‘Finding Her Edge’s Love Triangle Stars Break Down Adriana’s Choice and How Things Could Get Messier in Season 2

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Published 31 minutes ago

[Editor's note: The following contains major spoilers for Finding Her Edge.]

Summary

In the Netflix series 'Finding Her Edge,' figure skating duo Adriana and Brayden fake a romance to land a sponsorship, sparking a messy love triangle with Adriana's former partner, Freddie.
The cast endured intense shoots, learning skating, dancing and long hours to make their performances feel real.
The finale saw Adriana make a choice that had consequences for everyone, leading to more drama in a possible Season 2.

The Netflix series Finding Her Edge, based on the book by Jennifer Iacopelli, follows 17-year-old Adriana (Madelyn Keys), the middle sister of the famous Russo figure skating family, as she trains for the World Championships with her new partner Brayden (Cale Ambrozic) and alongside her first love and former partner Freddie (Olly Atkins). With so much attention focused on Adriana and Brayden, the pair decide to play up their chemistry and pretend to be a couple to help land a sponsorship that could cure Russo Rink’s financial trouble. But when real feelings come into the mix and an old flame is rekindled, Adriana makes a choice that changes things personally and professionally.

During this interview with Collider, co-stars Keys, Ambrozic and Atkins discussed the biggest challenges of making Finding Her Edge, exploring the levels of confidence in Adriana and Brayden’s new partnership, finding the dynamic between Freddie and Riley (Millie Davis), that moment between Adriana and Freddie at the carousel, how they all felt about Adriana’s choice, how genuinely surprised Adriana is by Brayden’s reaction, and that there will just be more drama if they get to do a Season 2.

The Cast of ‘Finding Her Edge’ Faced a Variety of Challenges While Making the Netflix Series

"Learning to skate was certainly a pretty big challenge."

Collider: This is such a fun show, but it also seems like it would be a lot, that it would be intense, and that there would be a lot of pressure to pull a lot of things off. What was the hardest thing that each of you had to do that really felt personally challenging?

MADELYN KEYS: I would say for me, and I think this is typical for a lot of actors working on big shows like this, your sleep schedule is not the way it should be. I think working long hours and going from a night shift to a day shoot, I was trying to figure out how to regulate that off time to make sure you rested, you knew your lines, and you were ready for the next day.

OLLY ATKINS: For me, I can’t speak for the others, but learning to skate was certainly a pretty big challenge. It’s not like you’re just learning to get around on the ice. You’re really trying to live up, not that you ever will, to the expectations of a professional environment. That was certainly a learning curve.

CALE AMBROZIC: Acting, for me. No, it was probably the dancing. I don’t come from a dance background at all. I do come from a skating background with hockey. So, the dancing was extremely challenging to me. As soon as I start dancing, I’m the most uncoordinated person on planet Earth. That was probably the most challenging.

I’m impressed with anybody that can pull off any level of skating that hasn’t done it from birth. I’ve been a dancer since I was four, and I stupidly went to a friend’s birthday party thinking, “I’m a dancer, I can get on ice skates. It doesn’t matter that I’ve never done it. I have dance ability.” And I literally could not even take a step without falling. So, anyone that can pull it off is very impressive.

AMBROZIC: Yeah.

Between the drama of the competition, the drama of the relationships, there’s so much drama on this show that. What did each of you most enjoy? What did you have the most fun with, as far as what your characters got to explore this season?

KEYS: The answer for all of us, I’m sure, has been the people. Among the cast and crew, we were really blessed with some incredibly talented people and also incredibly kind people. But in terms of my individual character, I have to say, I’m not much of a girly girl, but I was, as a child. I really loved being able to dress up like a princess. So, getting to wear the sequins and the tiara, I loved it. That was probably one of my favorites, alongside getting to watch and do part of the princess skate itself. My skating double, Nadiia [Bashynska], did a wonderful job with her portions of that and I think it was just beautiful.

