Actresses Rena Sofer and Amanda Setton discuss the greatest lessons that being on soap operas has taught them.
Presently, Sofer and Setton play mother and daughter Lois Cerullo and Brook Lynn Quatertmaine respectively on the ABC daytime drama “General Hospital.”
On Sunday, February 25, the actresses participated in a virtual fan event that was hosted by Coastal Entertainment.
Working with Amanda Setton
Sofer expressed that she loves working with Amanda Setton, who plays her on-screen daughter Brook Lynn Quartermaine. “Amanda is a dream come true,” Sofer said.
Greatest lessons that the soap opera world has taught them
On the greatest lesson that the soap opera genre has ever taught her, Sofer responded, “It has taught me humility. I would say humility. There are levels of acting: you do voiceovers, commercials, theater, or you a movie star, TV star, or a soap star.”
“Soap actors tend to get a lot of disrespect in the business,” Sofer said. “I will tell you this… Once you are embraced by soap opera fans and the soap opera world, you are always embraced by it. When you feel like you don’t fit in all of these other places, the one and only place in all of showbusiness that opens its arms to you and keeps them open is the soap opera world.”
“When you think you are above it or that you’ve gotten below it, or in between, the place you end up going back home to is the soap opera world,” Sofer explained. “To me, this genre has taught me a lot about humility, and I am appreciative of all of the fans in daytime television.”
Amanda Setton has gained a strong work ethic working on a soap opera
“Working on a soap opera has taught me to have a strong work ethic,” Setton said. “As Rena said, I feel like soap actors don’t get nearly the credit that they deserve not even for the stories that have to play but the sheer volume of the work.”
“We do get such amazing love and support from the fans, and we are forever grateful for that,” Setton added.
“Sometimes, we shoot three episodes in a day, and we have 70 pages in a day. It’s a lot of stories to play and a lot of volume, as well as a lot of emotional arcs and relationships to play. So, it’s like a doctorate program in acting and hard work,” Setton elaborated.
Rena Sofer on playing Lois
Sofer is drawn to playing her character Lois for several reasons. “Lois’ moral values is what makes her the amazing character that she is,” Sofer said. “Lois is really propelled by honesty and that’s what I really love about her. Lois is somebody that I aspire to be more than anybody.”
“Lois is everything,” she exclaimed. “It’s a dream come true,” she said about reprising this role. “The whole point of playing Lois, for me, are the nails, the clothes, the hair, and the accent.”
In her 38-year career as an actress, Sofer noted that she has played three roles that she considers her favorite, with Lois being one of them.
Sofer listed the actors that she would love to have more scenes with on the show
When asked which actors on “General Hospital” Sofer would love to do more scenes with, she revealed, “I would love to work with Laura Wright (in a fun storyline), as well as Finola Hughes because she is “so darn cool.”
Sofer also had positive words about working with Emmy-nominated actress Lisa LoCicero, who plays Olivia Falconeri, her character’s on-screen friend.
Rena Sofer on working with Darin Brooks
Sofer also had great words about Emmy award-winning actor Darin Brooks (she played his on-screen mother on the CBS soap opera “The Bold and The Beautiful.”
“Darin is so great,” she exclaimed. “Although in real life, he is a little old to really be my son, working with Darin was a lot of fun,” she said with a sweet laugh.
To learn more about Rena Sofer, follow her on Instagram.