On July 17, 1995, “General Hospital” aired one of the most iconic scenes in Sonny and Brenda history. Sonny discovered that Brenda was wearing a wire, which led to a devastating confrontation. After 30 years, this scene is still referenced in “GH” history as being one of the pivotal moments in the pair’s relationship.
Recently, I attended Maurice Benard’s show at SoulJoel’s in Pottstown, PA, and during his Q&A session, I got to ask him about filming such an intense scene.
Benard stated:
“The wire scene… This is the first time I really get to talk about it since that aired. As Vanessa (Marcil) and I were about to go into the scene, I read the script and wanted to change the direction a little bit. I went to producers and said that during the confrontation, Sonny should slap Brenda. The show said, ‘Absolutely not!’ Thankfully, I am glad they said, ‘No.’ I was also mad at Vanessa about something, I can’t remember exactly what it was, but the more as the scene went on, and Brenda continued to scream at Sonny, I just got angrier as Sonny. Being a method actor, I really got into it.”
Marcil, who also appeared at this same venue back in March with Rena Sofer, took time to answer the question when I posed it to her then:
“I was so nervous to do it, and I did not think I was good enough to pull this scene off. Maurice went to speak with our acting coach at the time, John Homa, and said, ‘You have to do something to get her prepared for this scene.’ He worked with me, and I got through it.”
During Benard’s show, fans asked him about whether Marcil will ever do his podcast series, “State of Mind,” as well if the Emmy-winning actress will make a return to the ABC soap. Only time will tell for both..
Watch the full scene below of Sonny and Brenda’s confrontation about the wire:
