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Family Feud: Ric (Rick Hearst) and Sonny's (Maurice Benard) reunion is far from loving.
Ric has been back in Port Charles since August 22 — but he has yet to cross paths with his half brother, Sonny Corinthos. The relationship between the siblings has rarely been harmonious ... and with legal eagle Ric now set to represent Ava Jerome, it doesn't look like that will change anytime soon. After all, Ava is not only poised to do battle with Sonny for custody of their shared daughter, Avery, but is facing manslaughter charges in the death of the baby Kristina, Sonny's daughter, was carrying for Molly, Ric's daughter! Next week, Ric and Sonny finally do come face to face — and Soap O pera Digest got the inside scoop from Ric's portrayer, Rick Hearst.
It should come as no surprise to GH viewers that according to Hearst, Sonny is "not at all" pleased to discover the identity of Ava's new attorney. When Ric identifies himself as Ava's counsel, "First, he says he's taking her case with the custody suit, which is enough for Sonny," the actor previews. "But then Ric says, 'I am representing her in another matter, as well.' " For Sonny, "It just burns ," grins Hearst. "You can just see it on his face."
Sonny is quick to disparage Ric to his new client. "He throws down a warning to her, like, 'This guy will turn on you just like everybody else.' " But, explains Hearst, "The great thing is, it's very much cordial the minute they see each other. Ric's not going to bait him or anything. But ultimately, their better angels don't go with them as the conversation and the scenes keep going."
That's in large part because Sonny accuses Ric of throwing Alexis under the bus by reporting to the cops that he saw her disposing of a gun . "The second they start talking about, 'You turned in Alexis,' and this, that, and the other, and the second they start addressing their daughters .... You've just to got to see it. That's when [their animosity] kicks up."
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Hearst feels that's because "Sonny talking about how Ric is setting up Alexis, trying to put her away and all of that, it's a reminder for Ric. It's a trigger for him. Ric's trigger at that point is [Sonny saying], 'You're wreaking havoc on Alexis. That's when Ric snaps. It's like, 'Corks off the champagne, baby! And here it comes! It's been shaking for about eight years, maybe even longer.' "
Elaborates Hearst, "t gets down to the issues between these two," and Ric's decades of resentment toward Sonny — and when the topic turns to the subject of their respective childhoods, Ric gets even angrier. "It's so great, the way Mo [Benard, Sonny] played it," Hearst praises. "He comes back at Ric with, 'Oh, is this the, "My mommy loved you more than me?" ' He's sort of like, 'You child, you still can't get over it. You wanna talk about who had it worse?' I basically wanted to make sure that Ric took the standpoint where Ric didn't buy into this. So I come back at him and say, 'I don't care about the past. The present is problem enough.' "
Sums up Hearst, "It's really well-written. These guys know who are they are to each other. They know that if they had the opportunity, they'd love to take each other down. but at the end of the day, they know that they don't want to pass the sins of the father along to their daughter, and that the ruin of of them is the ruin of their children."
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