Despite rumors of Maurice Benard leaving General Hospital in the near future, the actor sounds happy where he is. Especially now that Sonny has developed a nice story line.

"I'm really into it," the actor said in a recent interview. "It allows me to be kind of like a George Clooney for a while. There's some romance and a lightness to it. It's something I haven't done in 15 years."

Despite Emmy Award-winning years on the show, and his undeniable status as one of the most popular stars in daytime television, Benard sometimes still finds it hard to believe that he's made it this far.

"I had a lot of Sonny in me when I was a kid," he said. "I used to have a low-rider and I hung out a lot on Main Street in Walnut Creek, just looking for girls and for fights. "... And I also drank a lot. That was my thing."

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.