Sara Waisglass, star of the popular Netflix series Ginny and Georgia, recently addressed the buzz surrounding potential recasting rumors of Diesel La Torraca’s beloved character, Austin.

In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Waisglass, 27, shared her thoughts on La Torraca’s evolving role, saying, “He’s handling the changes remarkably well. We’re all fortunate to have roles that allow us to grow.” Waisglass was promoting her latest movie, How to Lose a Popularity Contest.

Playing the character Max, Waisglass observed La Torraca’s growth spurt with amusement, noting, “He’s now taller than I am, and it’s interesting because I started as a child actor too. There was always that odd gap where I was too mature for kids my age but not quite fitting in with the adults. So, I completely relate.”

Reflecting on the changes, she added, “It’s surreal to think I met him when he was just 8, and now he’s this young man discussing his acting process. The transformation is amazing. The funniest part was during our first table read; we introduced ourselves, and when it was Diesel’s turn, his deep voice caught us off guard, and it was hilarious.”

Fans of Ginny & Georgia have expressed concerns over the possibility of Austin being recast in the upcoming season due to La Torraca’s growth. However, is there any truth to these speculations? The show, which debuted in 2021, follows the journey of a young single mother relocating her family to Wellsbury, Massachusetts, while navigating her past and present challenges.

After season 3 aired in 2025, viewers questioned whether La Torraca, 14, was now too old to play Ginny’s half-brother while pointing out the lengths the Netflix show went to in season 3 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 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.”

La Torraca, meanwhile, addressed the concerns while sharing the creative ways the show disguised his obvious growth spurt.

“Well, honestly, we kind of ignore it a little bit!” he told Teen Vogue that same month. “It’s kind of just like … there’s a 14-year-old sitting at the table with Harry Potter glasses on that’s supposed to be 9. And that’s OK! In some shots, I did have to bend my knees a little bit to look a little shorter than [Antonia], or they got her an apple box a few times, but for the most part, we’ve kind of just kept the show running.”

Ginny & Georgia introduced a shocking baby twist — but what does that mean when it comes to who is and isn’t coming back for season 4. During the season 3 finale, which premiered in June, Georgia (Brianne Howey) dealt with her new normal after a murder trial and the end of her marriage to […]

La Torraca continued: “Playing a 9-year-old for six years when you are growing … I’ve grown with him, but I’ve also kind of departed from him because I was 8 when we started, now I’m 14. There are a lot of differences in the way that he would move and act and speak. I have to heighten my voice register, slouch a little bit [to] feel like I’m actually a shy, insecure 9-year-old.”

Before Ginny & Georgia returns for season 4, Waisglass scored a role in Tubi’s How to Lose a Popularity Contest, which allowed her to play someone different than Max Baker.

“One of my biggest fears is that I can only play Maxine Baker, because, like, my energy does bleed into my performances,” Waisglass told Us. “And something I was very worried about was, in this movie, is it just going to be Max in a different film?”

Waisglass said she tried “really hard” to find aspects of the character that felt different.

“I was very intentional about silly things like posture and tone of voice,” she explained. “So it was the same energy, just a different execution, I guess. And I’m hoping that that played out right.”

How to Lose a Popularity Contest is streaming on Tubi now.