Brianne Howey Talks About Betting On Herself, Living With Intention and Her New Netflix Series 'Ginny & Georgia'
Fresh off the launch of her new Netflix series, Ginny & Georgia, Brianne Howey talks about betting on herself, living with intention and what she hopes viewers will take away from the series, which is already a hit.
Brianne was virtually photographed in Los Angeles by Alison Engstrom
This month on ROSE & IVY, I am talking about alignment with your hopes and dreams in life. I’d love to hear about your journey to where you are now. What would you say was the moment that changed your career trajectory?
For an industry with no one direct path, I’ve had a surprisingly linear experience. Booking a few lines eventually turned into a few episodes which eventually turned into series regular roles. Booking my first heavily recurring role definitely changed the trajectory of my career as I was ready to take the next leap and quit my day job. It was the first moment I really felt I was all in. It was intimidating but I’ve always had an incredibly supportive team who encouraged me to bet on myself.
Has there ever been a time in your career, where you had to realign with what it is you wanted?
Intention does seem to be everything. It’s so easy to focus on the outcome and create those expectations. There are definitely times where I have to zoom out and remind myself what my intention is. I just love getting to act and focusing on that instead of any outcome really re-anchors me.
Growing up in Pasadena, were you exposed to the industry and did it inspire you to pursue it as a career?
I come from a big and wonderful family of creatives who have always influenced me. Pasadena strikes a nice balance of being industry adjacent enough to feel inspired but far away enough where I never felt I was immersed in the industry. I was definitely more obsessed with our high school plays than thinking too far ahead about what life as a professional actor was like.
You have held roles in some great series like Dollface (love Jordan Weiss, the creator, by the way!) and The Exorcist. What type of creative material intrigues you the most?
I love her too and Dollface was so fun! The roles outside of my comfort zone have always been the most exciting for me. I’ve always gravitated towards characters who feel deeply and whose motivations are strong. I love playing in the grey area with any opportunity to bring vulnerability to unexpected areas. Getting to be in a profession where you can learn and grow with each project is exciting and rare. I’m still taking it all in!
Congratulations on landing the lead in the new Netflix series Ginny & Georgia. Can you talk more about the premise of the show?
Thank you! At its heart, it’s a show about relationships, but a mother/ daughter relationship in particular. Georgia is a young single mom on the run from her past and desperately holding onto the house of cards she’s created for her family. We go on a journey with these women as they discover themselves. They’re unconventional, irreverent, and navigating the complexities of romance, race, privilege, money and of course, family. The epic backdrop of high school really sets the tone and opens the door for a plethora of discoveries. The emotional and physical firsts, the heartbreak, the naïveté, the thrills, and the nostalgia. It’s a show that has so cleverly combined genres, pop culture references and created complicated and oh so charming characters. Everyone has a cross to bear and I think that audiences will feel very seen.
You play Georgia, a single mother, who had her daughter, Ginny, at a young age. Can you share how that relationship begins and how we can expect for it to evolve in the first ten episodes?
Mother/daughter relationships are such a treasure trove of rich dynamics to play. When we meet Ginny and Georgia, they are at odds. Ginny is coming into her own for the first time and Georgia is losing her grasp on Ginny for the first time. Over the course of the season, we watch them surprise each other, for better or for worse, and we watch them start to come to terms with who they were, who they are, and who they want to be in a more honest light. Unbeknownst to each other they are actually having incredibly paralleled experiences in this new town. But watching them figure that out is the fun part!
What do you love most about the show and what do you hope viewers walk away with after watching the series?
One of my favorite aspects of the show is its ability to have moments of heartbreak, moments of hilarity, and moments of uncomfortable honesty, all in the same episode and even the same scene. There’s a lot of unexpected hard right turns that as an actor is the most fun to play and as a viewer I think will be incredibly satisfying. Growing up is hard, but we’re never done growing up.
How do you usually prepare for a new project? For this series, I know you have a southern accent!
I love the preparation part! There was a dialect coach on set for the first few episodes. Georgia really weaponizes the accent and cleverly uses it to her advantage, which made it all the more fun to pick and choose when she really leans into it. I love making lists of what the character and I have in common and what we don’t, the characters secrets and motivations, and songs or imagery that can help get in the mood for specific scenes.
Outside of acting, do you have any other passions?
In the last few years I’ve gotten more involved with phone and text banking and was an election poll worker for the 2020 presidential election. I have a whole new appreciation for civil and public servants—they deserve awards. I’m incredibly inspired by people taking the time to help, inform, guide and protect the public’s rights and opportunities. As Georgia says while feigning fainting, “social injustice tends to upset me”.
Did you come out of 2020 with any new interests, hobbies or lessons?
I did come out of 2020 with a dog. He’s my first true pet and I had no idea what I was missing out on this whole time. I’ve also spent more time cooking and gardening than I ever have before. I’ve been focusing on the little things and being grateful for the little things.
Lastly is there anything else you are working on or should be on our radar?
Stay tuned!