'Awkward' Star Talks Mama Drama
Two kinds of TV moms dominate the airwaves: The "Here Are Some Cookies, Hope You Had A Nice Day" Carol Brady's and The "Why Did I Ever Give Birth To You" Betty Draper's. However, as it has done with every other television convention, MTV's Awkward shattered the mold when it created Lacey Hamilton.
She'll take you shopping and bake your favorite meals ... but you'll never forget that those are continuous apologies for writing a nasty letter that irrevocably decimated your life. But according to Nikki DeLoach, who deftly manages Lacey's duality, the scales are about to tip significantly in her favor as the remaining season two episodes offer up absolution, redemption and more amazing Awkward dramedy!
TheInsider.com: What was Lacey's state of mind when she wrote Jenna that letter?
Nikki DeLoach: I don't think Lacey ever thought it would come out. She thought it would be swept under the rug and everyone would move on. I think that's what happens with Lacey a lot – she has the best of intentions, but her follow through is shoddy [laughs]. She didn't have the best mother either, so she really wasn't well-equipped to be a mother herself. The exciting thing about the way Lauren [Iungerich, creator] set up season two is that it's a redemption for Lacey. You're going to see what happened, why she wrote the letter and that it did come from a place of trying to make a situation better.
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Insider.com: Speaking of, do you think we might meet Lacey's mother, Jenna's grandmother, one day?
Nikki: Definitely! It would be so much fun. And although you don't meet her this season, Lacey does talk about her, so you learn about a lot -- but I think it would be great fun to bring her on in season three.
Insider.com: Who would you cast?
Nikki: Oh man, there are so many amazingly talented women who could come in and just kill this role. But you also need to be able to look at her and understand why Lacey is the way she is, you know? I think Kyra Sedgwick would be amazing. I think she could kill that role. But also, Kelly Preston. He character in Jerry Maguire was a little mean, but she could totally play that mom who didn't know how to be a mom so she left for a modeling career. I think either one of those ladies would have a lot of fun on set.
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Insider.com: Speaking of fun, I am loving the friendship between Lacey and Val!
Nikki: Me too! I think it makes total sense to bring them together – not just because they're two adults on the show, but because they're two people who don't have a lot of friends. On the surface, they're total opposites, but at the same time, they make good friends. Val has this confidence about her, like she's the coolest kid at school, and Lacey always wants to be the coolest kid at school. So Valerie gives her the confidence Lacey is always after. They help each other in that way, but they're both lonely people – so bringing together these two women, who often live in their own world, makes a lot of sense.
Insider.com: Kristoffer Polaha guest stars in tonight's episode -- and I hear you're good friends in real life too, yes?
Nikki: Yes! We're really good friends, I was there when his son was born. We did North Shore together in 2004, and remained good friends after that. When Lauren was talking about this character of Ben, I thought Kris was the only person who could play it. I knew he'd be amazing, but it was also selfish on my part because I wanted to work with him again. He's just a dream.
Insider.com: That said, how mad were you not to share any scenes with Kris when you guest-starred on Ringer last year?
Nikki: [laughs] I was so upset! I was so upset! Ringer was a really fun show to do and Kris was filming second unit stuff on my last day so he was able to hang out on set for my scenes. I got to see him, but I like working with him more [laughs].
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Insider.com: He plays a character named Ben, who shares a history with Lacey. What can you add?
Nikki: Lacey, Ben, Kevin and Ally all went to high school together, so he's very much a blast from the past. The one thing about Ben coming back is he not only reveals a lot about those four characters, but also their history together, which will make you look at Lacey differently. And that opens up this storyline begins Lacey's redemption [in the eyes of the audience].
Insider.com: It's been very rough watching Lacey get shut down by Kevin at every turn. What do fans want to happen?
Nikki: Oh my gosh, every Tweet is about Lacey getting back together with Kevin. It's like on Friday Night Lights – you did not want them to destroy The Taylor's marriage. I love that fans feel that way. I think they're responding so strongly because this is about Jenna’s family – boyfriends and friends come and go, but the relationship with your parents is foundational. Your self-esteem is built on top of that. The way you see the world is built on top of the relationship. Lauren gets that at the heart of everything in this story is the mother and daughter – I think it's really touching people and that just makes me feel good because I went through a lot with my mother. I love that we're telling those stories and letting mothers and daughters know that there is hope.
Insider.com: I hear the season two finale blows the season one finale out of the water. What can you tease?
Nikki: What happens in the finale is going to impact every character in the show. The way season two leaves off, fans are going to be on the edges of their seats coming into season three and to find out if it picks up the next day, a week later or after the summer ....
Awkward airs Thursdays at 10:30 p.m. on MTV.
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