‘The Goldbergs’ Star Hayley Orrantia on Motherhood, Music and More

It has been more than nine years since Hayley Orrantia became an integral part of The Goldbergs and by stepping into this quirky sitcom family everything about her personal and professional life changed for the better.

Now, as The Goldbergs Season 10 premieres on Wednesday, Sept. 21, Orrantia's beloved character, Erica Goldberg, is happily married to Geoff, dealing with her pregnancy, and, as usual, the chaos of the Goldberg household as she and Beverly (Wendy McLendon-Covey) make room for a baby nursery.

Erica’s brothers Adam (Sean Giambrone) and Barry (Troy Gentile) are forced to take a back seat to the new family member, much to their chagrin.

Related: Who Narrates for Grown-Up Adam on The Goldbergs?

In addition to TV stardom, Orrantia is widely recognized as a successful independent music artist, whose sound is a blend of soulful country and pop. She splits her time between L.A. for The Goldbergs and Nashville, where she writes and records music.

Her single "Open Your Mouth" was released in May, and she has happily used her singing talent several times on The Goldbergs.

When it eventually comes to saying goodbye to the hit ABC sitcom, Orrantia does not even want to think about leaving behind her close-knit TV family.

“I keep saying I feel like I’m going to need therapy when I’m finally done because I don’t know what life is going to look like without these people every day,” Orrantia exclusively tells Parade.com. “It’s always been like a family. It has truly given me everything that I’m grateful for in my life.”

Read on for what we can expect from Season 10 of The Goldbergs, how the hit sitcom changed Hayley Orrantia’s life and why we all need a little Beverly mothering and smothering in our lives.

Are you treated like royalty when you come to Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, where The Goldbergs is set?

Hayley Orrantia: The last time I was there they did treat me that way and it was so wild. It was such a blast, though. I got to do a little performance at a local coffee shop and I met the mayor! The whole experience was great.

It’s time for Season 10 of The Goldbergs; can you believe it?

No. It’s wild. I’ve been saying this a lot, but whenever you audition for a show, you never know if you’re going to get cast or if the pilot will get picked up. There’s just no way any of us could have fathomed we would be in our tenth season. We’re so glad that we are because we just have so much fun on set together. All of it is pretty exciting.

Related: The Goldbergs Creator Adam F. Goldberg on Sharing His Family with the World

Is the Goldberg TV family offscreen kind of like a family, but maybe not quite as crazy?

Yes. I would say so. We definitely feel like a family, and that’s not just cast but that’s also the crew as well. We’ve had a lot of the same crew that we had since the very beginning. Whenever we get together again, even if we’ve had four or five months of a hiatus between seasons, it feels like no time has passed.

Talk about the love you have for your music career. When The Goldberg ends will music be your focus?

Yes. I definitely want to take some time whenever the show is done, and I’m not sure when that will be yet, but I do want to take some time to focus on my music and really give that 100% and see what I can do there. At the same time, I have a lot of other plans where I want to get involved on the producing side of things with scripted film and television. I will always be trying to stay busy, and I think no matter what, I would love to continue a career path in the world of entertainment because it’s just where my heart is.

What are you looking forward to in The Goldbergs Season 10?

There are a lot of big changes happening for the Goldbergs this season, a big one for my character being that she’s becoming a mother. We’re obviously going to see big changes in Erica’s life because she is still young. I think that this will kind of force her to grow up in a lot of aspects.

And getting to see her possibly becoming a little bit of a Beverly Goldberg herself. You’re also getting to see Beverly and what her life is going to be like without Murray, who is out of the picture. You’re also going to see Adam after he graduates high school, he is now onto college and really trying to figure out his career path. There are a lot of changes, but I think it’s going to give the show a refresh and it’s an opportunity to get to see everybody at this new beginning.

Related: Lessons from A.J. Michalka on Schooled and Life With The Goldbergs

Do you think that it’s in Erica’s nature to reject Beverly's ways when it comes to new motherhood and ‘smotherhood?’ But then maybe that’s what happens organically?

Yes. I think with most people we all have these things about our parents that we want not to emulate. We grew up with them and their characteristics and qualities that we’re like, "I’ll never be that way." But innately it’s bound to happen. I think Erica is not immune to that, either.

With motherhood coming soon to Erica, I am curious, have you worked with infants? Are you going to get help when they hand you a newborn?

As far as on set goes, yes, because thankfully the babies that we do work with here only work 20 minutes a day. We have to use twins in order to do that. They do have their parents here, and [there are] nurses, so thankfully it’s not left up to me on set. But as far as Erica goes, no, I think it’s mostly just going to be Beverly Goldberg being the overbearing smother that we know her to be. It will definitely translate to her being an involved grandmother.

