Cover Story: Men of Distinction

In Port Charles, Luke Spencer, Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan are the last three men you want to cross. In fact, talk back to any one of these loose cannons, and it may be the last time you ever shoot off your mouth.

In real life, the P.C. bad boys aren't so bad at all. In fact, Anthony Geary (Luke), Maurice Benard (Sonny), and Steve Burton (Jason) have the kind of easy rapport that you rarely see except in lifelong buddies.

When Soaps In Depth sat them down for their first joint interview, they were quick to share their thoughts on their work and their alter egos, and quicker still, to share a laugh. Read on.

Out of Character
Soaps in Depth: Which of you is most like your character?
Steve Burton: Well, I don't think I'm anything like Jason. He's brain damaged.
Anthony Geary: I'm most like Jason. Steve is like Sonny. Maurice is like no one!
Steve: Maurice is intense like Sonny, but in a different way.
Maurice Benard: I'm only like Sonny when I'm angry.
Steve: It's a toss up for me, between Luke and Sonny.
Maurice: To me, Tony is like Luke. I'm unlike Sonny because I'm happy.

"Cut!"
SID: Is it ever hard to stay in character, to keep a straight face when you're doing a scene together?
Tony: Being the consummate professionals that we are... (The men laugh.) We never lose it in a scene. Of course, neither of these guys is funny.
Steve: We do have some good laughs sometimes. I don't get to work with Tony as often as I'd like, but he makes me laugh a lot before a scene. If Maurice and I have to stare at each other at the end of a scene for too long, I'll finally crack up. One time I asked him what he was thinking about when he was giving me that hard stare, and he calmly said, "I was thinking of my dog dying."
Maurice: That's true. I always do that. And it's hard to do scenes with Tony because he makes me laugh.
SID: Anything for the blooper reel?
Steve: Once, when I left the Quartermaine den at the end of a scene, I was going to moon A.J. as he went through the door. But Lila came out instead. Anna Lee just laughed.
Tony: One time, in the middle of a very emotional scene, Foster sat down, raised his back leg and began a cleaning ritual that gratefully had never been seen on our set before.
Maurice: I did a scene with Harry and he called me Honey instead of Sonny.

Breaking The Scene...
SID: What's come up during a scene that's thrown you for a loop?
Maurice: In the past, I've worked with some people who did not put any emotion or effort into their acting.
Steve: Maurice and I will change a scene around by dropping a line here or there. Then we'll come back to it and fix the scene perfectly.

...And Making It
SID: So things can happen to help you nail down a scene as well?
Maurice: Especially when I use a hammer.
Tony: Things will just happen spontaneously quite often that make a scene live in a way that we hadn't expected it to.
Maurice: When you're working with someone you really trust as an actor, you can look into their eyes, and there it is. You just nail it.
Steve: Those are the days that really make acting great.
Maurice: That's what it's all about.

Men-ifest Destiny
SID: When did you know that you were destined to be an actor?
Steve: For Maurice, it was when he couldn't make it as a model. (The men laugh.)
Maurice: When I was about 22 and there was nothing else that I was passionate about in my life. And thank God it worked out.
Tony: When I was 6, I realized that I couldn't become a cartoon.
Steve: I think that during my first couple of jobs, I liked acting, but took it as more of a hobby. Finally, a couple of years ago, I figured out that it's what I really wanted to do.

They'd Like To Thank The Academy...
SID: What has your time on GH meant to you personally and professionally?
Steve: I've made a lot of great friends, many who have helped me grow. It's been the best experience, working with these two guys--the best two actors in daytime. They give me huge motivation to succeed.
Tony: Personally, it's been a 20-year association with a great character. Professionally, it's been 20 years of not being able to get work on any other show. But, it's a hell of a good living.
Maurice: For me, it's meant employment when no one else would give me a job.
Steve: You and me both, pal.

Food For Thought
SID: What is your favorite part of your workday?
Maurice: Just getting to go up there and doing the scenes.
Steve: Doing a great scene with these guys--and lunch.
Maurice: Yes, lunch is good, too.
Tony: Driving home.

On-Edge Off-Duty
SID: Do you ever take your work home?
Tony: Not anymore. I did when I was younger and a foolish man.
Steve: Well, I don't want to look young and foolish, but yes, I do take it home sometimes. With the emotional stuff, it's hard for me not to.
Maurice: Yeah. I took it home for the first two weeks after I was hired. Then I had my third breakdown, and I figured that really wasn't good.

Fan Male
SID: What do you feel that you owe fans?
Steve: I just try to do my job the best I can.
Maurice: Just a good performance.
Tony: Exactly. I owe the viewer the best performance I can give. Period.

And One Last Thing
SID: If you could write your character's exit from the show, what would it be?
Tony: Suicide.
Steve: Jason talking Luke out of committing suicide!
Maurice: Probably being pregnant and getting killed by a car bomb. (The men laugh.)
Steve: With me in the back seat.