Risa Dorken (Nurse Amy Driscoll) appeared on The State of Mind podcast by General Hospital (GH) star Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos) on Sunday. Some folks expected Olivia Munn, whom he’d asked to consider appearing. She did say yes, though, so perhaps that will come later. Anyway, Risa didn’t disappoint.
Some Background On The Podcast
Maurice started the podcast by going back to when he first started State of Mind. He reminded his viewers that he started very small, but slowly grew to the point where he could interview other people. He noted that the first time he interviewed a guest outside of his family, it was none other than Risa Dorken.
When Risa first appeared on his podcast, Maurice said that he felt very nervous. However, she soon made him feel at ease, and of course, he seems to be very confident these days. His co-star from ABC remembered the first podcast, but she didn’t know that she’d been his first guest from outside of his family. It was five years ago now.
Playing The Role Of Nurse Amy
Starting to talk about her career, the real-life Nurse Amy Driscoll described her schooling, her higher education, and finally her big moment when she found an agent. Briefly, she saw the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, but she landed her role on GH and seems happy at the moment.
Speaking about that, Risa told Maurice Benard, “I play Nurse Amy the second. There’s a lot of drama, complications with me being the second Nurse Amy.” Initially, Maurice didn’t remember that, but Risa reminded him that the first nurse was “Shelley Kepler–Nurse Amy the gossip.”
It seemed important for Risa Dorken to let viewers know that she was not a recast. She said, ” I am not her. I’m not a recast of her, but I’m like a tip of the hat, a nod to her. “
The Nurses Ball
Next, the real-life Sony Corinthos talked about the Nurses Ball. He said, “GH has been great for you…especially at the Nurses’ Ball.” He added, “You’re the one that’s always [doing] the singing and whatever, the whole thing performing. It’s great.”
Maurice mentioned that Frank Valentini is so good with that sort of thing. Risa Dorken agreed, saying, “This was my seventh ball in nine years because we didn’t do it in 2021. And then in 2024, because we had the wedding last year, right? So out of nine, I’ve done seven. I’ve been in the opening number seven times. “
Turning To Mental Health
The podcast nearly always turns to the subject of mental health, and Risa mentioned that, like Benard, she also had “Bipolar.” She explained that it leans more toward mania.Describing it, she said, “I go high energy instead of depressive. I clean a lot, I don’t sleep…”
While Maurice has manic highs, he crashes into depression. But it’s not like that for Risa. She said, “My downs are always medically induced. That’s where I was the first time I did the show, I feel like I’m kind of…flat. That’s the word they use, ‘Flat.’ I feel flat.” Describing how medication makes her feel like “a vegetable,” the GH star added, “I’ll go out to dinner and converse, but I might fall asleep at that table at 7 p.m.”
What are your thoughts on that? Did you know that bipolar disorder can present as a manic high or as a depressive state? Let us know in the comments below, and come back here often for all your General Hospital cast news and updates.
