Liza Soberano says she was treated as the ‘family dog’ during abusive childhood

Filipino American actress Liza Soberano, star of the 2024 film “Lisa Frankenstein,” shared harrowing details of her childhood abuse in the latest episode of the YouTube series “Can I Come In?.” Speaking about her early years in Santa Clara, California, the 26-year-old described the instability she faced due to her parents’ struggles with addiction and crime.

Soberano shared that her mother, Jacqulyn, developed a methamphetamine dependency, while her father, John, faced multiple charges including drug manufacturing, illegal possession of firearms and violating a restraining order. Soberano said the two were like a “Bonnie and Clyde duo,” focused on survival without regard for consequences.

Her father was eventually deported to the Philippines, leaving her mother to raise Liza and her younger brother while continuing to battle addiction.

One of Soberano’s earliest memories of trauma came at just 2 years old, when her mother’s then-boyfriend, Michael, abducted the family in a stolen minivan. They lived in the vehicle for days until relatives filed a missing persons report. Soberano recalled unbuckling her car seat and attempting to flee, only to be caught.

Michael reportedly demanded that she strike her baby brother with her seat, which she refused, and later hit her on the head with a gun. Her mother ultimately called the police, leading to Michael’s arrest, but she was also taken into custody, leaving the children without either parent.

After her mother’s imprisonment, Soberano and her brother entered foster care, moving through several homes before staying the longest with a woman named Melissa, whom she described as her mother’s former high school friend. At first the home seemed stable, but she said the treatment soon became abusive. “I was the only one that wasn’t allowed to participate in family movie nights because I was the family dog,” she recalled, describing being forced to sit in a cardboard box while others watched films.

She alleged that Melissa ordered her to clean dog feces with her tongue, withheld food for days and locked her in a cold garage overnight while threatening to harm her brother if she cried out. Soberano admitted she lied to social workers during routine check-ins, believing her guardian’s reassurances of love. It was only during a surprise visit, when she was visibly bruised, scratched and malnourished, that her true condition was exposed and she was removed from the home.

Soberano and her brother later went to live with their paternal grandparents in Visalia, California, where she experienced stability for the first time. “We were actually living a very lavish lifestyle… it was the first time that me and my brother were experiencing something like this,” she said. Despite the comfort, she admitted she “craved and longed to be with” her mother and often spent summers with her. When her grandparents faced health and financial struggles, the siblings were sent to the Philippines at age 10 to live with their estranged father, a transition Soberano described as deeply uncomfortable.

The move marked the beginning of her life in the Philippines, where she would eventually rise as one of the country’s biggest teen stars before making her Hollywood debut in “Lisa Frankenstein.” Looking back on her journey, Soberano reflected on her resilience, telling her younger self: “I’m never going to let anyone make you feel inferior ever.”