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Jason, married with kids? Not if Steve Burton has his way!
It goes without saying that General Hospital's Jason would do just about anything for his buddy, Sonny. And while Jason may be playing daddy to keep the Corinthos marriage intact, portrayer Steve Burton hopes that's as close to fatherhood as his alter ego comes. When asked if he wants to see Jason settle down, Burton is quick to respond. "Absolutely not!" he says. "No kids, no marriage."
"It's a Ball and Chain"
As Burton explains it, Jason is perfectly content to take on the responsibility of being a faux dad - and could just as easily give it up tomorrow. "The sad thing - and the cool thing - is that he would do it for 10 years," says the actor. "Then, if something happened to Sonny and Carly's marriage, and Sonny came over and said, 'Hey, I'm going to be the dad now of Sam's baby,' Jason would go, 'Okay. Go ahead,' and he'd be off to shoot pool at Jake's. No regrets."
Although fans may be longing for a reunion between the recently divorced Jason and Courtney, the actor isn't suffering from any separation anxiety. "Jason as a father and husband doesn't fit," Burton explains. "They'd be taking Jason away from who he really is and putting him in an unnatural situation that doesn't work for him. Jason needs to be the loner. He needs to be free. He can't be locked down or he's dead." And that explains his position on Jason's former marriage. "Jason was getting too domesticated with Courtney. It was cool to explore that type of relationship, because Jason has never had that. It was great for my character. It took him to new levels. New things. But it's a ball and chain. He can't do it."
"I'm the Secondhand Man"
What about the theory put forth by numerous fans that one day, Jason would be revealed as Michael's biological father? "No, no, no, I don't want that," says Burton, slipping into character to examine the ramifications of such a twist. "What happens if Michael is mine? Then I'd take Michael away from Carly and Sonny? Jason wouldn't do that.
"They're always trying to have Sonny and Jason butt heads. But what's that going to do?" Burton asks. "Everyone is always trying to get Jason and Sonny to fight. But why would people want to see that relationship ruined? It's one of the strongest relationships there is. Jason would never betray him. You can't say that about any other character on the show. I commend them for keeping our relationship that way."
And if, on occasion, Jason comes across as Sonny's whipping boy, his portrayer is fine with that. "I'm the secondhand man. Jason's cool with it. I'm cool with it. My character can go different places. I'm all over the board - different sets, different stories."
Burton is obviously quite comfortable in the role of supporting player. "I don't want to lead a show like Maurice Benard (Sonny) does. That guy memorizes 25 pages a night and gives 110% every single day, no matter what. There is no one else who can do it. It's amazing. He makes us all better actors."
Burton's impassioned tone when talking about Benard's influence in his life and on his career speaks volumes. "He's been my mentor for a long time. There are few people the Lord puts in your life to help you. He was there at a time of my life when I needed him."
Jason and Carly's unconventional relationship:
"Jason knows that Carly's crazy, but she can count on him no matter what," the actor says of Jason's lover-turned-pal. "They understand each other, and there's a soft spot there. They kind of have a brother-sister thing going on, which I really like."
The one that got away:
"People took to Jason and Elizabeth because you saw the vulnerability that he once had," Burton says of Jason's past love. "I think we should rekindle a friendship, just put whatever is behind us, behind us."
Jason's relationship with his former wife:
"With Courtney, for the first time, Jason saw that there was more to life," the actor explains. "She was the first person that opened his eyes. When he looked at his life before, he had nothing. With her, he thought he had it all."
The love of his life:
"This is the real thing," Burton says of his wife of five years, Sheree. "She's the perfect woman for me. By the third or fourth date, I was thinking about marrying her."
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