Lover's Lane

Maurice Benard (Sonny, GH), Jason Brooks (ex-Peter, DAYS) and Jamie Luner (ex-Liza, ALL MY CHILDREN; exLexi, MELROSE PLACE) team up for the new Lifetime movie A LOVER BETRAYED, premiering on September 9.

- Mara Levinsky and Robert Waldron

MAURICE BENARD

Soap Opera Digest: In this film, you play Det. Alvarez, who is trying to get to the bottom of the sticky love-gone wrong situation and protect Jamie Luner and Jason Brooks’s alter egos from a stalker. But my first thought when I saw you in costume, dressed as a law officer, was, “What would the PCPD say?”

Maurice Benard (laughs): I might be Taggert’s [the Port Charles detective Sonny tangled with for many years] boss, how’s that?

Digest: Was it fun to be on the other side of the law than what you typically do on GH?

Benard: Yeah! You know, I got offered the role and with me, with any project I do, it’s about the character. Unless it’s a really bad project — then I won’t do it. But if I like the role, that’s what it’s about for me, and I loved this detective. And I just had a blast playing him.

Digest: How long did you work on this film?

Benard: It didn’t take that long. I think it was about a year ago, and one thing that I will say about Frank [Valentini, GH’s executive producer] is that he is the absolute greatest about letting actors spread their wings. And I have never had a problem with him in doing any [outside projects]. I went to Boston one time to do [the Jennifer Lawrence film] Joy, and he was just so great about it. I’ve never seen another producer be that cool that way.

Digest: What does it mean to you, at this stage in your GH career, to know that you have that flexibility even though you’re under contract?