SID September 21, 2005
The Three Amigos
When Maurice Benard, Steve Burton and Rick Hearst Open Up, You Never Know What They Might Say!
SID: Steve, did you give Rick any advice on working manyo y manyo with Maurice?
Steve: No, they worked together in the beginning. Before I even worked with Rick, he was already working with Maurice.
Rick: The first day, Maurice came up and whispered, "We're gonna have a good time". It was a bizarre feeling. At first, I didn't understand it".
Maurice: But that was after I saw you act.
SID: Where do you see yourselves in 10 years?
Steve: I'll be 300 pounds. I just want to eat a lot. Actually, I'd like to still be on GH. I could do another 10 years. Maurice will be on GH until he's dead. This guy needs to be on camera at least four times a week or he goes to a mall and hopes that he gets recognized. Rick is the guy who will be on a soap forever. He'll be Sonny in 10 years. He'll take on the mob for killing his brother.
Maurice: In 10 years I could be here. But the way it's going and how tired I get, I should be retired completely and living somewhere else. Steve directed a short film that's incredible. So that's what he'll be doing -- directing films.
SID: Who has more picture of his kids in his dressing room?
Steve: Maurice, definitely. Mine isn't old enough to have that many pictures.
Maurice: Mine are, but I just have a couple of pictures up.
SID: Who keeps his Emmy shinier?
Maurice: Mine is newer. Actually, Rick's is newer.
Rick: Mine is newer, but Maurice's is shinier
Steve: Mine's a little older, so I'd have to say Maurice keeps his shiner
SID: What can the other guys do that you could never pull off?
Maurice: I can't play a hitman because I don't weigh enough. Steve plays a great hitman because you can believe that he'll kill you.
Rick: I definitely couldn't do that. I wouldn't be able to pull it off
Maurice: And Rick has those big monologues. I could pull it off but I wouldn't want to. It would scare me.
Steve: Maurice workload is huge. I'm not sure I could pull that off.
Rick: And Maurice doesn't edit himself. I tend to be more analytical about how I approach my work. He comes from his gut, no matter what. I have good instincts that way and I work well with people who have that quality. But Maurice comes straight from his gut. I tend to not be as trusting with my instincts that way. I use my head to tap into the gut response.
Steve: With Rick, no matter what story he's in or who he is working with, he's always 100 percent
Maurice: Rick started out with a character who was despicable. He committed to playing it
Steve: And Rick had no choice. A lot of actors would fight it but you have to justify it for your self. That's why Rick's character has stayed around for so long. He continues to play it. They see upstairs that Rick is playing what they wrote. Most people want to play the hero and look good. Rick does what the writers ask him to do and the they write him a great story. He works hard and it pays off.
SID: Maurice, what's it been like getting to see someone else play a breakdown?
Maurice: It's almost like it's really happening. The depth of what Jennifer is going through is amazing because I see myself in her. That's never happened. I'm usually the one having the breakdown. I'm talking about in life and in Sonny. So I'm usually the one that people take care of.
Rick: Jenny is dedicated to bringing truth to the moment, to the point of being scary. It's a great dynamic to watch.
Maurice: It all starts with a vulnerability. Each of the actresses who has played Carly had it - Sarah, Tamara and Jenny. Sonny has to really believe that he has to take care of Carly. So, in order for Sonny to believe that, Carly has to almost have a little girl quality. Each of the Carlys has had it. In different ways, otherwise, it doesn't really click for me. So that's why with this story right now, it's all about that. We've been through some rough patches here in the last couple of months. But now it's all starting to come back.
Steve: Jennifer has something special as an actress. When you prepare for a scene sometimes we have homework to do in a scene that is going to get us to a certain place emotionally, if you're working with certain people. Now, when I'm working with Maurice or Leslie Charleson there's a vulnerability and an availability with certain actors and actresses. Jennifer has it. I look into her eyes and it's there. She's a great actress and she's been great to work with.
Maurice: Jenny is great. She is an amazing actress and we are extremely fortunate to have her on the show