General Hospital's Maurice Benard reveals the secret behind his ever-changing hair

When General Hospital's Sonny washed up on the Pennsylvania side of the river in 2021 and became known as Mike the Bartender, Maurice Benard became known as the Silver Fox for some fans.

While those gray days sometimes make a return appearance every now and then, the Silver Fox seems to be gone. Now, Benard has told us why.

A new Sonny in Nixon Falls

Sonny and Benard's natural gray hair came out in full force during the Nixon Falls story. Even when Sonny got his memory back and he returned to Port Charles, he still kept some shades of gray in his hair, especially as Sonny fell for Nina (Cynthia Watros) and not just "Smike."

Over the last few years, Sonny has gone back and forth between sporting gray streaks to showing off his signature shock of jet-black hair we have seen for years. After Sonny and Nina divorced, Sonny's hair became more black than gray and now it seems we hardly ever see a silver streak shining through, but why?

General Hospital makes the rules

During a recent Instagram Live chat, fans asked Benard about his hair and why he can't seem to stay gray. The actor offered a simple answer. He basically doesn't have a choice when it comes to his coiff.

"About my hair, here's the situation," he said. "I want gray, but the powers that be, this is what they want, and they're the boss, so I have to give them what they want, right? It's not worth a big battle over."

Even Sonny's younger brother, Ric, sports a shock of white hair now, as does Martin Grey. However, GH clearly wants its legendary mobster to look a certain way, so Benard is just going with the flow and giving his bosses what they want.

When Sonny went gray during the Nixon Falls arc, it wasn't the first time he changed his look. In 2016, Benard and Sonny grew a beard when Sonny spent a few months in a wheelchair. Once Sonny was back on his feet, Benard shaved the beard and Sonny looked like Sonny again.

Do you prefer Sonny with gray hair or jet-black hair? Let us know in the comment section below.

Catch all-new episodes of General Hospital weekdays on ABC and Hulu.