Michael Willett – Faking It

By starrymag | August 31, 2015

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) Are you looking forward to the fans’ reaction to the second half of the “Faking It” season?

A) Yeah, I’m very excited fore everyone to see what we have been working on and what all the characters are getting into – all the drama. I am a little nervous just because there are a few scenes are unnerving. I have a nude scene and there are some sexy scenes, but it’s going to be worth it. It’s going to be fun!

Q) How did you prepare for those sexy scenes?

A) I didn’t want to have any insecurities going into it about my body because I do feel like in some ways I am a symbol for young kids and I didn’t want to be something I’m not. So, I wanted to make sure that I was at a healthy weight and I wasn’t doing anything dangerous to be thin. I just wanted to represent myself in a healthy way. I think I did that. Fortunately, the scene is humorous. It’s not meant to be sensual. I’m rallying all these kids to do a nude protest and then at the last minute they all back out.

Q) Shane has a lot of schemes that he likes to be a part of. What are some of his new plans this season?

A) There are a lot of things. It’s very much in his personality to be a leader. I don’t want to give too much away, but there is going to be some butting of heads between Lauren (Bailey De Young) and Shane – as usual. Also, Karma (Katie Stevens) and Shane will be battling for a boy.

Q) Where do things stand with Duke this season?

A) There are some challenges. As we saw in the last episode, Shane outed Duke (Skyler Maxon) publicly and Duke doesn’t know about it. So, it ends up causing a lot of issues and makes it almost impossible for them to have a healthy relationship. Shane has all of this overriding guilt about it. It’s a good first love, but ultimately it’s doomed I think.

Q) Will we ever get the chance to learn about Shane’s backstory and why he is such a lothario?

A) I’m hoping to, actually. We are picked up for a Season 3 and I had a meeting with the writers a few weeks ago. That was something we talked about so I definitely think it is something we will explore about Shane. It’s definitely a fascinating part of his personality.

Q) When we pick up with “Faking It,” where does everyone stand?

A) Everyone is in a good place. Everyone is, basically, happy, but very quickly things take a turn for the worse. It will be fun for us to all watch it together!

Q) What is the current status of Shane and Liam’s friendship when we resume?

A) This next set of episodes we are going to explore a betrayal between Liam (Gregg Sulkin) and Shane. They are going to have some struggles in their friendship at this time. I think that is going to be surprising for people to watch and it was definitely fun to act because usually Shane and Liam are the best of friends. They are basically family, but sometimes those relationships can be difficult.

Q) We get to meet Shane’s sister this year, played by Lindsey Shaw.

A) She was a pleasure to work with and so much fun! She plays Shane’s sister, who (if you can believe it) is a little bit crazier than Shane! If you can believe that, then we meet Shane’s mom and she is even crazier! There are so many funny moments between Shane and his family. That’s probably what I’m most excited about this season, that we see where Shane comes from and why he is the way he is. At least we get clues as to why he is the way he is…We do know that his mom sells sex toys out of the back of her van. So, she is obviously very liberal and she’s a hoot!

Q) What will we see with the relationship between Shane and his sister?

A) You will see how similar they are. In a lot of ways, his sister is the source of inspiration for him for a lot of who he is, a lot of what he thinks and how he goes about the world. That was something I pitched the writers a while ago because my sister and I are really close. In a lot of ways, she is my indicator of what is cool. I think that was definitely a source of inspiration for Shane’s sister, except she is much more of a free spirit. She’s a lot to handle.

Q) Shane gave advice to Amy when she was coming out. Will his advice shift to Amy this season?

A) I think there are some scenes with Amy (Rita Volk) and Shane, but honestly this season is more about Amy kind of having her own self discovery without the aid of Shane. That’s obviously different from what we have seen in the past. There are some moments where Shane is someone to go to when you need to talk about your problems. He knows the right thing to pick up your spirits. At this point, Shane is not the most reliable person because he is having his own relationship issues. I don’t know his wise words would be that helpful. He’s flawed, just like everyone else.

Q) There are a lot of layers to Shane. What is your favorite side to him?

A) I feel like there are times when you really like Shane and he is not necessarily doing the right thing, but I think my favorite thing about him is that in the private moments like between Shane and Amy, Shane and Lauren or even Shane and Liam are the intimate moments where you see he is actually a good guy. He is not just acting or pretending to be a good person, he actually is. I think that’s the part of him I actually enjoy most.

Q) Now that dynamics are changing, what will we see from Shane’s relationship with Lauren?

A) Their dynamic continues where they butt heads because they are so similar, but there is also this mutual respect because each of them is equally as powerful. So, they use each other to their own personal advantage. You’ll see that in one of my favorite episodes where we go on this little adventure and we pretend to be cheerleaders as a way to help Lauren. It’s one of the best memories I had this season because it was so fun and we got to improv. I think everyone is going to really enjoy it.

Q) The fans were anxiously waiting for the show to return. Do you feel it will be worth the wait?

A) I think so because “absence makes the heart grow fonder” and I really believe that to be true. If you love these characters and love the show, you are going to want to see what they do next and what happens.

Q) What have you taken away from your experiences working on “Faking It?”

A) So many things, really. I think what I am proud of most is that not only are we creating a piece of art that is entertaining to watch, but is doing some pretty meaningful things in the world as well. It’s pretty progressive. While it may not always be realistic at times, it is something to look up to and something to think about. I think it causes you to think about your own life and about society. Those things are the most important when it comes to art, in my opinion.

Q) Anything about the new season that you want us to be sure we share with fans?

A) You are going to see the prom episode soon this season. Definitely watch to see all of our cool fashion!