Rena Sofer’s Father Moved to the Opposite Side of the Country After Leaving Her Mom: ‘It Saved All of Our Lives’
Maurice Benard, who plays Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital, hosts the State of Mind podcast. Benard, who lives with a mental illness himself, has created this space to speak with other actors about the topic.
Benard recently hosted former GH co-star Rena Sofer on his show to talk about her life, acting, and personal struggles. Sofer is a daytime actor who starred in Loving, General Hospital, and The Bold and the Beautiful.
She has also had parts in primetime dramas such as Melrose Place, CSI: Miami, and 24. Plus, she was a guest star on sitcoms such as Seinfeld, Friends, and Two and a Half Men. She chatted with Benard about her career and her personal life, especially with her parents.
Rena Sofer on why her father moved them so far away from her mother
Benard began his interview with Sofer by asking about her childhood. She told him that she was born in Arcadia, CA, and her dad was an orthodox rabbi. She then explained, “When my mother and father got divorced, my father moved us as far away from her as possible.” Sofer continued:
“ … the best thing he ever could do for us. It saved all of our lives, and so we moved to New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and basically I grew up on the east coast from the time I was just below two years old.”
She spoke further about her dad and her love for him, “I, thankfully was raised by an incredible father.” Sofer and her brother took care of him when he was sick with cancer and were by his side when he took his last breath.
She said that the only reason she was able to break the “cycle of maternal abuse” in her family was that her dad took his children as far away from their mother as possible.
Rena Sofer spoke about her mother
Sofer told her former co-star that her mother was allegedly mentally abusive and that her grandmother was mentally abusive to her mother. It was a horrible cycle of abuse. She then clarified,
“But I’ll tell you this. I’m not gonna speak to her mental health because I’m not a doctor, she’s never been diagnosed. Although, when she left my father and us, she became a professor of developmental psychology, which I find interesting.”
She believes her mother doesn’t realize what she did to her children. Benard told her that he thinks that, in sharing her story, she helped a lot of young girls out there and that her words were “so valuable.”
What is Rena Sofer’s relationship with her mother now?
Sofer revealed that she hasn’t spoken to her mother in 11 years. Her mother recently reached out to her through her website, “… not my phone number, which is the only phone number I’ve had. Not my email, which is the email she knows.”
Her mother said that she has pictures of Rena, her brother, and her daughter. She wanted to know where she should send them and that she had “no interest in connecting.” She only wanted to send the pictures. Her mother reportedly added that a “P.O. Box would be best.”
Sofer sent her mother her mailing address with “no words whatsoever.”
The soap actor has three daughters and works hard to be a very different kind of mother.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.