It's interesting getting to spend time around babies. We have already shot scenes with them and it has been great. They are the most well-behaved, sweetest babies in the world. We are very lucky in that way. But, I don't think this will prepare me very well for motherhood if I were to do that in my real life.

Related: Wendi McLendon-Covey Talks The Goldbergs' 100th Episode, the Real Beverly, and More

Have you spent any time with the actual Goldberg family?

Yes, early on in the show they would come to visit the set. We haven’t seen them in quite some time. But it was really cool to get to meet everyone and sort of hear their stories and their perspectives Obviously, it’s strange for them to see versions of themselves on television, but it was always great to have them around and kind of see where elements and characteristics that were written into our characters on the show, how they tie in with who they are as people.

How are you like Erica Goldberg and how are you not like Erica?

Well, I would say Erica’s a character and not based on anyone. My character is based on the older brother, Eric, who they decided to make a sister. Because of that, there weren’t a lot of real storylines that they could tie in. It was kind of left up to the writers to sort of dream up whatever Erica would be. I got to kind of add elements of myself in there a lot more than maybe I would have otherwise.

I would say I’m a lot like Erica. I think that we are both very headstrong and slightly stubborn at times, but mostly that and the fact that music is a big element in both of our lives, something that’s important.

How I’m not like her: I would like to think that I’m not as mean as she is. There are certain things that she says to her family that I would never say. That’s kind of just the Goldberg way. I think that they communicate through harsh conversation at times if you will.

What was it like after all these years of Geoff Schwartz being Erica Goldberg's boyfriend, then becoming her husband?

It was so special for Sam and me to be able to watch these characters grow together on the show. Obviously, Sam Lerner and I have had such a blast working together. And then early on when they started teasing the fact that Geoff had a crush on Erica but Erica was like the older sister of Barry who was not interested in her brother’s friend, it was always just a fun thing to play into

Once they started introducing the idea that Erica secretly liked him, too, I don’t think either of us had any idea of where they would take this in the long run. But it’s been so fun and special to get to experience our characters dating for a while and then having the break-up and then getting engaged and married and now having children. It’s been really fun. It’s kind of like I get to work with one of my closest friends and going through these big life moments together and getting to play them on screen is really special.

Related: The Best Shows to Watch as a Family

What are your self-care rituals?

It’s a lot of me time. I’m an only child so I definitely need my downtime. Specifically, yoga is a big one for me, I really like to take that time for myself. Lately, I’ve been getting really into pilates and that’s been good me time. Man, I also really love DIY projects, so I love learning a new way of crafting something. I used to hand-make dreamcatchers and now I’ve been doing a lot of macrame. Things like that, that I can sort of put down my phone and channel everything out and get to really just zen out a little bit. That’s, to me, really important self-care that I know I need, and getting to kind of put focus into a new craft or a new project is always really fun.

Anything that makes us put our phones down, right?

Yes, I need it. Otherwise, I’m too addicted to TikTok!

Is there anything special you’re watching or streaming?

Yes, I just watched this show on Prime Video, I Love That For You. It was really funny. Then I’m a little late to the game but I just started Better Call Saul and I really enjoy that one, too.

What advice do you have for aspiring actors or musicians?

There’s a whole laundry list of things I would do differently in each of them. Overall, my main thing is to not let the word "no" feel like a permanent thing. I think one thing that a lot of people as they’re getting involved in entertainment from the artist side, get told no in a lot of different ways and you get told no a lot. Whether that’s no to an agency or no to releasing a specific kind of song if you already have a team, whatever it may be.

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There’s no one avenue to make something work. I feel that with things that I’m doing even now, trying to get into the world of producing. I know that it’s not going to be an easy journey and it won’t come on a silver platter, but again, there’s no one way to do things. As long as you believe in what you’re doing and you’re passionate about it and you work really hard, I think you’ve just got to fight for what you love to do. So don’t let the no’s stop you.

How did The Goldbergs change your life?

In every way possible. I think it’s allowed me to learn from some really talented people, both in front of and behind the camera. It has given me a platform to express through my experience and my stories both musically and also just by supporting people and causes that I think need to be seen.

I wouldn’t know my fiancé [Greg Furman] had I not ended up booking this show. I wouldn’t know the majority of my closest friends had I not been introduced to them through working here. It’s allowed me to meet the people who are closest to me in my life.

I know a lot of moms like Beverly—sweet, nurturing, and way over-the-top. Do you know any real-life Beverly Goldbergs?

I’ll run into someone and they’ll say, “Everyone, says I’m Beverly Goldberg to my kids. I hear it so often.” Honestly, I think those are good kinds of moms and dads to have at least a little bit of that in them. So I believe that in a way you are lucky if you have someone like Beverly Goldberg as your mom!

The Goldbergs returns for Season 10 on Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. The show airs on Hulu the day following the premieres.

Next, check out the 30 best sitcoms of all time.