Maurice Benard reflected on his decades-long bond with Steve Burton amid the actor’s hiatus.
For years, General Hospital’s Sonny and Jason didn’t read like a typical power structure. It was never just mob boss and enforcer. It was a deep, brotherly connection built on trust, loyalty, and the kind of understanding that doesn’t need to be explained every five minutes. That same rhythm carried offscreen, where Maurice Benard and Steve Burton built something just as steady over time, and when Burton recently departed for a hiatus, Benard commented on what his absence means both on and off camera.
A Goodbye That Wasn’t Supposed to Be
Benard spoke to Soap Opera Digest about filming Sonny and Jason’s last scenes before Burton’s break, and the tone surprised even him. “My last scene with Jason was kind of like my last scene with Luke — he got emotional, I got emotional,” he said. “It wasn’t written that way, because Sonny doesn’t really know it’s a goodbye, but that’s the way we played it. In the last scene, they’re both really sad.”
Both actors sensed that they might not see each other for a while. Benard noted that he had a sense Sonny wouldn’t be involved in Jason’s final scenes. He knew that he would be sad with Burton gone for a while.
He admitted that even though it didn’t necessarily fit the moment, he put some emotion into Sonny and Jason’s scenes. Benard added that he could “cry on a dime,” but had to rein it in, recognizing that the weight he felt off-screen threatened to overwhelm what the scene required.
Brotherhood On and Off Screen
That reaction did not come out of nowhere. Benard and Burton have spent decades building a working relationship that mirrors the loyalty their characters share. The trust is not something they have to manufacture. It is already there, which is why even a quiet scene can carry more weight than it seems.
Benard made it clear that he understood Burton’s decision to step away. He supported him without hesitation, noting that after everything Burton had been through in recent years, taking time for family made sense. There was no resentment, just respect.
On-screen, Jason’s absence already started to ripple outward. Benard pointed out that it opened the door to new dynamics, especially with Ric (Rick Hearst) stepping into the orbit. Still, there’s an unspoken feeling that no matter what direction the story goes, that core connection between Sonny and Jason remains intact, waiting for its next chapter.