Maurice Benard’s State of Mind took us back recently. And he continued with two episodes this Sunday, December 5th. While we weren’t watching when Michael Sutton (Stone Cates) was on the show, we did see some bits and pieces at the time and were looking forward to seeing the actor discuss the story and GH. He did that and much more. Let’s take a look at some highlights. Plus, over the next few days, we’ll have some posts about the other episodes Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos) put out.
Maurice Benard’s State of Mind: Flashback
So, this is where we get a little geeky. Maurice Benard’s State of Mind usually dives deep and gets into some background on the guest and their upbringing. Let’s give you a little insight first into this writer’s childhood and how this episode really brought us back.
See, we grew up with relatives that would often play their old records or the oldies radio station, so we got very familiar with some of the artists and the music. And let us say, there is nothing that has the same feel as ‘60s music, or a lot of the stuff from the ‘70s. That made this episode a real treat.
During the background part, Sutton shared how his father started the careers of Elton John, Deep Purple, etc. They also talk about the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson, a personal favorite (especially “God Only Knows”). At one point, Benard asked why Wilson is so loved and is considered a huge genius. Sutton couldn’t remember who, but he said his father said Wilson got his sound from another band who wasn’t recording anymore.
Our music geek selves can answer that question. Given he mentioned a band member involved in an accident and referenced a place called Dead Man’s Curve, we’re pretty sure he means Jan and Dean. So, if you haven’t heard of this duo yet, check them out.
Sutton also spoke a bit about growing up in Beverly Hills and all the celeb kids he went to school with, including Jakob Dylan. While they were on the topic, Benard asked what these kids might have had in common as famous people’s children. The answer? They all had great relationships with their parents and seemed to respect and admire what their parents accomplished.
Maurice Benard’s State of Mind gets serious
As you know, Maurice Benard’s State of Mind is also a mental health chat. So, the conversation soon went from Sutton’s father’s career to his father’s own struggles with depression. At one point, despite what he accomplished, he felt as thought he couldn’t do the work anymore. So Sutton and his brother took turns sleeping to keep an eye on him. We loved hearing this story and how they dealt with such a sudden turn in his father’s mental state at the time.
Maurice Benard’s State of Mind: Walking down memory lane
Eventually, the chat turned to GH and the workload he took on when he accepted the role of Stone Cates. Benard took the GH chat opportunity to talk about how he’d been out of work for two years when he got the GH call. He ended up taking the role because he needed the money that badly. It turned out he was offered two roles and he ended up taking the role of Sonny because it was the shorter contract. Little did he know, right?
This early period on the show also marked a manic period for Benard and he asked Sutton to take him through that part of things through Sutton’s eyes. Sutton was impressed with his co-star’s work on day one, and by the next day, Maurice was different. Sutton described him as being nervous and how he needed a break. Sutton could tell he was a ghost of himself and said to him, “Dude, all I want you to do is just follow my lead. I’ll get you through it.”
Watching these two chat like this and how he called Benard his brother was nice. You could see the love and the friendship they share come through the screen. Sutton got worried when Benard didn’t show up the day after that incident, but he didn’t know how to reach out since there were no cell phones.
He mentioned how when Benard came back, he was the same as the first day and they’d never really talked about it. Check out the video to see more of that part of the chat. It’s quite the moving conversation.
Maurice Benard’s State of Mind on breaking new ground
Eventually, the chat talked the thing most fans were waiting to hear about—the AIDS story. He described it as the role of a lifetime. He admitted to working with an acting couch daily and how he knew the challenging story would make him a better actor. He said the feeling he got from that story never came from another role.
He also talked about how big the responsibility was to tell a story like this and to bring it to the world. Benard, however, had a gripe about the timing. The OJ Simpson situation was taking over the news and he felt the story, as a result, couldn’t reach the number of people it should have.
We love how much they loved that story and how much of an impact it had on them both. Also, we love the way Sutton has been so versatile in his life. He describes his journey from an actor, to a promoter, to real estate. Watch the video above for more, and stay tuned! More highlights are on the way.
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