Single Drunk Female’s Lily Mae Harrington on Felicia’s Relationships with

Rising star Lily Mae Harrington portrays Felicia, who is Sam’s fun drinking budding on Freeform’s Single Drunk Female.

Throughout the series, we’ve seen there’s more to Felicia. She’s a hardworking single mom, and she’s a true friend to Sam. They have a fun and realistic connection.

TV Fanatic chatted with Lily about Felicia and Sam’s friendship, Brit and Felicia’s rivalry, and shooting that hilarious scene at the playground.

Hi Lily. I love Felicia on Single Drunk Female. What is your favorite part about playing Felicia?

Well, there’s incredible freedom. At first, we see her as the rebel friend with a drunk friend, and then it takes a turn into her being a successful adult, even though she’s a single mom and is still drinking.

There’s this freedom in saying whatever I want and playing with improv. It’s the first time I’ve ever played a part where I’ve ever used improvisation at all.

There’s an incredible freedom that I found within her. I’m not a great improver over in general, but I felt like I knew her and understood her, and again, because of that, I’ll switch it up for the audience. I thought she was able to say or do anything she wanted. So, I love that.

I think Felicia and Sam embody such a fun and realistic friendship. How do you think it has evolved from drinking buddies to a genuine connection?

Part of what we’re playing wasn’t in the script. I had an entire backstory in my mind that Sam was one of the only friends that even stuck around after Felicia got pregnant back when she was 18. We all worked out these in-depth histories with each other, and Ally, Sofia, Sasha, and I even all met to map out where all those friendships happened.

Concerning Sam and Felicia’s friendship, I think Felicia would always forgive Sam. I believe Felicia was always committed to Sam and being her ride or die because she stuck around her and her hard times.

Sam had something happen in her late 20s, which I’m currently experiencing being 28, where you start to reassess what’s important, especially if there have been substances involved. Things get clearer, and you begin to prioritize.

I think that’s part of why Sam is still connected to Felicia because even though drinking is the thing between them. She’s pretty good at taking care of herself and other people, and Sam hopes that that will lead her in the right direction.

So you mentioned backstories. Brit and Felicia have always been at each other’s throats. Where did that rivalry stem from?

Yes. Simone Finch, our writer, is incredible. All of these characters are loosely based on people that she has known. Essentially Simone went to an excellent private school in Melrose in the outer Boston area with her best friend, who Sasha is loosely playing.

This other friend lived in the town just outside and went to the public school. So we already have that dynamic where like Felicia’s the bad public school kid, and they’re in a high-end middle school and high school.

From the beginning, we played that Felicia was the one Sam would get into trouble with, and Brit was the perfect one.

That dynamic started in high school, and it was always a little bit tough for Felicia to be the friend outside of the circle and get introduced to a new friend, especially if the girls were best friends. The threes get complicated, but it got worse when Brit got engaged to Joel initially.

It’s one of those things where it’s your girl first, and it’s a loyalty thing. I think Felicia’s one of those people that would stick to that loyalty of never hooking up with their best friend’s ex. I think there’s a girl code that’s maybe been crossed which is why Felicia still holds onto the dynamics they had in high school for a little bit.

So, why does Felicia decide to help Brit when she comes looking for drugs?

That’s a great question. Part of it was I was trying to play that mom who’s excellent at taking care of her kid but was always looking for an excuse to have a Friday night. I think Brit presents that to her, but also she gets to see this person that in her eyes has been so perfect since they were teenagers, let loose and discovers something else.

A part of her is doing it for Brit because I think Felicia’s done some mushrooms. I believe Felicia knows what Britt might have to look at in those darker times. There are sometimes things when you take psychedelics that you can’t control where your mind goes, and especially if there’s an important event about to happen, your mind is there.

I think Felicia is aware of all of that. But when it comes down to it, I think she’s just looking for a Friday night to get a babysitter and feel like she’s 28. I think there’s a part of her that because she did get pregnant so young, she still relives those late teens and early 20s that she didn’t get to have.

Those scenes of you three high on the playground were hilarious. What was it like to film those?

Oh my gosh. Well, Mo Gaffney is such a legend. She came in with this energy that was just undeniable. What was remarkable was that I felt like I could sit back with her. It might be on the ride with her because she was just so funny and just going for it so hard.

I remember that was our very last day of shooting because of how the schedule worked, and it was so hot. We were shooting winter in summer Atlanta, and I remember it was such a long day, but Mo kept cracking us up. We couldn’t stop. She is hilarious and definitely made that day and the scene so much fun.

It looked fun. And what kind of effect do you think it will have on Sam’s recovery if she finds out two of her close friends were getting high as she celebrated her one year of sobriety?

That’s a good question. I think part of the sober journey is recognizing what you are capable of and not capable of and not your doctors, and that’s their own decision. And that’s a tricky thing. And I think it takes a lot of time for people going through their sober journey to be able to realize that and recognize that.

Obviously, in the first year of sobriety, it’s not great to be around those types of things. But I think that’s also part of the sober journey. As I said, it is necessary to sit back and let people experiment because they don’t have an addiction issue. It’s a tough line.

I have sober friends that don’t even want to be at the party, and then I have sober friends that are like, I have no problem with you tripping on mushrooms in front of me, and I would hang out with you while you do it.

So, I think on every sober person’s journey, they are allowed to choose how they feel about it and how they feel about other people’s actions.

That makes sense, and what is next for Felicia?

There’s so much more to explore with Felicia. I think we’ve got a great picture of Felicia and Sam and how she helps Sam and her life. Still, I’m interested in going behind the curtain a little more and going into that back story of when she first became pregnant or what it’s like actually dating as a single mom.

But also, I think, undeniably while watching it, as a viewer, there’s this question of does she have a drinking problem? She is partying a lot. So, putting Felicia under the substance microscope might be what’s next for her.

Thank you, Lily, for chatting with me. I can’t wait to see the season finale next week and hope you get another season.

Single Drunk Female Season 1 airs at 10:30/9:30 on Thursdays on Freeform.

Edit Delete

Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.

Read The Full Article Here