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Brianne Howey is a chameleon, capable of slipping into myriad roles – from supernatural thrillers to grounded dramas, her career has been a masterclass in genre-bending. Yet, it’s her magnetic, often chaotic, turn as Georgia Miller in Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia that truly allows her to play across the spectrum in one role. And the southern charm and charisma help, of course.
You might think you have Georgia figured out, but then again, Howey assures us that we don’t and that is actually part of the allure. Howey herself also notes this is part of how Georgia defies any easy categorisation. In the show’s third season, it is a continuance of Georgia’s raw, unvarnished humanity as masterfully portrayed by Howey’s nuanced performance that has audiences wanting to root for her, despite her consistently morally ambiguous choices.
Schön! spoke with Howey at her personal journey through portraying Georgia, the intricate dance between dark comedy and profound drama, and how she continues to breathe startling authenticity into a character as unpredictable as she is captivating.
From the supernatural in ‘The Exorcist’ to the grounded drama of ‘The Passage’ and the dark comedy of ‘Ginny & Georgia,’ you’ve navigated diverse genres. How has your process for embodying such different characters evolved over your career?
I feel very lucky in the sense that I’ve really gotten to work in every genre. And then now Ginny & Georgia is this young adult, dramedy. Actually, our creator made it to where Ginny & Georgia feels like a little bit of everything. Because I’ve had such a wide variety of genres I’ve gotten to work on, it’s exactly what helped me with this show because there are so many genres within it.
When we were auditioning for this show, our creator, Sarah, had us do the scene in multi-cam – she would say, “Do it like a horror show, now do it like a straight comedy, now do it like this is a drama.” In the moment, I didn’t totally understand why. However, Georgia makes a lot of hard right turns and she’s bopping around tonally all over the place. So, we need to make sure that’s what Georgia’s conveying. It was the smartest exercise I think they ever could have done, because now three seasons in, that’s exactly what it’s happening. Tonally, we pop around and we want Georgia to feel fluid and still have a through line and feel like she’s the same character despite having all of these different tones, which is what makes a show so fun.
Could you describe a moment on set where you felt a profound connection with a character’s inner world, and how did that resonate in your performance?
It’s an interesting question, especially because this season was so different for Georgia because she was on house arrest. So, I didn’t know what to expect going into this. I mean, I knew Georgia was gonna be on house arrest, but even I was confused because Georgia is this woman who is manipulating everyone around her. She has her hand in everyone’s life, everyone’s plan. She’s three steps ahead. What are we going to do when Georgia is confined to her house? I mean, of course, Georgia still manages to meddle quite a bit. I think as far as getting to know Georgia even more, it was heartbreaking and devastating because Georgia couldn’t live in the distraction as much anymore – she really had to sit and face her trauma and her demons. She was a caged animal this season. She was trapped in a cage and granted it was hard.
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What can you tell us about season three?
[SPOILER ALERT]: Well, I think what’s really interesting about the show is that it’s really kind of become a show about breaking generational trauma. I can relate to that so much in my life. We see Georgia trying really hard to break some of this generational trauma. And we then unfortunately see, I think by the end, that we haven’t broken as much as we were hoping, because I think now poor Austin has been thrown into the mix. Ginny has just turned into Georgia, which is another kind of nightmare for Georgia. This is not what Georgia wanted to have happen. In other areas, generational trauma has been broken. Georgia reaching out to Dr. Lilly about going to therapy is huge. Georgia and Lynette are starting to mend some of their broken wounds together. I think some of some of the conversations that they have are really beautiful, like the scene where Lynette is comforting Georgia when Georgia finds out what’s going on, and that, you know, she’s so jealous and threatened by Lynette’s relationship with Ginny. At the end of the day, too, it’s the first time we see Georgia express how scared she is. By the end of the season, it starts to set up a little bit for the next season that we’ll learn a little bit more about Georgia’s family.
How do you see your work as an actor contributing to or challenging societal perceptions of femininity and strength, particularly in roles like Georgia Miller?
I think Georgia sort of breaks the glass ceilings. You can’t put Georgia in a box and Georgia’s not going to let you put her in a box. You’re not going to tell Georgia what to do or who she is or who she isn’t. Granted, you know, Georgia has many flaws that she doesn’t see. But at the end of the day, I think we love Georgia because she loves her children so much. That’s always going to be her. That’s her guiding light in this life is her love for them. Georgia also defies the odds because she’s a completely different person based on who she’s talking to, which is also why you kind of can’t pin her down. She’s obviously trying to control everything and manipulate everyone. She does let Ginny have some agency [this season], but long story short, once I think we think we’ve pinned down Georgia, Georgia will prove to [us] that [we’ve] not pinned her down.
