On Sunday, Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos from General Hospital) hosted Jeffrey Vincent Parise on his State of Mind podcast. He introduced him as an artist before they got down to chatting about a range of things. Read on for more details.
Jeffrey Was On GH
You might recognize Jeffrey Vincent Parise from his role as Asmodeus on Supernatural, but he’s also a familiar face to soap fans. He famously played the dual roles of Carlos and Joe Rivera on General Hospital. Beyond acting, he’s an accomplished painter and author. But with Maurice, he talked about his rather sad childhood.
The podcast kicked off with the duo discussing musical instruments and Jeffrey’s childhood. He also mentioned that his older brother lives in Alaska, and when they were kids, they were enemies. But these days they get along fine and his brother “goes on adventures, fishes, hunts, skis, does all that stuff.”
However, the enmity with his brother as a kid didn’t only affect him growing up. Jeffrey Vincent Parise ended up being moved into “special ed” for being an aggressive youngster. And, he had to see a psychiatrist. However, his mom and dad wouldn’t let them put him on medication.
Finding Art
As the chat progressed, Jeffrey told Maurice how he found some peace by learning art. He explained how in about the 4th grade, he discovered it. He said:
[There was] this like free form classroom setting with bean bags and art supplies everywhere. You did math when you felt like it. You’re asked, “Are you ready for reading now?” and you could say, “No, I’m still working on this drawing.” It was just kind of a free-for-all. We did a lot of activities and it was very physical, so a lot of my energy was able to be expressed.
As he watched the other students being so conscientious, the former GH star explained, “I can remember walking past other classrooms and seeing everybody in these desks, in order, in line. They didn’t have freedom, didn’t have that freedom. And I was like, I don’t want to live like that. I like this. This is fun.”
Stress & Breakdowns
Well, it shaped his career, and he mentioned that he doesn’t have any “mental illness” but he did struggle a bit with “breakdowns.” One example came when he described the breakup of a relationship.
He said that it wasn’t the relationship itself that caused it, but it was “the catalyst.” At the time, he’d been disappointed by a TV show, and his friends were not around. So, he explained, “everything that was making me happy was suddenly gone.”
Yoga Helped
Jeffrey told Maurice that something that helped him a lot was yoga. Initially, he got interested because at the gym the instructor was “gorgeous,” but he found a measure of peace. Maurice Benard heard how Jeffrey was able to meet “challenges” as “you’re quieting your mind while your body is in stress.”
He elaborated, explaining “in the beginning of the classes and at the end, you go into a meditation, and that’s when everything just is quiet and everything becomes clear.” But beyond that, yoga keeps him fit, and he knows of folks who still do it in their 80s.
Well, the real-life Sonny Corinthos seemed keen on learning about yoga, so he asked, “Where do I start?” And, Jeffrey told him, “Just go to a class and get through it.”