ATKINS: It’s hard to pick one moment. I am a bit of an actor’s actor, so I enjoyed torturing Freddie a bit, living in all these really, sad, difficult, challenging moments where he wants to say so much, but he can’t. There were so many fun opportunities for performance across the board that we all had a really good time with that too. For me, that was a big one.

AMBROZIC: Just getting to work with everyone was such a joy. This is the first lead that I’ve been in something and it’s nice to not just act with one person for one scene in one episode. You get to really make memories with every character and every actor, and I really, really enjoyed that. I’m going to cherish that for a long time, for sure.

Madelyn Keys and Cale Ambrozic in 'Finding Her Edge'.

In order to compete at the elite level of anything, you have to at least be a little bit cocky because you have to believe that you can win. There’s something interesting about Adriana and Brayden, particularly because she is the one that has to start with lower confidence that she builds up over the episodes while he has all the confidence and then starts to doubt himself. What was it like for you guys to play with that and to find that, as your characters grew?

AMBROZIC: I like what you said. Yeah, you need some sort of confidence, and Brayden took that and just ran with it. He was like, “Oh, you need a little bit of confidence? What about a stupid amount of confidence?” But no, it was really fun to have that switch, for sure. You have to find the moments in the script, and you’ve got to really play those moments well to show that he’s changing and he’s different and now he’s a little shy. He’s starting to feel these emotions. And so, finding those scenes to really sink your teeth into was a lot of fun.

KEYS: Absolutely. And I think for Adriana, she comes into this faking confidence. She truly says to Brayden, “You have to skate with me. I won’t go away until you do. I’m going to figure everything out.” Does she believe herself, in that moment? Absolutely not. But she is doing what she has seen, which has been from her older sister, Elise, which is just this really projected confidence, very similar to Brayden. As the season goes on, she develops more confidence, not only in her skating abilities, but also just in her character itself.

For much of the season, we see Freddie and Riley skating together, working together, and trying to figure their relationship out. How was it to explore and find that dynamic? What did you most enjoy about that relationship?

ATKINS: There’s a lot of really cool things going into that. Of course, that relationship is just as layered as any of the others in the show. Working with Millie [Davis] was incredible. The interesting thing about Riley and Freddie’s relationship is that they share a lot of common ground, in terms of their respect for each other as competitors. They’ve spent a lot of time together at this point, living together and training together. But there is that one-sided relationship as well, where Riley is really into Freddie in a romantic way that Freddie doesn’t reciprocate. And I think Freddie sticks his head under the sand a little bit about it. There were just so many layers to it. It was so cool to explore that with Millie.

AMBROZIC: I think their relationship, low-key, is more layered than ours. It’s crazy. They’ve got more drama than we do. It was cool to watch it and see that. Because you’re not a part of those scenes, seeing that relationship was really cool.

To get into spoilers, in the finale, there’s a moment when Adriana finds Freddie at a carousel in the middle of the street, and who has a moment like that, except in a TV show. What was it like to share a moment like that, that really reminds these characters of their past, but also has them moving forward into their present? It’s magical to have a setting like that.

ATKINS: It is magical. The cool part about it is that it’s magical in the story and it’s also magical in real life. We were shooting this incredible scene in this beautiful scene in the pouring rain, on this beautifully lit carousel.

KEYS: It was the last scene of the whole shoot too. And we were racing against the clock because the building behind us was going to turn off their lights. We had one take for each of us, or whatever it was. I think that added to the magic of it. For both of us, we’d been through so much as characters together, but also shooting this whole show together. It was a really nice way to finish the whole thing.

Madelyn Keys, Cale Ambrozic and Olly Atkins All Have Feelings About Their ‘Finding Her Edge’ Love Triangle

"I am Team Freddie, but I'm Team Brayden too."

Madelyn Keys as Adriana sitting on a bench next to Olly Atkins as Freddie in Finding Her Edge

When you guys found out about the love triangle and then you learned how it would play out, were any of you surprised by Adriana’s choice? Whether you found out from reading the book or from reading the scripts, what was your reaction to everything that happened?

