General Hospital (GH) star Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos) had an unusual guest on his State of Mind podcast this week. He’s not an actor, but Manny Santoyo certainly delivered some rather raw stories. Read on for more details.
Chatting With An Ex Cop
During the podcast on YouTube, Maurice and Manny, a retired LAPD officer, looked at the trauma, faith, family, and the emotional heaviness that’s carried by those who serve and protect.
Santoyo spent decades working patrol, homicide cases, gang units, and more. Chatting with Maurice Benard, who is great at getting folks to open up, he explained that he’s a man of few words. Actually, that can be traced back to his training. Of course, court cases require short answers, and the habit stayed with him.
Riots, Being Shot & The Law
There were stories about being in law enforcement, and they included being shot at in the 1990s. It came during the LA riots, and that was the only time he ever called for assistance from other officers.
Other topics covered included how helicopter units support ground officers and how quickly routine calls can turn deadly. More chatter came about the OJ Simpson case and how jury verdicts don’t always reflect the truth. They talked about jury dynamics, racial tension at the time, and the verdict.
The Podcast Turns Emotional
GH fans needn’t worry about mental health issues not being discussed. In fact, the duo did talk about family and emotional issues. In fact, Maurice eventually drew Manny Santoyo around to talking about his family: especially his daughter Bella, who is autistic and mostly non-verbal.
Maurice listened with empathy as Santoyo described the early seizures, developmental regression, and the long road to understanding how she communicates. At first, he doubted letter board spelling as a valid method. But later, Bella began spelling thoughts and emotions that left him amazed.
Death & Fear For Bella
There were some rather emotional bits as Santoyo admitted he’s not really afraid of death. But, he feels a lot of fear about leaving Bella. If anything happens to him, he worries about her future. Then, the conversation turned to a lack of support for autistic adults and how independence is often promised but rarely delivered.
Meanwhile, Maurice Benard shared his own reflections on mental health, aging, and fear of death. The conversation also turned to Manny Santoyo discussing losing his mom after heart surgery. Additionally, he talked about his dad and dementia. So, many General Hospital fans could relate to that.
Very Well Received
In the comments section, it became obvious that ABC fans thought it was one of the best ever podcasts that Maurice ever did. One viewer opined, “This was a really good interview. I would have liked to have heard more about Manny’s daughter. He sounds like such an amazing man.”
Here are a few more responses from the discussion that followed:
- This episode hits home for me in many ways. I was diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome but I am on the high functioning side of it and then you add anxiety, depression and ADHD and you have a mess.
- Great Interview Maurice n Thanks 4 Having Manny On State of Mind Very Interesting Need Men Like him Here in NY.
- One of your best show ! It’s was 100 % a documentary , he’s an incredible human being, I think you should do more interviews like this, with every day people with incredible stories.
- My heart goes out to he and his families journey with raising their autistic daughter, Bella. Having 2 neurodivergent children, albiet quite verbal, his story struck so many chords in me.
What are your thoughts about Maurice and his unusual but very interesting guest? Let us know in the comments below, and come back here often for all your General Hospital cast news and updates.