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Brianne Howey from “Ginny & Georgia” has provided a sneak peek into how the show’s fourth season plans to handle the noticeable growth of Diesel La Torraca, who plays her son Austin. Fans had speculated that Austin might be recast due to La Torraca’s growth spurt.
In an exclusive conversation with Us Weekly, Howey, 36, discussed the rumors while promoting her involvement with Colgate’s The Science of WOW campaign. “I caught a glimpse of the buzz,” she shared, “but I didn’t take it seriously.”
Howey hinted that the series, streaming on Netflix, might cleverly incorporate these rumors into the storyline. “One of the joys of the show is its playful nature. We like to integrate these elements,” she remarked.
She further explained, “So, it wasn’t a real concern for us. However, it’s undeniable how much he’s grown. He’s really matured into a young man.”
The show, known for its unexpected twists, recently introduced a surprising baby plotline in the season 3 finale, which aired in June. As Georgia, played by Howey, navigates life after a murder trial and the dissolution of her marriage, viewers are left wondering what these developments mean for the returning cast in season 4.
Howey also praised the show for using La Torraca, 15, getting older — while Austin isn’t meant to age more than a day or two between seasons — as commentary on kids growing up too soon due to trauma.
“Absolutely, I think that’s what they’re so clever with in the writers’ room,” she noted. “You’ll see this season. They started to play into it a little bit last season but even more so this season they play into the natural changes that are happening.”
After season 3 aired in 2025, viewers questioned whether La Torraca was now too old to play Ginny’s (Antonia Gentry) half-brother while pointing out the lengths the Netflix show went to conceal the young actor’s growth spurt.
Creator Sarah Lampert weighed in at the time on why the show wasn’t trying to be accurate with Austin’s age.
“Anyone who works on the show will tell you I am fastidious about the details. I am just specific with so many things. Then things like Diesel growing five years [older], I’m like, ‘Whatever.’ Because you can’t control it,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in June 2025. “We can’t recast. Diesel is Austin.”
Lampert made it clear there were no plans to bring in someone younger to play Austin.
“There are a few jokes we’re planning to make. We’re aware that he’s growing up and that helps us,” she said before acknowledging that viewers will have to “suspend their disbelief” because La Torraca “grew [up] and it’s a TV show.”
“You don’t want to do a big time leap because that really misses emotional storytelling. Because of that, the flashbacks already make no sense in terms of the timeline of the flashbacks,” she added. “Time is but a construct in Wellsbury.”
Looking ahead at season 4, Howey promised more fun onscreen twists and turns.
“I don’t know how our writers do it season after season. I’m blown away by these scripts. I’m on the edge of my seat just as much as everyone else and I feel like it’s such a privilege to have this fourth season, because you see all of this really earned payoff for all of the characters,” she told Us.
Diesel La Torraca‘s real-life growth spurt has Ginny & Georgia fans worried that Austin will be recast in season 4 — but are there any actual plans to bring in someone new? Ginny & Georgia, which premiered in 2021, follows a young single mother who moves her family to Wellsbury, Massachusetts, after running away from […]
Howey teased how season 4 will push every story further.
“The characters have been on these very, very complicated journeys. There’s so much payoff this season for certain relationship dynamics and for certain goals each character has had,” she noted. “Simultaneously, you’re seeing every character trying on a new role — in a way — and that’s what I feel like I always have to hand it to our creator and our writers. There’s always a new side to these characters.”
Howey continued: “We meet some new characters as well — which brings out new sides of a lot of the characters — and it’s so fun to play and hopefully just as much fun to watch.”
Before the show returns, Howey has remained booked and busy with partnerships such as with Colgate Optic White as part of their The Science of WOW series. In the campaign, Howey got to highlight how Colgate’s hydrogen peroxide complex works with enamel to dissolve years of stains to help reveal a brighter and confident smile.
“I got to learn so much. My favorite part about it all is that it’s beauty and science,” Howey told Us. “I also got to work with Colgate scientist Dr. Lisa Manus, who was just the best. She’s a total natural and she belongs in front of the camera. But I feel like I learned so much about the science of it all with the hydrogen peroxide complex. Most toothpaste targets surface stains, but what Colgate Optic White does is also focuses on deep set stains and the differences between these two things. When you feel confident, you look confident.”
Ginny & Georgia is currently streaming on Netflix.