Georgie clearly has a hard time seeing his mom with someone new. Is that coming more from a place of wanting to protect her, or struggling to let go of his dad’s memory?
I think it’s a little bit of both. I try to put myself in Georgie’s shoes. He wants to protect his mama, but he does realize that she’s a grown woman who can make her own decisions. They’re all going through a hard time with George just passing away, and Mary’s struggling with it. In her mind, she’s probably wanting that comfort from somebody. Now that there’s a part of her missing, she’s trying to figure out how to find that missing piece again.
[None of the kids] know the connection that Mary and George had as parents, and the love they had for each other. I don’t think Georgie fully understands what Mary’s going through. Maybe it would be good for Mary to find someone who puts a piece back in her heart, but it’s hard for Georgie to accept that.
Georgie’s reaction feels tied to that promise he made to his father to look after the family. Do you think he’s confusing protecting his mom with trying to control what comes next for her?
Wow, Ryan, you’re good! Yes and no. Georgie can be strong-minded about what he wants. Maybe that does come into effect when he’s having these conversations with his mom. He wants things to go his way, but she wants something different. Maybe
That moment when Georgie sees Mary smiling with Joseph through the kitchen shutters and quietly walks away — there’s so much said in his silence. What emotions were you channeling there?
I was thinking, “Man, if it were me in this situation, I’d probably be running through them doors right now!” I would not turn around and walk off; I would have to say something. But Georgie realizes he has to put his feelings aside and realize what his mom’s going through. If this is what she needs in this moment, then I need to just let it be and walk away. It was smart of him to do that rather than go in and do what he probably wanted to do. [Pause] I don’t know… I was about to say that was George talking to him, but George probably would’ve told him to go in and kick his a–! [Laughs]
