Brianne Howey says her Ginny & Georgia performance draws inspiration from one very important family member in her real life: her mom.
While appearing on The View Wednesday, the actress, 33, opened up about how her role on the hit Netflix series is based on her late mother, who died over 10 years ago.
"My mom had me at 21, she had my sister at 25, and my mom really had to hustle," Howey said. "I watched her work so hard, she ended up becoming a super successful software consultant, but she didn't start that way."
"So any way that we could save a little money, whether it was lying about or ages or hoarding food and bringing it into the movie theater, these were the things that were very normalized for us," she continued. "So a lot of the scenes that I think would've felt jarring between Ginny and Georgia were a little bit more normalized."
Continuing her conversation, Howey admitted that she has found a "new relationship" with her mother through her character's portrayal.
"I lost my mom to cancer over a decade ago — I don't know whose lives, unfortunately, cancer hasn't touched at this rate — but it's been such a blessing in disguise to work on the show and have this new relationship with her, and think of her in a new way that's kind of creative and fun," she explained.
"I already had so much respect for my Mom, but going through the motions of the show, working or dealing with teenage characters, there are plenty parts of Ginny that I recognize in myself as well," Howey continued. "I put my Mom through the wringer many times."
Howey also spoke in detail about Ginny & Georgia and how the series tackles various real-life issues — including abuse, racism, self-harm and mental heath, among others.
Noting that the show has "an enormous responsibility" that "the writers and actors feel every step of the way," the actress detailed that the series "works really closely with Mental Health America" to "make sure that we aren't glorifying anything that should not be glorified by any means."
She added: "I also think, especially with the therapy scenes, it's important to acknowledge the good and the bad parts of our humanity. Whether we like it or not, it's our jobs as actors to represent both sides, and that's kind of collectively what unites us."
Howey then paid tribute to her onscreen daughter, who is played by Antonia Gentry, calling her "such a talented actress" who she has made such a "safe space with."
Ginny & Georgia's second season is currently streaming on Netflix. The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.