Ginny & Georgia masterfully blends dark humor with emotional depth. How do you navigate that tonal tightrope as an actor, ensuring both the comedic and dramatic beats land authentically?
Yeah, it’s tricky. It’s one of my favorite things about the show. I think the writing is so beautiful, and I’m so grateful to our writers room and all that they do. I think this is where I feel so close with Tony too, who plays Ginny. Luckily right off the bat, we really vibed, and we totally hit it off. Now that we’ve had this privilege of getting to be on the show for so many years and seasons, she’s another appendage to me at this point. That certainly helps – that I just kind of am infatuated with her. So for me, when a scene starts out funny, and then we have to pivot to go somewhere darker or heavier, it’s just about clicking immediately into remembering how high the stakes are for Georgia. That funny part, maybe a distraction from the trauma or the chaos or the mayhem. At the heart of it, Georgia is in survivor mode 24/7 and that kind of helps make the pivots a little bit easier to deliver.
What has motherhood taught you both onscreen and offscreen?
So, my daughter will be almost two, so we’re still in the beginning phases. But I think what surprised me the most about being a mom and then playing Georgia is I think I used to think Georgia was more crazy. Now that I have a kid, I’m like maybe she’s not as crazy as I thought before. I’m already telling myself all these things about my daughter such as “No, and I need her to tell me everything, and I have to be her best friend.” I almost relate to Georgia more now in a pathetic way. I already wasn’t judging Georgia because I don’t think it’s fun to judge the characters that you’re playing. However, I think I actually understand more of [her] extreme thoughts [a little more] now.
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The mother-daughter dynamic between Georgia and Ginny is the heart of the show. How has your on-screen relationship with Antonia Gentry evolved over the seasons, and what have you learned from that collaborative process?
[As mentioned,] I think luckily right off the bat, we really vibed, and we totally hit it off. Not only do you get to know your characters and cast more [over the seasons], but you are also marinating with your character, their decisions, and their arcs more, too. So, for me, it feels more natural and easier once it’s lived in us for so long. I do thank God Tony (Antonia) and I know each other so well [now]. Season one didn’t feel like that quite as much. But season three, we can get there a little bit faster because we have more of a shorthand with each other, and the stakes are higher with each season. So, I think as we all get closer and have more of a shorthand, the ante keeps getting upped.
Georgia is a character with many layers and often morally ambiguous choices. What aspect of her complexity do you find most compelling to portray?
Georgia is sort of a victim of circumstance. I think a lot of people fall through the cracks in this way, and have to live in survival mode or fight or flight. It’s human, and she’s so far from perfect. That’s what I am always drawn to when it comes to roles because that’s so much more interesting. It’s so boring to know, just be the winner and get it all. If there’s no arc, no conflict, no tension, what’s the point? Georgia has made some just flat out wrong decisions too, but in Georgia’s mind, she was truly helping Cynthia and eliminating a pain from her life, because she eliminated a brutal pain from Georgia’s.
If you could give Georgia one piece of advice moving forward, knowing everything you do about her past and present, what would it be, and do you think she’d take it?
She is just not taking advice from anyone. Clearly. I don’t know what I would tell her… maybe to slow down. Take a breath. Slow down. But because she’s in survival mode and it’s all she knows. When we’re in survival mode, we’re thinking very extreme, extreme thoughts. It feels very black and white. And you know, she’s making the best decisions that she can at the moment. So, I don’t think she would take any advice.
What type of role would you like to pursue next?
I would love to do a rom-com. I’m a 90s baby, so I grew up watching all the rom-coms. I miss the blockbuster days, so a rom-com would be great.
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gloves. Valentino
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Season 3 of ‘Ginny & Georgia’ is out now.
photography. Benjo Arwas
fashion. Shalev Lavan @ The Visionaries Agency
talent. Brianne Howey
casting. Alabama Blonde
hair. Rick Henry @ Opus Beauty
make up. Kindra Mann @ Tomlinson Management Group using Chanel Beauty
studio. Vision Studio LA
production. Clara La Rosa
interview. Sandy Aziz
