General Hospital Performer of the Month For September: Rena Sofer

Rena Sofer changed her ways as the new non-Brooklyn-accented Lois Cerullo on General Hospital. She did a complete change almost overnight, and we wondered how long it would last. But so far, she’s keeping her new way of speaking, and the fans adored her for it.

To Speak or Not to Speak

Sofer was ahead of the pack with 48% of the fan votes, beating out Rebecca Herbst (Liz), Sawandi Wilson (Isaiah), and Tabyana Ali (Trina). Although it seemed like junior high school drama, Lois was upset when a fan and even the crew on Home & Heart insulted her Brooklyn accent as she was selling Deception’s cosmetic products on live TV. She was disconcerted by the insults.

Tracy hired a dialect coach named Robin Finch (Sarah Sherman) and presto change-o, Lois’ accent was gone. For a while, Lois sounded like a robot as she chose her words and pronunciation carefully, and you could see Sofer working hard to sell it. She did look a bit uncomfortable doing so, and it was clear that while Finch’s lesson was fast, Lois has a lot of work ahead of her. 

She’s a Trooper

With her cadence changed, Sofer has been able to navigate the various story points that Lois has been dealing with, including attempting to explain to Gio (Giovanni Mazza) why some Port Charles citizens have a beef with Sonny (Maurice Benard). Fans haven’t been too happy with her voice change, but Sofer soldiers on excellently.

Despite the fan reaction and Lois’ ex-husband Ned (Wally Kurth) being unimpressed with her new way of speaking, the actress is going to continue delivering her top-notch performance. Sofer doesn’t have a Brooklyn accent in real life, but fans accepted her use of it.

It is unclear if she was tired of putting it on or if it was simply a plot device. Whether she reverts to her Brooklynn accent or not, the fans overwhelmingly chose her as Performer of the Month for September.