‘General Hospital’s Sonny & Laura as a Couple? Maurice Benard Reacts

General Hospital fans are about to see Laura Collins and Sonny Corinthos sharing more screen time as they team up to deal with the mysterious death of Professor Henry Dalton (Daniel Goddard). And while the storyline is tense, things behind the scenes are anything but — Genie Francis and Maurice Benard are thrilled about the twist.

“I love working with her,” Benard enthuses. “I love the relationship.”

The sentiment is mutual. Earlier this year, Francis told TV Insider just how much she values her connection with Benard. “I have to say without question, he’s my favorite person to work with,” she shared. “There’s just a comfort there that is unexplainable. The only other time I felt it was with Tony Geary [Luke Spencer]. I just feel safe, and I feel he reminds me of how beautiful our profession of acting can be, and it makes me love it again. He’s that kind of actor, and I just feel so lucky when I get to work with him.”

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Even with their natural chemistry, Benard is clear that Laura and Sonny’s bond should remain platonic. “I don’t think it should ever be anything beyond best friends,” says Benard. “I think if you did that, it would kind of tarnish this relationship. I think if it were a different circumstance, different time, and Luke wasn’t involved in a sense, maybe, but there’s a lot of negatives there, so I would say no. Plus, he has ADA Turner [Nazneen Contractor].”

As Sonny’s dynamic with Justine begins to heat up, Benard believes it’s a pairing with promise. “Some fans may say, ‘You’ve been down this road before,’” he notes. “Anything you see anybody do, they’ve done before. Yes, he’s been with lawyers, but it should never be about that. It should be about the actress, whether they have chemistry, whether they look good together, whether they could make this thing work, or whatever. And Nazneen is a seasoned actress and ready to go.”

Contractor is excited to explore the complexities of Justine’s growing pull toward Sonny. “Justine has a strong moral compass, and I think she’s realized in getting to know Sonny that there is gray between the law and her moral compass,” Contractor observes. “Sonny falls in between that. He may be accused of doing these terrible things, but he’s not all bad, and no one is. No one person, even in real life, is just evil or just a villain. There’s a reason, and there are other things about them, and it’s fun to discover that. It’s fun for Justin to discover that he’s not entirely what he appears to be to her, and how she navigates the responsibility of doing her job with seeing this other side of him.”

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Benard feels ADA Turner can challenge Sonny in expected ways. “It started out as a game, but slowly, he’s having little feelings, but it’s always a game,” Benard explains. “And however they write it, that will change. But I know from playing it, I’m always trying to mess with her. Sometimes he’ll mess with her, and he’ll think, ‘That’s not nice,’ but she gives it back. She’s cool.”

General Hospital, Weekdays, ABC