Emmy-Winning Actress Laura Benanti Opens Up About Overcoming Adversity on Her Journey to Motherhood

Laura Benanti candidly discussed her experiences as a mother of two daughters, shedding light on both the joys and challenges she faced in growing her family. Addressing the misconceptions surrounding surrogacy, she denounced the notion that it was solely driven by vanity or career-related concerns. Instead, Benanti revealed that her decision to pursue surrogacy stemmed from her own heartbreaking journey of enduring four miscarriages. Opening up about her frustrations with people who attempt to justify their own emotions by belittling others, the actress expressed her difficulty in reconciling with such behavior.

The couple's second child, daughter Luisa, aged 11 months, was warmly welcomed by the five-time Tony nominee, Laura Benanti, in July 2022. Luisa was born via surrogate and her husband Patrick Brown shares in the joy of their growing family. Their first daughter, Ella, now 6 years old, was born to Benanti in February 2017. Benanti bravely opened up about her difficult path to motherhood, revealing the heartache of experiencing multiple miscarriages.

Miscarrying can be an incredibly isolating experience. Not only do you physically carry the being, but you also have already envisioned this human in your mind, only for them to be taken away. You're in the midst of losing them, feeling helpless and alone. This indescribable loneliness is often overlooked and not discussed, allowing all the suppressed emotions to fester and become toxic.

When Benanti encountered challenges in expanding her family, she encountered a new obstacle when it came to breastfeeding her daughters. Despite seeking guidance from numerous lactation consultants, she discovered that her daughter Ella had an allergy to the protein in breast milk. This realization left her feeling conflicted and questioning whether she was unintentionally harming her babies by feeding them in the most recommended way.

During the filming of No Hard Feelings, Benanti and her co-star Jennifer Lawrence formed a bond by discussing their experiences as mothers.

"We didn't give each other advice, but we did share stories, both the positive and negative aspects. Whether it was a tough day or missing our children," she revealed to Us. "There's a sense of solidarity in motherhood that I believe is truly crucial."

In the R-rated comedy, Benanti portrays the overprotective mother of Andrew Barth Feldman's character, who hires a young woman (Lawrence) to pretend to be her son's girlfriend in order to assist him in preparing for college. While Benanti's character is not as extreme as her role in No Hard Feelings, she can relate to the behaviors of a helicopter parent in certain moments.

"I am actively trying to avoid being a helicopter mom. It's just my natural inclination," confessed the former Younger cast member. "I am not the type of mom who says, 'You need to figure this out on your own.' No, I am the mom who believes that if you're six years old and you need help going up the stairs, I will carry you. Part of me recognizes that in a couple of years, my daughter will roll her eyes at me – she already does to some extent – but the situations where I find myself acting most like a helicopter mom is when I overhear her and a friend having an argument. I have this urge to immediately intervene and help them resolve the issue. However, I am starting to realize that I need to give them more time to work it out on their own before intervening."

No Hard Feelings is now in theaters.

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi