Damian Romeo Talks Ginny & Georgia Season 2 and the Return of Matt Press
The long wait is over, and the second season of Ginny & Georgia is finally on Netflix, giving us all of the mother-daughter murder-mystery drama we've been craving since we fell in love with the series almost two years ago.
We're also sure we're not the only ones who were eagerly anticipating the return of the show's fan-favorite characters, including everyone's favorite hot jock jerk, Matt Press, played by actor Damian Romeo. While he didn't have a huge role in the first season, we get to see much more of him this time around, and ahead of today's big premiere, we got the chance to chat with Damian himself about the character, the opportunities the show has given him and why Matt is so much more than initially meets the eye. Read the full interview below.
Sweety High: When did you discover your passion for acting? Do you feel like there was like one moment when you knew it was what you wanted to do with your life?
Damian Romeo: When I was a kid, me and my brothers were kind of forced into music lessons because my grandmother was really into the arts. Every Sunday morning, I would have to skip the cartoons I'd usually watch to go and train on piano or guitar. There was a point where I was fed up with learning instruments. My grandmother still insisted I pick something in the arts, and I personally can't draw, so I said, what about theater?
Then I got into a few different theatrical training camps as a child and I fell in love. It was that possibility of becoming anyone you wanted to become. You didn't have to stay stagnant. One day you're a detective, and the next day, you're a tree, you know?
SH: A lot of fans are really eager to see more of Matt in the second season of Ginny & Georgia. Do we get to dive deeper into his character this time around?
DR: What surprised me after the first season was that I had a lot of great feedback from some of the fans of Ginny & Georgia. I was actually surprised that I was that noticeable. From that first season, it was kind of shocking to become sort of a fan favorite. In the second season, you're definitely going to see more of Matt Press, and there may be some moments that will be quite shocking. I'm very excited to see the reactions of the fans for the second season. I'm not sure if we dig too deep into Matt Press's personality and the reasons why he makes the decisions he does, but you'll definitely get to see more of me as Matt Press, which is going to be a lot of fun.
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SH: Do you think that strong fan reaction inspired the show's creators to include more of Matt this time around?
DR: To be quite honest with you, I think they have their own story that they're trying to progress, and I don't that what the fans are saying about the characters actually plays a huge role in the story—but it may have. There are a few scenes that have been written into Season 2 with Matt Press that may have come from fan favorites and the fans speaking out on TikTok and Twitter. But I don't think it has a huge amount of play into who Matt Press is in Season 2.
SH: How much do you relate to Matt as a character?
DR: I think it's easy for people to think he's just a jerk or one of those mean kids in high school, but I think that Matt Press has a lot going on. When you're a young kid in high school, you're not really taught how to cope with your emotions. You're not taught how to make proper decisions. He's really just discovering who he is and who he wants to be in the world, and maybe who his friends are. He's discovering which kind of groups he wants to be a part of, and I think he's going through a lot. When you're in high school, everything seems like it's black and white. People are usually categorized into groups—they're the jocks, the rich kids or the gamer kids. In real life, people in high school are more than just one side or the other. There are so many layers to these kids, and I totally relate to Matt Press not being understood, not knowing how to handle his own emotions. When we're young, we all make decisions that we wish we could take back. Matt Pres is a prime example of going through adolescence.
SH: Is there anything you can tease for us about the new season?
DR: If you thought Season 1 was intense, Season 2 is double. I just cannot wait to see everyone's reactions to what's going on, and everyone has been pretty tight-lipped about what's going to happen in Season 2. It's going to be a big, big release day—that's for sure.
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SH: Do you have any favorite or most memorable moments from the filming of Season 2?
DR: On set, all my favorite memories are totally not going to be spoiler-free! If I start to talk about my favorite memories, I'm going to spoil something. But off set, one of the things that I did for a few of my co-workers on Ginny & Giorgia—Felix [Mallard], Tyssen [Smith] and Colton [Gobbo]—was we would get together, and I would buy a few different kinds of meats, like elk and wild boar, and we would buy expensive cheeses and wine, and I would cook the meats up for them and cut the cheeses, and we'd all sit around and just kind of talk and watch YouTube. We had a great time doing that on and off throughout the filming of Season 2, so that's been a really great memory of mine.
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SH: Do you consider yourself a big foodie?
DR: Oh, yeah. I love food—but it's hard when I'm trying to stay fit. There are a lot of options I can't choose. But I love going into little restaurants, little holes in the wall. When I travel—because I've traveled quite a lot in my life—I usually look for those tiny, family-owned restaurants—the places people usually just walk by—and then I'll order something new. I try to eat something new every time I travel or when I go out. If I look at a menu, I try to never order something I've tried before. Sometimes that can go wrong, but for me, it's about the risk versus reward.
SH: A new romantic interest for Matt has been teased for Season 2. Can you tell us anything about that?
DR: You're just gonna have to watch Season 2 to find out! There may be something going on romantically for Matt Press, but I can't say anything because that's quite a spoiler.
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SH: What has it meant to you to be part of the cast of Ginny & Georgia, and for so many people to be able to see your work on Netflix?
DR: I've been acting professionally for a very long time, and it's quite hard when you're starting from nothing, and also being a Canadian. There's a huge American market out there with more opportunities, and I think it's slimmer here in Canada, so to be able to be on a Netflix show is extraordinary. Before Season 1 came out, I didn't get early access to the screeners. I waited until 3 a.m.—which is midnight L.A. time—for the show to come out, and I remember having cold sweats that night. I was tossing and turning, and I couldn't sleep, so I stayed up all night to watch it because I hadn't seen it myself yet. It felt quite daunting at the time, but everything worked out well after Season 1. I'm just so grateful that I had such a great start to my career with Ginny & Georgia. I'm forever grateful for the project and for Matt Press's character.
To be quite honest, when I was younger and starting off as an actor, I never thought I would play a high schooler. I had people tell me, "You're way too big to play a high schooler, because you'd be bigger than the teacher." I kind of just accepted that I'd never play in a YA story. Then Ginny & Georgia came, and all of a sudden, I'm playing a 15 or 16-year-old. It's very interesting because that same year I was shooting Season 1, I went out for an audition that was looking for a 30-year-old outlaw, and I got the job. I was playing this 30-year-old menacing, tough outlaw, and then I went to play a 16-year-old from high school in the same time span. I'm very grateful that I have that kind of range, and to Netflix for trusting me to be a part of their project.
Ginny & Georgia has also opened doors for a lot of new projects that I'm now able to audition for. I think I'm allowed to talk about this now, but one of the coolest experiences I've had between seasons of Ginny & Georgia was auditioning for Marvel. It was the only time I had to sign an NDA before getting the audition sides. It was really cool. I'm hoping with the release of Ginny & Georgia Season 2, people can see a bit more of me—and Marvel will continue to call me back for auditions.
In love with the show? Click HERE for all of our favorite quotes from Ginny & Georgia Season 1 to use as Instagram captions.