General Hospital alum Vanessa Marcil (ex-Brenda Barrett) hasn't been working much because she's been focusing on raising her teenage son, Kassius. But in a recent interview, the actress opened up about the future of Brenda and Sonny (Maurice Benard), and some of her comments have led fans to believe that she might finally be ready to reprise her role on the ABC soap opera.
In a video interview with her "sister Z" (Zahara) that is posted to her Instagram page, Marcil opens up about her favorite Sonny and Brenda moments. And she surprised everyone with her answer: "My absolute favorite moments of all time between Brenda and Sonny are the ones that are still coming!"
Though her answer was pretty leading, it's not exactly a confirmation that she is making a return to the ABC soap anytime soon. However, she freely admits that she knows exactly what it will be like when she eventually reunites with Benard -- who she says she's never considered super hot before, but she is suddenly changing her attitude.
"He's like my dad! He's not hot to me," she jokes. "And now, I watch him, and I'm like, 'Wait -- when the hell did you get this hot?!?' When Sonny and Brenda get back together, I think it's gonna be like 9½ Weeks."
Just in case her fans don't know details about 9½ Weeks, Marcil gives a quick explanation of the super erotic 1986 Kim Basinger/Mickey Rourke film about an epic sexual encounter/love affair. "The sex is so intimate and fun and unbridled," she says. "I think Sonny and Brenda have that still to look forward to in their relationship, an unbridled, passionate love affair that isn't shackled by immaturity and drama and the Mob, to be honest, the f***'n Mob -- and lies."
Marcil originally joined the cast of GH in 1992 and played the role of Brenda until 1998. She returned to the soap from 2002 to 2003, again from 2010 to 2011, and once again in 2013 for the show's 50th anniversary. She has consistently been rumored to be on her way back to GH, with the last rumor popping up in the summer of 2020, following a snappy tweet to a hater and comments from Benard about how it would be a no-brainer if she reprised the role of Brenda because she drives up GH ratings.
Now that Marcil's son is in college and she can focus more on her career, the actress says she's ready to get back to work but doesn't have an exact project mapped out yet.
"There's a few shows that have literally -- I don't want to sound like an asshole, but it's just the truth -- they literally like, every year, they've offered it to me, and they like, beg me, right? Which is like, beyond amazing. I'm always amazed. It's like, 'Really? You guys still want me?!' And they just haven't been what I want to do next," she shares. "I want to do something that feels really meaningful to me, but I don't know what that is yet."
As far as a GH return specifically, Marcil says her answer has been the same for the last two and a half decades.
"I've always said that I will always come back. And I've said that when I've been under contract on a primetime show, on a different network," she enthuses. "[The fans] always ask that, and I always say, 'Brenda will always be back, Brenda will always come back,' because I love that show and I love the people I worked with. So, she'll always be back."
During her conversation with Zahara, Marcil also revealed that she's set to be a guest on Maurice Benard's show State of Mind and that she will be sharing some really deep personal stuff during the episode. Soap Central will share details about her planned talk with Benard as soon as they become available, so keep checking back for updates!
What do you think about Vanessa Marcil's comments regarding Sonny and Brenda? Do you hope that the actress returns to GH? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
