General Hospital's Bonnie Burroughs Speaks Up About Sexual Harassment In Hollywood

When Sonny Corinthos' (Maurice Benard) cousin Gladys Corbin (Bonnie Burroughs) came to Port Charles, she had dollar signs in her eyes on "General Hospital." The gold-digger realized that Sonny was wealthy — one of the perks of being a powerful mob boss — and wanted some of his money for herself. She previously told Sonny that her son Brando Corbin (Johnny Wactor) was dead, but he later turned up alive. Brando eventually fell in love with Sasha Gilmore (Sofia Mattsson), and the two got married. Because of public breakdowns due to their baby's sad and gut-wrenching death and her drug addiction, Brando was appointed Sasha's conservator by the courts. Tragically, he was murdered by The Hook, and Sasha's guardianship transferred to Gladys. 

However, Gladys has been caught up in secret poker games held in the back of the Savoy nightclub by mob boss Selina Wu (Lydia Look) and has been forced to pay off her debts by clandestinely siphoning money from Sasha's accounts. While Sasha has put her trust in Glady, their relationship will be shattered when the truth comes out. Burroughs plays the snarky Glady convincingly and has had a long acting career, having been in the movie "Hard to Kill," and several TV shows, including "Prison Break," and "Days of Our Lives." 

Reflecting on her life as an actress in Hollywood, she recently opened up about appalling sexual harassment she's encountered along her career path.

"General Hospital" star Maurice Benard interviewed co-star Bonnie Burroughs on his YouTube series, "State of Mind," and in the description of the video, he wrote, "[Bonnie] was very brave to open up about something that she never talked about. It's not easy to do that. I'm proud of her." In discussing her career, Burroughs related a time in 1989 when she went to audition for a part in a Steven Seagal movie. She shook his hand, quipping to him, "Oh! Big hand." She shared that his response was, "'You know what they say.' and I said, 'Big hand, big glove.' And he burst out laughing, and I think that's why I got the job." Burroughs was so excited to get a movie role, but in hindsight, she noted, "I was definitely sexually harassed. I mean straight up. But I wasn't gonna say anything because I didn't want to jeopardize the job."

She further explained that she wasn't raped but that the conduct of the people she worked with was obviously improper, stating that the kind of treatment she endured was common back then. She detailed a love scene with Seagal in which she had to be on top of him, stating, "He was 'helping me' on top of him. I didn't obviously need help." Burroughs also explained, "I don't mind talking about it now because it's important," adding that Seagal's reputation for sexual harassment is widely known.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).