A lot of actors just want to direct — but Maurice Benard is not one of them, at least not anymore. He scuttled plans to direct a film and chose instead to helm an experimental project featuring some familiar faces from the GH universe, which he’s debuting on his YouTube channel on March 1, his birthday. “I did it for the fans,” he explains.
Soap Opera Digest: So tell me how this all came about.
Maurice Benard: It all started when I met this guy from Turkey, a friend of a friend of mine. I just got a feeling about this guy, Sergio [Santairas, videographer/camera-man/cinematographer]. I said, “Okay. Why don’t we do, like, a film or something, put it on YouTube?” So, we started doing it, and the film was a great idea — I play this gangster and this boy comes to my house and he says, “Can you find the people who killed my parents?” And the boy was played by Joshua, my son. So, I was going to direct and we shot it, I started doing these scenes, and they were cool, but Serge, he was learning, so he made a lot of mistakes. But I still believed in him, and my wife, Paula, was getting like, “Honey, you’ve got to figure this out! We’ve got to do this, we’ve got to do that.” We even shot Joshua with my goat, Buddy The Goat; it was a beautiful scene where he was crying. So, we wanted to tell this whole story, but then I realized, “I don’t want to direct, man! I’m not a director.” I know how to get performances out of people, but I had to stay up all night editing and all of that. So, Paula made a great suggestion — we kind of disagreed, but now I know she was right — and she said, “Honey, just make this a fun thing, so you take off the pressure of having it be a movie; just make it a fun thing with different scenes with your friends.” And then I thought of putting it up on my birthday. I said, “Okay!” And that’s where we’re at now.
Digest: And you got several of your friends from GH involved, including Ian Buchanan (ex-Duke), Steve Burton (Jason), Kin Shriner (Scott), Brooklyn Rae Silzer (ex-Emma) and Dominic Zamprogna (Dante), to name a few.
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
TAKE FIVE
Ashley Jones (Bridget, B&B)
Young and restless
BACK TO LIFE - Diane advises Phyllis to mind her own business but Phyllis refuses.... Jack tells Nikki that Diane is alive. Nikki pays Diane a visit and warns Ms. Jenkins that she won't find the redemption she's seeking in Genoa City.... Jack welcomes Kyle and Harrison home.... Jack gently informs Kyle that his mother is alive. A rattled Kyle struggles to process it.... Kyle admits to Traci that he's unsure of how to proceed with the mom who let him think she was dead for all of these years.... Phyllis fills in Amanda about Diane. Later, Phyllis berates Diane for leaving her suite and roaming around town.
THE mom SQUAD
Four proud moms dish about their soap star offspring.
MAY Sweeps PREVIEW!
Your must-have guide to what's in store on every show this month.
Takeover artist
On And Off Screen, Robert Newman Is Finding His Footing At Y&R.
Hot Plots Preview!
What will Happen
General hospital
THAT'S THE SPIRIT - Aiden asks Chase to help him with an experiment: using a Ouija board to contact Franco. Chase tries to disabuse Aiden of the notion that Franco's ghost is behind what's been going on at Liz's. Later, Finn and Cam find Chase unconscious and take him to G.H. Portia diagnoses him with a concussion, then apologizes to Jordan for their earlier confrontation. Chase briefs Liz on what happened with Aiden. Jordan learns that the security footage from Liz's house has been corrupted and advises Liz to move out for the time being. Liz nixes bunking with Finn and Violet, but agrees to relocate to the Metro Court. Liz and Finn run into Lucy, and Finn pooh-poohs Lucy's belief in the supernatural. Liz privately confides in Lucy about what's been going on, and Lucy suggests that she seek the services of a medium.
Bold and beautiful
MARITAL ISSUES - Quinn, Eric and Carter discuss the tragedy that occurred with Steffy and Finn. Once alone, Quinn confides in Carter that she thought she and Eric had been working on their marriage since her affair, but she's not confident that it will ever be the same. Quinn admits she is worried that Eric will never love or trust her again as much as he once did.
B&B'S TANNER NOVLAN ON FINN'S SHOCKING DEMISE
late-breaking news
B&B: SHEILA IS SUICIDAL
late-breaking news
Walker
SEASON PREMIERE Thursday, Oct. 28, 8/7c, The CW
What Happens In Vegas
Mandeep Dhillon, Jorja Fox, and Paula Newsome are solving crimes, changing the game, and kicking ass in CSI: Vegas.
Off the Beaten Path
When a hiker falls 75 feet from a mountain cliff, a young stranger goes to extremes to save her
Paul Andrew Hutton
True West’s historian is a natural storyteller whose love of country and the West makes him one of best in his field.
Our 19th Annual Celebration of the Absolute Best of the West!
For many in 2020, great treks, trips and vacations to the American West were put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Paula Echevarría – "Me hace mucha gracia que la gente se fije en lo que llevo. No soy un oráculo"
En el segundo trimestre de su embarazo, la actriz lanza 'Paula Rouge', su nuevo perfume. Hablamos con ella de fragancias, moda, deseo y navidad en tiempos de pandemia.
Power of Positivity
POP STAR PAULA ABDUL’S JOYFUL OUTLOOK KEEPS HER DANCING PAST THE PAIN.
WICKED WILLIE'S CHEATIN' HEART
Nelson reveals he couldn’t stay faithful
THE ART OF NEYSA MCMEIN
Margary Edna McMein was born in Quincy, Illinois on January 25, 1888. (Various sources list her date of birth as 1890, and a few as 1889—once McMein moved to New York she decided to trim a few years from her age.)
An Exclusive Interview with NICK ERVINCK
NICK ERVINCK (° 1981) graduated in 2003 from the KASK (Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Ghent) with a master's degree in Mixed Media.