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As for Sonny's new romance with Reese (Kari Wuhrer), Benard is equally enthusiastic. "For once in his life, Sonny just wants to have fun. I think the audience is ready for Sonny to move on [from his marriage to Carly]. So it's all good."
Not so great this past year, however, was the surprising snub that came Benard's way when Daytime Emmy nominations were announced. "It's not such a surprise to not get nominated, because this was the seventh time I wasn't nominated," he muses. "I thought because of the year I had that I would maybe get nominated. But it's not about the year, it's about the show." Nonetheless, Benard already has one Emmy on his shelf ‑- he won for lead actor in 2003.
Benard also garners perspective from his very public battle with manic depression. "That whole thing is bigger than anything I do as an actor," he says. "When I was in the hospital [years ago] tied down to a bed, I just knew that somewhere deep, deep inside of me, there was a reason why I was where I was. And this is it. This is my mission."
"I get people everywhere I go ‑- 'Maurice, thank you.' I've gotten letters that would break your heart. Break your heart," he stresses. "I got a letter from a lady who drove her car into her garage thinking that she was going to leave the car on [and asphyxiate herself]. Then, she wanted a glass of water, so went inside the house, turned on the TV and there I was on The View, which was two years ago, talking about not taking my medication. Since that day, she hasn't stopped taking her medication. So you have the possibility of someone who might have killed herself, and by chance she turned the TV on. If that doesn't give you perspective, man, nothing will."