Ben Lawson – Firefly Lane

By starrymag | February 22, 2021

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) Please tell us the premise for the series “Firefly Lane.”

 

A) “Firefly Lane” is about a 30-year friendship between two girls as they grow into women and all the highs and lows that come with that kind of deep friendship.

 

Q) What made you want to be a part of the series?

 

A) I read the first episode and I was hooked!

 

Q) Where does Ryan fit into Tully and Kate’s tale of friendship.

 

A) Johnny Ryan is Tully’s boss at KPOC, a small news station in Washington state. Tully (Katherine Heigl) gets Kate (Sarah Chalke) a job there too and then Johnny finds himself swept up in the Kate and Tully show for the rest of his life.

 

Q) Was there anything you added to this role that wasn’t in the initial breakdown?

 

A) My accent!

 

Q) What did you find challenging about your portrayal?

 

A) The only challenge was to serve the scripts as well as they deserved. And working alongside Katherine and Sarah you can’t slack off or they’re going to act you off the screen.

 

Q) Were you familiar with any of your costars before working with them?

 

A) I had worked with both Sarah and Katie on different shows before “Firefly Lane.” But I loved them both already and it was so nice to reconnect and form deeper friendships.

 

Q) This is your second series for Netflix. What makes working with them so appealing?

 

A) I think the quality of their shows is first and foremost what’s appealing about Netflix. Overall a higher quality than on cable or perhaps other streaming services. And secondly that so many people watch the shows!

 

Q) What are some standout episodes viewers should look out for?

 

A) Personally, I love the episode where Tully gets caught in the convenience store during a robbery. It was my favorite scene in the book and it’s my favorite episode in the show.

 

Q) What do you think it is about “Firefly Lane” that will make it a fast fan favorite series?

 

A) It’s been described as a warm hug and I think we all need one of them right now.

 

Q) We loved you on “13 Reasons Why.” What did you personally take away from your time on the show?

 

A) Thank you ☺️ That was an interesting experience because it already had such a huge following by the time I came on to it. You have to block that out though and focus on the task at hand. I mostly worked with the bullies, the bad kids. But they welcomed me and could not be sweeter actors and people. I loved working with them.

 

Q) You’re also an author. What inspired you to write To My Country?

 

A) I wrote it in response to the devastating Australian bushfires a year ago. We still have towns recovering and the pandemic hasn’t helped. All royalties from the book are going to The Koala Hospital.

 

Q) What are the other recent projects you have been busy working on?

 

A) Busy? In 2020? You make me laugh. But hopefully we will see “Firefly Lane” go to a second season and I can be back on set again soon!