It is not every day you see two “tough guys” sit down and get real about the stuff most people are too scared to whisper about. That is exactly what happened when Nathan Dean Parsons joined Maurice Benard on the latest episode of State of Mind.
The timing is perfect since Nathan is finally back on General Hospital this Friday, April 17. He returns as Ethan Lovett, and he says, “I am absolutely thrilled to be back.”
He even joked about how much time had passed since he started. “I was 19 years old, I am in my late 30s now. I’m almost 40. Um, when I was 19, I remember walking on set for my very first day,” he recalled.
If you were expecting a standard Hollywood interview about a new role, this was not it. Instead, it was a raw and unfiltered look at the heavy lifting required to live with depression. They discussed the gut punch of losing a sibling and why having a support system is a literal lifesaver.
Nathan also shared some sweet memories about working with the legendary Tony Geary. “Turns out we were incredibly similar people. You know, we just kind of thought and functioned the same way. I know they wrote that, but that was true before they wrote it,” Nathan said. He even mentioned that when Tony retired, he stayed in contact with him for a little bit.
The Burden of Mental Health
One of the most relatable moments came when Maurice opened up about the guilt that often follows mental health struggles. He admitted that during his darkest times, he felt like a weight on his wife, Paula.
Nathan did not skip a beat. He talked about how we often try to hide our struggles because we do not want to dump our mental stuff on the people we love. Nathan pointed out that “No one should have to take on our mental shit… but they willingly do.”
A Heartbreaking Loss
The mood shifted when Nathan shared the story of his brother’s suicide. It was a sobering reminder that mental health battles are often fought in total silence. Nathan’s brother seemed fine. He even waited until after their mother’s birthday to make sure she had a happy day before he took his own life.
The tragedy clearly left a mark on Nathan. He reflected on a goal he has had since he was a kid. “If I can tell a true story so much so that one person goes, ‘Shit, I’m not alone,’ they get it… that was the only goal from when I was 10 years old,” he explained.
Breaking the Stigma
Perhaps the most important takeaway was the dismantling of the stoic man trope. Maurice and Nathan are both successful and conventionally cool actors. Yet they spent an hour talking about crying, anxiety, and the afterlife.
They touched on the fact that men are often conditioned to believe they are not allowed to be broken, which only makes the isolation worse.
By the end of the episode, Maurice compared Nathan’s vulnerability to a boxer going 12 rounds. Nathan did not just show up to talk shop; he showed up to be human.
Whether you are a diehard General Hospital fan or have never seen a soap opera in your life, this conversation is worth a watch. It is a powerful reminder that speaking up can change everything.
Watch the full interview with Nathan Dean below!
Photo Credit: State of Mind.
Follow Soap Opera News on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, spoilers, recaps, interviews, and more.
Leave a Reply