thanks for sharing.
• It’s so refreshing to see a director who cares so much about the heart of an artist.
• Good morning great episode Maurice.

What do you think about Michelle’s advice for actors? Have you ever felt that “black river” she described? Let us know in the comments below and check back here often for all your General Hospital cast news and updates.