AMBROZIC: Oh, it was justified. Totally justified. I was reading it like, “How is Brayden even in this conversation right now?”

ATKINS: Okay, I do not feel that way. Obviously, I am Team Freddie, but I’m Team Brayden too. He put so much work into trying to make this relationship work, competitively and romantically. And then, to see it fall through his fingers at the end of the show, it really broke my heart a little bit, as much as I was rooting for Freddie. There’s a lot to it.

AMBROZIC: Maybe I’m just a sucker for the nice guy who’s the underdog.

KEYS: Adriana has to teach Brayden how to be an emotional human and how to access that part of himself.

AMBROZIC: Like a dog. Just kidding.

KEYS: Okay. And I feel that, even though Brayden works really hard at it, there’s still going to be that inequity. Is there a possibility for them in the future? I don’t know. Maybe. But at this point, ending it here, I want Adriana to be with somebody who can be at her level and can teach her things as well, and I think Freddie can.

They also don’t know that Brayden saw them together when they are at that carousel. What do you think that moment was like for Brayden? Do you think it was actually more important for him to see them together himself, without having to hear the way she explained that?

AMBROZIC: Yeah. When I was told that was happening, I was like, “Oh, that’s going to be really sad,” and you can see when he does see that. I do think it was important for him to see that, especially leading up to that conversation when they’re watching Maria and Charlie dance, not showing that he’s super upset at the start, but then he can’t keep that up anymore and he just breaks down and he’s pleading. I think it definitely goes back to his parents a little bit. He’s been chucked to the side by his parents and now it’s happening again, so he’s trying like hell to stop that from happening. So, I do think it was very important for him to see, especially going into that. Imagine not knowing that the girl that you are in love with is kissing her ex-boyfriend on the super nice, amazing carousel in the rain in Paris. That would suck. You guys couldn’t have picked a worse spot. He stabbed the knife and really twisted it.

In the moment when Adriana and Brayden learn that they’ve won Worlds, Adriana goes to hug him and he tells her no, and I just thought there was so much happening in that moment. Do you think that she really thought that she could just brush his feelings aside and that he wouldn’t be pissed about everything that happened? How did you figure that moment out?

AMBROZIC: Yeah, that’s a really interesting one. For Brayden, it was just like, “I can’t believe this girl’s actually trying to hug me right now.” That’s just how I thought.

KEYS: I think Brayden has always been someone who is very interested in his image. That’s one of the reasons that he starts skating with Adriana in the first place. I think Adriana feels, even if he is so mad at her, he’s not going to do anything when the cameras are rolling. But he does and I think that stings. I think that is a pivotal change in his character because, even at the sponsorship gala, Brayden is talking to Elise and he says, “When two people are too passionate and things get too hot, you take a break, you cool down, and now we’re good again.” I think that’s what she was expecting. She was like, “We got the thing that we wanted. Isn’t this the thing that you wanted?” I think she doesn’t realize how important she is to him.

AMBROZIC: Very well said.

How do you feel about his decision to leave and not skate in the closing gala? I thought that was also another really interesting decision, even with the conversation that Brayden and Freddie have before that.

AMBROZIC: It was fun. That was the end of the day. It was 3 or 4 in the morning at that point, so we were already tired, and I think it actually played off nicely. As he’s walking away, [Freddie is like], “Where are you going? You’re supposed to be skating with Adriana.” And you see Brayden stop and his face drops, but then he turns around and he has that facade again. He’s like, “You know what, man? I got her gold. I promised her gold.” And he’s out. But that’s not how he’s feeling at all. He’s feeling hurt.

ATKINS: That was a really fun scene. For Freddie, in that scene, at that point, he has a decent amount of respect for Brayden, as a competitor and as a man as well. Half of him wants to just grab Brayden and go, “What are you doing? Come on, man. This is your opportunity to step up and to be here right now.” He doesn’t take it. There’s a lot going on that I think Freddie understands about Brayden, with his relationship to his competitiveness and his family history and everything. It’s this moment where nothing gets said between the two of us, and we both have a lot to say to each other.

