Claire Gagnon-King – All For One

By: Lisa Steinberg

Q) This season of A4O was really incredible. We go to see a lot of sides to everyone and a lot of different pairings and so much self-discovery. With Portia, we got to see a switch flip. Can you talk a little bit about how much you were aware before the season of what your arc would be like and how you saw Portia this season?

A) I didn’t get a huge sense of it until we received a full script and it was at that point that we were really able to see how everyone’s story unfolded after Season One. I was anticipating some stuff because I had some conversations with Sarah [Shelson] and RJ [Lackie] about what they were planning. I didn’t realize it would go quite as far as it did. It was really interesting getting to play Portia this season because I had to try to find the likeable moments to her.

Q) Season One had a docile Portia and a Portia kind of struggling to find her own voice. Then, this season she might be a bit too in control. How was it for you getting to play Portia’s opposite?

A) It was a lot of fun. It was really fun! I was gifted with an opportunity to explore her more and who she is as a person this season. I think last season we saw her more in conjunction with other characters and this season she had her own thing going, which was really fun to develop. I got to play with her more, which I always enjoy doing.

Q) You discussed the writing a bit already. There were some great callbacks this season and some really meaningful messages. What shined through for you the most when reading the scripts?

A) I think just how hard they worked this season on making everyone human. They did a really good job of it in Season One and nobody was ever perfect. Everyone always had some kind of flaw to them. I think this season they really flushed those flaws out and just made these characters extremely human and like people you might know in your own personal life. That was really amazing to experience because I think in Season One we were still getting to know them and we were trying to figure out who they are separately when they’re not with the group. With this season you really got a feel for what was going on in their own personal lives, even with Alex’s (AJ Simmons) storyline. She has this whole other part of her that no one knows about because she’s keeping it so secret. I think they did a really good job of showcasing what friends may be going through in their lives.

Q) We got to see some new pairings this season. We got to see Portia and Dorothy going from friends to flailing. What do you think Portia’s ultimate downfall was with the campaign?

A) Hmm. I like to think, in my mind, she didn’t really know what she was getting herself into when she decided to run for President. I think it was her coming to a place where she thought she could step up and be a leader. It was the most logical jump for her, to try and lead the whole sorority. I think she is the “go big or go home” kind of girl. She has her sights set pretty high, so I think right off the bat she was a little overwhelmed and because of that she tried so hard to look like she had everything together and she tried so hard to make people believe that she was in a position that I don’t think she was quite ready for. She’s done a lot of growing, for sure. With the time between Season One and Season Two, I don’t think she was prepared to take on such a high leadership role. I think she overcompensated and tried on a couple personalities that might not have been hers.

Q) In Season Two we get this shift with Anne on screen, we see her as kind of a puppet master. Did Anne prey on Portia’s personality or was it her revenge agenda running wild?

A) I think Anne (Erin Eldershaw) definitely did take advantage of Portia and how malleable she can be. I think Portia tries to please everyone and she does kind of change herself for the people she is around. Part of her growth is learning who she is as a person and how to function away from other people. I think Anne kind of had a feeling for that and realized she could manipulate Portia a little bit. Unfortunately, it was until Portia cracked.

Q) It was really interesting how Anne went from golden child to villain, in a sense. Villains never see themselves as bad people – only that they are doing things for the greater good. There were many areas shaded in gray this season. How did that also help to set the season’s tone?

A) It’s interesting because I’m not a 100% sure of some of the things that might have been going on in Sarah and RJ’s heads. I think with Season One, what is really well done and really clever is you only get a sense of Anne from Dorothy’s (Gwenlyn Cumyn) perspective. And Dorothy’s coming into this situation as someone quite new to the idea of sorority in terms of trying it for herself. She’s heard her Gran talk about it so much, but I think with her coming in and having this idol there is no place for her but on a pedestal. Whereas now with Season Two and finally seeing Anne, it was tearing down that image that Dorothy had so carefully crafted and showing her as human, too. She’s a woman who was hurt by her lover. They took their spat to a really big scale. I think she was ultimately someone who was hurt and trying to figure out how to deal with that hurt and she dealt with it in a very, very human way. She kind of got angry and pitted people against each other to try to make herself feel better. I’ve said it before, the show revolves around showing the human qualities of all these characters and that it really could be any group of friends going through these things. Nobody is black and white perfect. They all had these middle grounds where it was gray at times and she probably thought she was doing good things by pushing Portia to be the best version of Portia possible, but I don’t think she realized the strain it could take on all of the characters.

Q) We see that it doesn’t take too much to have this domino effect and that really the sorority isn’t on such solid ground as we were led to believe.

A) I think a lot of that stems, too, from Anne being President and having Treville as her VP. So, I think a lot of the stability came from Treville (Denise Yuen) holding things together a little bit. We hear a little bit about that at times when they are fighting or when Treville is talking about how, I think, she took the bulk of the responsibility and had to step up a lot of times where Anne was a little less mature or a little less organized. So, it’s interesting to see them on opposing sides of the campaign because you have this duo that work so well together that now individually don’t work at all.

