GH star Maurice Benard has been open about his own mental health struggles. He advocates for others through his State of Mind podcast. He recently revealed how his longtime co-stars Steve Burton and Jonathan Jackson helped him through tough times earlier this year.
GH Storyline Wreaked Havoc On His Mental Health
Sonny Corinthos went through the ringer on GH earlier this year. He had a mental breakdown after his bipolar meds were messed with. Maurice Benard, who has bipolar in real life, had a difficult time with the scenes, especially when Sonny contemplated ending it it all.
The actor took an unplanned hiatus from the show to get his mental health back on track. Sonny has since recovered from the mental health setback. According to Maurice Benard, his own mental health is also better, thanks to two of his co-stars.
How Jonathan Jackson & Steve Burton Helped Maurice Benard Through Struggles
Maurice Benard uses his YouTube State of Mind series to help others who also suffer from mental health issues. He often has guests on who open up about their own struggles. Jonathan Jackson was a recent guest on SoM. The actors looked back on their long friendship, which began when Jackson started the show in 1993. He was only 11 at the time, but Benard recalled how the two were able to have deep conversations despite Jackson’s young age.
Now in his 40s, Jonathan Jackson is married to former GH co-star Lisa Vultaggio (ex-Hannah), with whom he shares three children. He recently returned to the daytime soap after nearly a decade away. His character, Lucky, recently sought advice from Sonny about whether he should stay in town or leave. Jonathan Jackson signed a multi-year contract, so of course Lucky is staying in town.
The two co-stars didn’t talk much about the soap during the vlog. Maurice Benard said Jonathan Jackson’s work spoke for itself. They did, however, talk about their faith, which is important to both of them.
During the State of Mind episode, Maurice Benard revealed that Jonathan Jackson and another co-star, Steve Burton, helped him get through the tough times earlier this year. The three prayed together, which gave the actor some relief. He revealed that he prayed for two days.
“Prayer truly has an impact; I felt a shift in my well-being. But the reality was that I was in such a chaotic state that I ended up consulting around 25 doctors, only to find myself slipping back again. Yet, those two days were absolutely incredible,” Maurice Benard said.
Jonathan Jackson replied, “To be there as a friend is one of the greatest honors and privileges of my life.”
Does it surprise you that Maurice Benard, Jonathan Jackson, and Steve Burton are all close friends off-screen?
