Rome Flynn – How to Get Away with Murder

By starrymag | September 26, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) I’ve been working on music a lot. I’ve been working on my EP, which will be around six or seven songs. The title of it is Energy. When I’m not on set, I’m usually in the studio for the same amount of time (ten hours).

Q) What can you tease is in store for this season of “How to Get Away with Murder?’

A) I hope is that the characters on the show that deserve happy endings get them and the ones that don’t – don’t! I feel like the writers of the show do a great job of navigating the storyline and connecting the dots. I feel like they have a tall task ahead of them this season connecting all of the dots from the previous seasons and giving everybody the sendoff that they are looking for.

Q) Gabriel and Annalise have always had this intense dynamic. With this being the final seasons, what will the tension be like between them or have they become closer?

A) I’m not sure. I think that for a while Annalise (Viola Davis) was one of the closer people to him in a toxic way, sort of, because she knew the most about Sam (Tom Verica). So, I think he gravitated towards her in an unhealthy way. I think as we go along in this season the hope is that he uncovers what happened to Sam and discovers more about Sam as a person and I think that will kind of help him identify with himself a little more. I guess the hope is either way, if it’s a really bad relationship between Annalise and Gabriel I think that would be kind of great to see. Also, it might be cool to see them close considering they are probably the closest people together that are connected to Sam.

Q) Sam may be deceased, but is there any opportunity for him and Gabriel to share the screen together? Maybe a scene where they crossed paths without Gabriel knowing it was his father?

A) Oh! This season? I’m not sure. That’s a good question. [laughs] What’s interesting is I feel like they bring him back every season. I think since he’s died, he’s been in every season so far somehow. This dude is dead and he’s still working. I don’t’ get it! [laughs] He died the first season and he’s still working! So, yeah, maybe. Probably.

Q) Will we see Gabriel and Michaela get together again or was that more of a relationship that benefited the both of them at the time?

A) I think we’ll venture towards that this next season. To what capacity I’m not sure. But I feel like there is a lotto play with. There is a lot going on, obviously. Most successful relationships are built on trust and it’s hard to trust someone when you’re both hiding secrets. So, I think she’s hiding her secrets from him and there is clearly some sort of an agenda that Gabriel is hiding – maybe about his intentions, too. I think it should be something really cool.

Q) What will the fallout be for Gabriel with his mother when she finds out he’s been lying about his whereabouts and his agenda?

A) I think we’ll see. Hopefully, other things that we don’t know about in the process get uncovered. You don’t ever want to be on your mom’s bad side. [laughs] I feel like he should have made better choices, but also it will propel the storyline into him confronting her about things she knows that he doesn’t know.

Q) Talk about working with Viola Davis.

A) I don’t know if we have enough time to talk about how great it is and how much of an honor it is working in proximity with Viola. It’s an absolute dream! It’s like a master class for acting and just on top of that she’s so intelligent. Normally, she’s like the smartest person in the room. Every time I’m around I’m just trying to pick her brain a little bit here and there because that her life experiences are another part of her personality and her person that people really don’t know about her. She’s very charismatic and there is something fresh about that. So, when ever I am around her, I just try to live in the moment and soak it all up and just appreciate her a little bit more.

Q) Going into this season was there someone(s) you were hoping to work with more?

A) My hope is that we get to explore more of the friendship between Asher (Matt McGorry) and Gabriel. We didn’t really get a chance to dive into the complexity of what that is last season because there is so much to play with having Michaela (Aja Naomi King) in the middle sort of. The fact that she knows things and I feel like Gabriel is somehow drawn to the nature and personality that Asher kind of has. Hopefully this season we get to tap into that a little more.

Q) What has it meant to you to be a part of such an iconic series?

A) It’s meant the world to me. It’s probably been one of the greatest experiences of my career and of my life. I feel like I’ve learned so much about myself as a person from being around these people and working with them. Obviously, I’ve learned things as an actor that I wouldn’t be able to get in an acting class or in any other way. So, the show has completely changed my life in that perspective on just about everything. I’m very grateful to ABC and everybody who had their hand in giving me this opportunity to be this character. It’s a little bittersweet, but I appreciate the opportunity none the less.

Q) You have new music coming out as you mentioned. What are some themes you’ll be exploring on the EP?

A) I feel like 2019 was a transition year and I just came this kind of revelation. I started to realize that it changed me and it changed a lot of peoples’ lives. I feel like things are changing in a big way. It made me take notice that 2020 is coming and 2020 is kind of a significant spark to the decade. It’s kind of a reminder of a new beginning. Music, for me, is something I’ve always kind of put on the back burner and I feel like this is the perfect opportunity and perfect time to allow myself to be a little freer as an artist and allow more people to see more of the artistic side of me. Energy can’t be destroyed. You can just transfer it. Energy is forever and I feel like anybody can connect with energy because we need it. So, it’s all about love and being happy and appreciating the moment that we’re in and with each one of my songs I try to tell a little bit of a story. As a storyteller, it kind of translates to my music as well. So, I’m excited for people to kind share that side of me and venture into whatever part of my journey that will be.

Q) How much of a hand do you have in the production of the music?

A) I write a lot of my music. I play guitar. You will see some stuff on there with me playing guitar and some stuff on there with different instruments and also writing on it. As much time as I spend on set is as much time as I spend in the studio. So, I definitely put my hours in to try to understand myself more as the musical artist that I’m becoming. I’m definitely involved in every aspect of it – every part of it.

Q) You’re also on “The Haves and the Have Nots.” How do you manage to portray so many roles at one time?

A) Interesting enough, I film those separately. I film “The Have and a year before, but just coincidentally the timing and the universe and God and all those sorts of things that timed everything out. This past season I was airing on “How to Get Away with Murder” and “The Have and the Have Nots” at the same time on the same week, just on different days. I think I’m extremely lucky. I enjoy it! Different characters remind me that I don’t like to be boxed in. I can be more than my conscious or whatever people tell me.

Q) You won a Daytime Emmy for your work on “The Bold and the Beautiful.” Where do you keep it?

A) I keep it in my living room. It’s just in plain sight. I forget about it sometimes. Before I had it somewhere out of sight and I always kind of forgot about it. Now, I use it as a reminder about how far I’ve come and how long the journey can be. I just tell myself that some moments last longer than others and they are still moments and they still pass. Good or bad, you’ll always get another opportunity to be in this position again (hopefully). It’s one of my greatest accomplishments as an actor to have one of those. Not many people have the opportunity to even be nominated let alone win it. It’s definitely a huge honor for me to have. Hopefully, in the future, there are other accolades that I can have to reaffirm and validate my presence as I go through my career.

Q) You are a part of social media. Do you enjoy the instant fan feedback you receive to the episodes?

A) It’s so strange. I love social media. It’s kind of an instant display that the fans that follow me can kind of broadcast to the world. I do read comments and they know more about me than I know about me sometimes. I’m just blown away by that. I have no idea how they figure out this stuff about me. I’m always curious about what people are saying and it’s always love. I’m just so thankful for them. I appreciate them and I just want to keep making them proud.

Q) What else do you want to be sure that our readers know about what is in store for you?

A) I just would say allow themselves to be open to me as an artist. Just be open and give it a chance. Give it a listen. My single coming out is called “Brand New” and I put a snippet on my Instagram. It’s a transition. So, I know there is going to be some situations where people won’t like to see me in that light, but eventually they’ll come around.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and the work you do?

1. A) Go after you purpose and just stay true to yourself. And just love. Man, that’s it. Just love as much as you can.