Our Top 5 Sonny Corinthos Moments From Maurice Benard's 30 Years On General Hospital
Every hero has to have their weakness, and Sonny Corinthos is no exception. The authorities could never pin a crime on the seemingly teflon don, but his vulnerability wasn't from within his organization — it was from within himself. When his ex-wife Carly was put in an institution, he was left to care for his two boys, Michael and Morgan. Meanwhile, Emily Quartermaine (Natalia Livingston) had been estranged from her husband, Nikolas Cassadine (then Tyler Christopher), after his lookalike, Connor Bishop, sexually assaulted her. Nikolas quickly hooked up with Sonny's sister, Courtney Matthews (Alicia Leigh Willis), and both Emily and Sonny were upset at this pairing. When Sonny invited Emily to crash at his place for a time, it was mutually beneficial.
Sonny soon entered into a strange romance with the much younger Emily. However, he began to have erratic mood swings that went from extreme happiness to incredible depression and even violent tendencies. Emily realized he was struggling with mental illness, and got him the help he needed. After Sonny learned that he was battling bipolar disorder, he broke things off with Emily so that she wouldn't have to deal with his stormy world. In real life, Maurice Benard was also dealing with bipolar disorder and allowed it to be written into his character, making some of the most compelling and heartbreaking scenes on any soap opera.
If you or anyone you know has been the victim of sexual assault or needs help with mental health, contact the relevant resources below:
-The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
- The Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
