AMP in the post
General Hospital star Chris McKenna (Jack Brennan) and Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos) chatted about all sorts of things including mental health on the State of Mind podcast this weekend. During their chat, they also discussed his experiences as a child actor. Read on for more details.
Started Acting At The Age Of Seven
After the introduction on YouTube, and a chat about George Clooney, Maurice asked Chris how he got into acting. Well, he seemed pleased to talk about his memories from early years.
Chris told the veteran GH star, “I started acting at seven… from a local community theater flyer that went around town in Watertown, Connecticut for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
His parents consented to the young real-life Jack Brennan auditioning, and he landed the part of Dopey, “the best,” dwarf. He only got a one-liner, but that was when he decided he’d act “forever.” He added, that after that, he joined a “community theater group called YTE… and did play after play.”
AMP in the post
A Speech Impediment
Interestingly, he mentioned that he had “a speech impediment,” but he persisted with his acting dream. However, he had a scary moment on stage once, because he froze while singing as the chorus line danced behind him. Shocked and angry, he still continued. It was his first ever “stage fright moment,” Chris said.
Nevertheless, after that, he still put his hand up for every role he could get. General Hospital fans learned that he finally learned how to “deal with anxiety” in front of an audience.
Well, Maurice Benard could relate to stage fright, and related how he also went through that. Actually, did any actor ever not go through it? But for McKenna, he learned from it and moved on into bigger things.
Bullied At School
AMP in the post
From 1990 to 1994, Chris was on One Life to Live and he seemed really happy because he “got to act every day.” He had a lot of fun doing it. But, he added, “I was going to school in Connecticut at the same time, going back and forth.”
Unfortunately, that meant he became some sort of misfit. Chris McKenna elaborated, saying, “Those kids, you know, didn’t understand. I was the only [actor] and I was getting special treatment. Teachers didn’t like that and the students didn’t know how to relate to me.”
McKenna told Maurice Benard that the problem stemmed from him not being able to “relate to kids my age.” That’s because he spent a lot of time with adults on the set. So, he ended up getting “picked on” a lot.
Unfortunately, he experienced bullying. Well, one has to wonder if those bullies don’t look at McKenna right now and wish they hadn’t done that!
Viewers Respond
In the comments section, a lot of people discussed the various aspects of the long conversation. One GH follower said, “I have to pause this, i need more tissues.”
Here are a few more responses from the discussion:
- I understand getting picked on in school, all i was ever around most all my life was adults, had one best friend, sad now because most everyone is gone but i have you Chris and Maurice ! So I’m good ! I just wish i could work with you all.
- Little Joey Buchanan grew up nice. Love your acting Chris.
- I have been a fan of Chris since he was Joey on “One Life to Live”. What a great interview. Chris you are a talented actor and a good real, strong and honest person.
What are your thoughts about Chris being bullied at school because he started acting young? Let us know in the comments below, and remember to come back here often for all your General Hospital cast news and updates.