Netflix started summer with the return of Ginny & Georgia. Season 3 took a dark turn for many of the characters as they faced storylines unlike anything seen before on the show. For some of the cast, this meant taking on world-changing challenges, but for others, it was the vulnerability of love that put everything on the line. We caught up with actor Agape Mngomezulu for an inside look at his character Bryon’s relationship journey and how the high-stakes season came together.
For Agape, creating “the best season yet” was about balance. While Ginny and Georgia face serious consequences (hello, murder trial?), the other characters unpack heavy emotions. Agape’s character, Bryon, and his love interest, Bracia (Tameka Griffiths), navigate the uncertainty that comes with a new relationship. The character interactions shine in these complex stories. “I feel like the way Bryon dealt with that was very gracious and patient, and also, there were so many other characters going through their own period of problems. I feel like, especially at the end of the season, we get to see Bryon there for Maxine, for example. You see his comforting side. I think that’s what Bracia is attracted to as well.”
There’s a lot to love about Bryon, and Season 3 is a highlight reel of great moments. “Bryon is a football player. He is kind of like a cool kid, relaxed. I feel like the kind of kid that everyone is friends with,” Agape described his character, “but then obviously he develops an affection for Bracia, and kind of balances whether he should keep playing football or join musical theater to be with the person that he likes, and ultimately he chooses love over football.”
In this way, Agape and Bryon are a bit similar. In high school, Agape joined the rugby team to impress a girl, even though he loved musical theater. It didn’t go as well as Bryon’s story. “To be fair, I had no business playing rugby,” he said of his stint as a freshman on the senior team. “It was purely because I was trying to impress a girl, and it lasted about a year.” Lucky for us, Agape quickly abandoned rugby and went on to polish his performance skills in film school. His football is limited to on-screen and recreational games with his friends. “On set it’s fun because no one is going to tackle you or, you know, break your arm—I hope.”
Season 3 was more about breaking hearts than breaking arms. “It’s heavy,” Agape shared. “I remember the show runners saying every character gets broken down to their lowest point, and I think that’s the best way to put it. Every character does get broken eventually. It’s a really heartbreaking season. I think honestly, though, the performances in there are the best yet, and the story, it’s the best season yet.”
Filming a season like this takes a lot of emotional effort, and it paid off. Agape told us that having people to lean on and things do beyond set help him decompress from that heavy work. “To be fair, it’s tough at times to sort shake that sort of stuff off. It’s good to have a good support system and outside of work, so it’s important like sometimes if I’m having a rough day, I’ll call my sister or I’ll call my partner,” he explained. “It’s good to have outlets that don’t involve the work like playing a sport, or sometimes, I go home and play video games, go home and kind of lock in for like an hour and that kind of shakes me out of it, but when you’re actually on set, just be vocal about how you’re feeling…”
Beyond that, the situations that many of the characters are going through are ones that most of us have gone through. “Use my character, for example,” he said. “Most people have been in a situation where they like someone and they’re not sure if they’re getting that back, so I think it’s just drawn from their experience and knowing that once you’re done, ‘Hey it’s not real. We’re playing pretend.'” This relatability and knowing that the situation sends when the scene is over, helps the cast disconnect from the hard scenes and move on.
As a 27-year-old actor who has been telling coming-of-age stories, Agape finds that there are shifting experiences. The stories that are more grounded or set in the 2000s feel like home for him, and he can place himself in those stories, but he finds that new-age stories are harder for him to relate to or find nostalgia in. As he reflected on these stories, he jokes about being an “old man on his rocking chair on the porch.”
“We need more fun movies!” He reminisced about 2000s movies where “nothing really happens” or small conflicts cause chaotic adventures, and hopes to see that kind of entertainment return. Agape believes we need more fun, hopeful content. He includes the rise of reality TV in this because while the stories are over-the-top, “It’s larger than life in a way.”
Agape isn’t immune to larger-than-life moments. When he first joined Ginny & Georgia, Agape was in awe of his castmates and excited as a fan about being behind-the-scenes of the show. Turns out even our favorite actors aren’t immune to that starstruck feeling. He told us another story about working on a film with Nicholas cage and his first introduction to the star. “I got to work with Nicholas Cage, and he’s a legend, obviously. I remember the first day I met him. He came up and was like, ‘Hi, my name is Nick.’ It was like, ‘Duh, obviously I know who you are.’ Like Ginny & Georgia, he was able to build a level of comfort on set that let those fan jitters slip away. Coming back to set for Season 3 felt like a “homecoming.”
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is Agape’s “all-time favorite movie,” and he would love to be part of projects that perfectly blend comedy, action, romance, and other media (like comic books) into great films. “I would love to just do really fun different projects that I think stand the test of time because for me that movie is timeless but also I would love to do stories that matter.” He has worked on a few indie films that tell real-life stories that have impacted communities around him, and he wants to continue to play a role in telling stories that impact people.
Agape’s next stories include a movie and a play. He appears in Lucky Weekend written and directed by Kevin Alves and produced by Alexa Barajas, both of Yellowjackets fame. “It’s a really fun coming-of-age kind of movie and I think we’ll get it in festivals by the end of the year.” He’s also preparing to play Ryan in Jesse McQueen’s Romeo Pimp at The King Black Box in Toronto this fall. He said of his return to theater, “Very full circle but I’m absolutely terrified. Yeah, no, I’m super psyched. I think it’s been seven years since I’ve done a play or musical or anything.”
Season 4 of Ginny & Georgia is also being written now, and Agape has his own hopes for what happens. He wants the best for Ginny and Georgia after Season 3 and some positive growth for all of the characters, but he’s not sure what will happen. He would love to see Bryon’s relationship with Bracia develop, specifically, how he talks about her when she’s not there. Agape says that’s the best way to know how someone really feels. Other than that? Another musical episode of course. “I need that!” You heard him, writers!
For Agape the sky is the limit. His biggest dream? Agape wants to visit another planet. “I just want to visit another planet and hang out with an alien. That’s my wish for the universe and life.” We’ll be following along to see how close he gets.
