It’s been almost 30 years but Rena Sofer still remembers her line from a classic scene On ABC’s “General Hospital.” In 1994 when her character jumped out of the cake to surprise her husband and his other wife.
“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Ned Ashton,” she said, “from me, the other Mrs. Ned Ashton!” Then she turns around and says, “Help me, boys,” Sofer recalled in a recent interview.
The scene was so memorable (it was even parodied in the 1996 film) The great white noise “), but Sofer’s portrayal of Lois Cerullo — a fast-talking Brooklyn girl, with long nails and a thick accent, who wears her heart on her sleeve — made her a fan favorite. Sofer reprises the role for a limited run beginning Tuesday.
“My husband and I are planning to move to the East Coast, and you know, I thought when I moved here, one of my first big jobs was General Hospital, and I felt like it was so complete for one of my friends to have my last job in L.A. while I live here to be.” General Hospital” and I get to play this character that I love so much.
Sofer realizes how important it is for an actor’s work to resonate with people.
“I’ve played Lois for less than three years and I still have people come up to me and say, ‘Lois is my favorite.’ I’m proud of who she is. I’m proud to have played her. I just love Lois,” she said of the character, which she began playing in 1993. . “If Lois were a real human being, I wish she would be my friend.”
Returning to the set after more than 25 years was “really weird,” a strange mix of familiarity with being fundamentally new.
“Just walking around the halls, looking at the names in the locker rooms, and I remember a lot of them, and I had no idea about them. I felt like a fish out of water. But it was also the same building. It was a little annoying, but it was the same building,” she recounted. “It was also a first-time experience.”
Obviously one name you know well is Wally Kurth, who still plays Ned on the show. Sofer and Kurth were married briefly after meeting on “General Hospital.”
There was that moment of, “Is this going to be okay?” Am I trampling on his space? Because this is his home. This is not my home. “I’m allowed to be here as a guest,” Sofer said.
“But, you know, Wally is very open and very kind and respectful and I think he’s very excited for Louis to be a part of his story in the same way that I’m very excited to be part of the show again.” she added.
Their daughter Rosabelle even wants to come home from college to see her parents together (as of last week, Sofer was still filming).
“Any kids of divorce who get to see their parents really enjoying being in the same space with each other, I think it’s like a celebration, you know?” Sofer said. “I say, ‘If this is what it takes for you to come home — because she never came home — we’re both in it.’ “We will both pay for your flight back home.”
All it takes to get into character is a choice of Lewis’ signature nails: “You put the nails in, you’re done. Nails are part of who she is.”
Executive producer Frank Valentini brought in a nail artist to work with Sofer to create nail designs to match Lois’ outfits.
“We sat for three and a half hours and did the nails and it was perfect. Then she puts on the outfit that has the matching nails, and it was like, ‘Oh my God, here she is,’” Sofer said. “It was perfect.”
. “Professional creator. Lifelong thinker. Reader. Beer buff. Troublemaker. Evil problem solver.”