Archive

“Faking It” star Rita Volk on Amy’s evolution and coming out process

The journey continues for our semi-closeted lesbian, Amy, on MTV’s new comedy series Faking It. While she has out and proud Shane as her confidante at the moment, the one person Amy still can’t talk about her feelings with is the object of those affections, her best (straight) friend, Karma.

In tonight’s all-new episode, Amy and Karma realize they need a girls-only weekend to reconnect but Amy’s mother’s wedding shower (and the news that someone other than Amy has been picked to be maid of honor) gets in the way as we get more of a glimpse into Amy’s home life.

Rita Volk, who plays Amy, talked to AfterEllen about what to expect in tonight’s episode, how she’s handling her mother and her issues with a lesbian for a daughter and, of course, we tried to pry out of her when Karma (Katie Stevens) will finally be clued into her feelings for her. Did she spill? Find out below…

AfterEllen.com: At this point in the series, is it difficult for Amy to be around Karma knowing her feelings?

Rita Volk: Yes, absolutely. With each episode, Amy’s feelings intensify and she has the realization that she doesn’t want to meet anyone else. She doesn’t seem to be into boys, and finding another girlfriend turns out to be a pretty scary and awkward experience for her. She knows where she feels comfortable and safe, and that’s with Karma. Realizing this just makes that longing stronger, but of course there’s nothing she feels she can do because it’s clear where Karma’s priorities are (with Liam). It also greatly complicates the friendship because the little things that were just friendly before, like a hug, carry with them so much more weight. Amy starts to wonder if her actions, however small, will give her away….which is very difficult.

AE: Do you think it’s still tough to hear Karma gush about Liam? Or is she just being a good friend?

RV: I would imagine that it would be one of the worst things for someone to go through…..to love someone and have to constantly hear them pine over someone else. I think most of us can relate to unrequited love. Amy is being a good friend because she’s bearing it all, but unfortunately she’s compromising herself in the process. That’s a fine line…to put someone before you like that, but to make sure you don’t forget about yourself in the process. Amy is a loyal friend, and I think that’s why she’s so likeable, she really puts herself on the back burner sometimes.

AE: Without spoiling anything, is Karma going to figure out Amy’s true feelings soon?

RV: I can’t tell you that!! Good try though. You’d have to pay me a lot of money to say anything….but all I can say is that the finale is going to be the best episode yet, we were all so proud of it when we shot it. The thing with the show is that eight episodes is really compact, so there’s a lot that happens and it all builds on everything else. So I can’t really say anything without giving stuff away….

AE: Oh, Lauren. Will we get a sense as to why she’s trying to make life so difficult for Amy at home?

RV: Yes! Actually in [this week’s] episode, we are going to see a different side to Lauren. Bailey is so phenomenal, she does an amazing job of being a total bitch, and then she switches off and you actually feel for her character. She’s an incredible actress and I love Lauren as a character. There will definitely be levels to her. Every good villain needs that, I think.

AE: Do you think Amy and Lauren can ever be friends? What would it take?

RV: I think so. It might be a slow process, but at the end of the day, they live under the same roof. Initially that makes them hate each other because they are strangers having to share everything, including their parents. But with time they have no choice but to really get to know each other. They share a bathroom together. Eventually you have to bond over that, right?

AE: Amy’s mother admittedly is having issues with her being gay. Is that bothering Amy or is she fine with her mother’s issues?

RV: From the very beginning we see that Amy and her mother are two different humans, but of course Amy wants her approval. It’s her mother after all, and I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to be accepted by their parents. But I also think Amy holds some resentment for her mother too. She is never going to be the perfectly polished beauty queen that her mother is. I think in the homecoming episode, Amy realizes that this is OK, and then the “fake” coming out gives Amy the chance to be rebellious. Amy definitely gets satisfaction from that. But of course, deep inside Amy would want nothing more than for her mom to be OK with it.

AE: What can you tease we’ll see in the next episodes as far as Amy’s journey?

RV: I love the next episode because you are going to see Amy’s home life and her relationship with her mom. The really nice thing about this episode is that it only further makes Amy out to be the black sheep. She’s already having these feelings for Karma that she thinks are strange and new and ostracizing, and then you see her at home, where Lauren and Farrah get along very well and Amy once again is on the sidelines. The girl can’t catch a break! But in the rest of the season, all I can say is that she becomes a lot more aware of her feelings……and things get more and more conflicting.

AE: What are hearing from young people about the show and what Amy is going through?

RV: It’s been absolutely incredible how loyal and dedicated the fandom has gotten. I don’t think any of us could have anticipated that by only the third or so episode, we would have such a cult following. I’ve had a girl tell me that she discovered she was a lesbian when she developed a crush on her best friend. Another fan said he is happy something like this is on television because he was in the closet all throughout high school and didn’t have other people he could look up to. When you’re confined to a set, you live only in the world your creating and you forget that people are going to actually watch what you do and have an opinion. And then you’re like “Well, duh idiot, this is a show and people will see it.” So when it finally got out to the universe and girls could relate to Amy and that vulnerable process she’s going through…..it was a blessing.

Faking It airs Tuesdays at 10:30pm on MTV.

Lesbian Apparel and Accessories Gay All Day sweatshirt -- AE exclusive

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button