AMBROZIC: Yeah, I agree. I don’t want people to misconstrue it because Brayden is not mad at Freddie for what he did. He understands. He gets why [Freddie] loves her because he loves her. He’s mad at her, so he’s trying to hurt her, not [Freddie]. I really like that scene. There’s a million words said in three sentences.

Madelyn Keys Was Moved by the ‘Finding Her Edge’ Moment When Adriana Was Joined by Her Sisters on the Ice

"That hit me in my heartstrings."

Madelyn Keys as Adriana on the ice in costume with Alexandra Beaton and Alice Malakhov in Finding Her Edge

How did you also feel about that moment when Adriana goes out on the ice alone and then has her sisters join her? I thought that was actually the best way to handle that moment.

KEYS: We didn’t get all the episodes right away, even when we started filming. They came later, but we knew generally what was going to happen. And so, I remember hearing from the writers that that was the way that they were going to have Adriana end her skating journey, and oh, man, did that hit me in my heartstrings. Adriana, in that moment, is feeling the most alone than she probably has, ever in her life, especially with her mom’s wings on and with her mom’s song playing in front of what is her entire world. And I think seeing her two sisters show up for her in ways that she had never asked for, this is someone who does not ask for help. She just expects that she can handle everything by herself, and she realizes that the people around her can see through that and choose to be there for her, even when being on the ice is not a thing that either of them want to do at that moment in time. They push past that for her, and I think it’s really special.

Maybe I’m just cynical, but it seems a little bit like Adriana and Freddie skating together again could be a disaster, especially when they’ve just restarted their romance. How do you guys think that is going to work out for them? Do you think that they’re just meant to be together, so it will work out? How do you feel about their next steps?

ATKINS: With the tone of this show, there will probably be some drama involved, I’m sure.

KEYS: I would say that any good ideas I have are going directly to the writers. If I say them here, they won’t happen, so I can’t really pass that along. I think there has to be some ups and down in order for them to learn some more lessons, which I think all of these characters have to do.

It seems like throwing that competitive aspect into a relationship where they have history but it's new again is more than most people probably should be taking on.

ATKINS: And there’s the whole rose-colored glasses thing too. Yeah, there is love between Freddie and Adriana, but also, there’s been a lot of time. They’re two different people and two different competitors now. Who’s to say exactly what’s going to happen?

KEYS: Well, I’m excited. I hope that gets to happen.

Cale Ambrozic Thinks Brayden Could Be Out for Revenge in Season 2 of ‘Finding Her Edge’

"I think he knows what he's doing."

Cale Ambrozic as Brayden rehearsing on the ice with Madelyn Keys as Adriana in Finding Her Edge

I actually really liked that, at the end of this, Brayden and Riley are paired together. I think that they are both characters who deserve some sort of happy ending, whatever that is. How do you feel about that? What do you think would be most interesting about getting to see their pairing, especially working together?

KEYS: Truthfully, Adriana is not a very good friend to Riley through a lot of this show. I think that she expects that Riley is just going to be there and that she’s going to be consistent and kind and people-pleasing. And I’m really excited that, at least in that last scene, Riley doesn’t even say anything, but you can see it in her eyes. There is some tension between her and Adriana too. I think that is good, and that is what she deserves, as a character. I hope that Adriana gets to learn a couple more lessons about how to be in a friendship. Will that be messy with also her feelings with Brayden? Absolutely. I can’t wait to see what that would look like.

AMBROZIC: I think it’s going to be fun. I think it’s going to be really fun. I don’t know. That relationship is going to be built on pure revenge for Brayden, in my opinion. I think he knows what he’s doing. That’s going to be really fun to play that.

That feels like the fun kind of drama that I’m totally here for.

AMBROZIC: Yeah, that’s going to be interesting.