Sean Kanan talks Religion and Acceptance with Maurice Benard! Read more here >>
Sean Kanan, who plays Deacon Sharpe on The Bold and the Beautiful, was a guest for the second time on Maurice Benard’s State of Mind this past Sunday morning.
Kanan brought Benard to tears right away by presenting not one, but two custom gifts to Maurice. Gorgeous, one of a kind artwork produced by Gustavo Vasquez was printed on both a large canvas for display and also as a T-Shirt for Maurice. Benard was greatly honored by the gesture from his friend of two decades.
To start, Maurice and Sean bounced around several topics. Sean talked about growing up near an Amish town in a suburb that was still centered around the steelworks. Sean recalled taking his now wife to his hometown and warned her of the Amish still in horse drawn buggies. Much to their surprise, shortly after arriving they did find an Amish citizen driving a buggy… while talking on his cell phone.
The conversation moved to religion as Maurice pondered the differences between Amish religious practices and Mormon style worship. Kanan spoke on finding a connection with a “higher power” recently though was uncertain if a particular organized religion would be right for him.
Maurice Benard waxed nostalgic about being raised Catholic, but his relationship with God through Christianity has helped him grow. He credited the end of his time of faithlessness to the self-realization that it was impossible to navigate life alone, to make it work without a higher power.
Ultimately the former General Hospital castmate agreed with Maurice’s take, “if we just stopped judging, it doesn’t matter what you do. It matters, are you a good guy? Am I a good guy? OK good.”
Kanan referenced tribalism in today’s society, suggesting that people are looking for a specific identity that would make them a victim of something. Kanan said that in his life he’s found that people are complex, with “nano shades of gray.”
Kanan said, “you can’t meet someone who holds one belief about one thing, [and use that to] identify them as all these other things.”
He concluded, “I firmly believe that any two people can sit down and break bread together and find commonality.” A sentiment that Benard agreed with entirely.
Maurice moved the conversation to sobriety and complemented Sean Kanan on looking “like Rock Hudson” after two years of sobriety.
Sean credited his wife and profound advice for the change in his lifestyle. First and foremost, Kanan admits to wanting to give his wife the “life she deserves.” It was her support and ultimately the suggestion that she may have “backed the wrong horse,” that inspired Kanan to change his life and achieve what he felt he deserved to give his family and what he deserved to give himself.
When posed with the question, “would you give up one thing to have everything?” Maurice Benard asked Sean to repeat the question, being moved by the simplicity of it.
“I stopped drinking and the universe opened up to me.” Kanan reported. He continued saying that he finds things in life to be relatively simple, they’re just not easy to do. Alcohol covered his anxiety of being mediocre, but prevented him from giving his all to the world, to his wife, and to himself.
When Kanan dropped the bottle, he was able to move forward. In 2020, he worked with Bruce Willis on back to back films, he was cast on The Bold and the Beautiful, and returned to the Miyagi-verse as Mike Barnes in Cobra Kai season 5.
He attributed his recent success to his open eyes after getting real help he needed regarding his mental health. Kanan said it was the help that removed the pain that held him back, substance abuse was more “holding a tiger by the tail” that would work for a little while but not forever.
Maurice was surprised Kanan was able to do so much with covid restrictions in play. Benard said he found it very challenging to get the help he needed at the time and it was a very dark period for him. He said it was the perfect prescription of medicine that took away the darkest thoughts.
Kanan complemented the use of medications to alleviate the pain associated with deteriorating mental health. He advocated for patience as every person is different in their needs and medication doesn’t work right away. He said its process that requires trust and it will take time to get well again.
Moving to General Hospital, Maurice attempted to save face for Sonny by claiming Kanan’s character of AJ was killed in self-defense. It was a stance that Kanan couldn’t support and reminded Benard that Sonny shot AJ in cold blood.
Sean Kanan spoke of his time working with Steve Burton, Vanessa Marcil, Ricky Martin saying it was a heyday of his career although Daytime wasn’t on his radar early on.
Kanan spoke of Steve Burton getting Kanan the audition for General Hospital as they were looking for a brother for Jason.
However, the character of AJ wasn’t someone that made Kanan feel good. He said it was very challenging at times to reconcile his personal feelings and not judge the characters he plays. For example, Kanan mentioned having friends and family in the LGBTQ+ community but AJ Quartermaine held opinions that were diametrically opposite of Kanan’s own thoughts.
Kanan also spoke on the evolution of Mike Barnes from Cobra Kai. He was excited to play up some of the humor of the series and looked forward to bringing layers to the “uni-directional” character from The Karate Kid, Part III.
Benard and Kanan spoke on finding their groove in life. Kanan and Benard agreed that experience and self-awareness was key to stability and both men admit to not finding that part of themselves until they reached their 50’s, to which they both felt was later than the usual person.
Kanan hopes to not “take up space” but to “make the world a better place.” Whether it be with his children or with other people. For him, the meaning of life is the “meaning we give to life.” Finding what it is we’re here to do, and how that can benefit the world around us. Kanan suggested that State of Mind was what Maurice Benard was meant to do.
At a point in the conversation, Benard became emotional again, giving Kanan the opportunity to continue to compliment his friend. To speak on male bonding, that crying wasn’t something to take advantage of but to use as a moment to bond with a friend.
To close out the conversation, the pair discussed travel destinations and fears of flying. Kanan is happy to tour the world, explore places like Dubai and Italy with his family. Benard says he is getting over his fears of flying and would “do it again.”
(Photos: JPI/ABC)
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