Q) Let’s talk about Portia’s relationship with Henry. The two of them have this great growth and maturity between them – together and apart. How did things feel full circle for them? Their relationship in Season One was quite damaged, but in Season Two they were able to repair it.

A) Their relationship is an interesting one and was a fun one to play around with. I think the huge fight in Season One was needed so desperately. They needed to call each other out on their stuff. Even though the fight when you watch it could seem a little one sided when you take into account Arianna (Xavier Lopez) – how extreme the characters went with their decision to plant meth and do all of that stuff. It really just looks like Portia being the right one and moral one and attacking that way. But if you look more into it when Portia gets called out on being this kind of Disney princess or always excited cartoon version of a person, I think she needed that and grew from that and was able to kind of reassert her strength that she always had within her. Then, Henry (between the seasons) went through so much that it really changed him as a person and really made him see what he had done and how he could do better. So, I don’t think the attraction between them ever left. They were able to stay friends and were quite amicable at the end of Season One so you kind of expect it to head in a certain direction. And when you have two people who have been together a while that are able to stay friends I think there is a little bit of that chemistry left over. All of the fighting and the intensity just amped that up and added to this huge sexual tension between the two of them. And they are comfortable together. They are people who understand each other, and I think especially with Henry’s transition…Portia even says at one point that they got really close during his transition and Portia has always been pansexual, but that comes more into play this season and I think she kind of develops this new attraction for Henry (Xavier Lopez) through his transition and them becoming closer. I’m guessing it was something they had always discussed in private or things that had been hinted about in the past. I like to think that Portia is just so proud that he was finally able to go through with who he really is and when you’re that proud of somebody and you feel that much joy seeing someone grow in a way so there is going to be an attraction and a desire to be with them that way. Then, just all the fighting…fighting always makes things more intense. I think he was finally just so much more comfortable with things that maybe aspects of him and Portia’s relationship he had had to repress a little bit or shove down into a little tiny corner of himself. He was just able to allow all of those things to come out and flourish. I think their relationship will be so much better because it’s hard when you’re hiding something or keeping some part of yourself a secret. Now things are out in the open and he’s comfortable with who he is and moving forward to this beautiful place I think their relationship can really succeed.

Q) What was the hardest lesson that Portia had to learn this season?

A) I think the hardest lesson she had to learn was she doesn’t need to be everything. I think Portia probably comes from a family that pressures her a lot. You learn that she has a bit of an upperclass family and a lot of times with money like that or that kind of background there is a lot of pressure on you to be a certain or way or do certain things with your life. She’s so pressured to do everything and I think she saw the presidency of the sorority as kind of a leader where she would think, “Okay, I’m strong. I’m good,” and prove to everyone she was capable of that. I think she had to learn that she doesn’t need that kind of role or power to be strong. She doesn’t need to be the perfect friend or girlfriend. She just needs to be herself. I think Portia has always struggled with who she is, as I’ve mentioned. So, I think it was just figuring out that she could be her and that’s okay. She’s an extreme kind of person so I think she had to go all the way off the deep end to come back and be comfortable. There is no middle ground for Portia.

Q) We leave off at the end of the season with Portia deciding to run with Rochford for student council. Even though she went through such huge craziness with MST’s campaign, I feel like she can put a lot of her passion and perspective into her campus presidential campaign. What were your thoughts on the finale?

A) It’s fun because I don’t know if people know this, but we actually shot two versions of the ending based on the election outcome. So, we really had no idea, especially when we were filming, about who was going to win. Everyone, of course, had their opinions. We did ultimately leave it up to the fans during the live episode about who should win the election. We had this whole storyline where Portia teamed up with Rochford, which was the one we ended up seeing. I think it is going to be a really cool place for her to go. Her and Rochford obviously became close and comfortable with each other through him helping with her campaign and I think he sees in her that she’s capable of good and exciting things. By the end of the season, Portia does have a platform. I think she develops a passion for speaking up about mental health and for young people who don’t feel they have voices and helping them be heard. I think those ideals can really be applied to student council since you are dealing with everybody on campus, not just a sorority. I do think that she can really find herself and use all of these new passions that she has developed and her experiences for good. I think she can do that with Rochford. I think it will work out for the two of them.

Q) What do you hope viewers have taken away from this season and what has been the fan reaction you have seen from Season Two?

A) I think that the biggest message that you see across the board with every single character is to be who you are and not be afraid of showing your true self. I think it’s so hard to feel comfortable or to feel like you can trust people with who you are, especially with social media and creating this perfectly well-crafted image of yourself that other people will like and adore – all that stuff people are into these days. I think it’s just so important to stay true to yourself. Especially with what you see with Portia, it’s important to not try on so many personalities and see who likes what better. In terms of mental health, it’s speaking up and sharing your experiences or finding people you can trust or share things with. That’s so important. It’s being more connected to the people in your lives and talking to them and talking things out. I really hope that everyone kind of sees that. And I think that how we have portrayed the Three Musketeers or the Musketeers in general will make people see themselves in these characters or see their friends in these characters and push them towards being there or being more open and trusting more.