Dec 29, 2022 at 6:35 pm

Firefly Lane's Ben Lawson Breaks Down the Biggest Season 2 Moments & Talks New Year's Eve Plans (Exclusive Interview)

Ben Lawson stars in the hit Netflix series Firefly Lane as Johnny Ryan and we caught up with him to learn his thoughts on season two’s biggest moments.

The first nine episodes of season two are streaming now on Netflix and the remaining episodes will debut in June 2023.

If you haven’t watched all nine episodes, don’t continue reading as there are plenty of spoilers in this interview. We asked Ben about Johnny dealing with PTSD from the explosion in Iraq (as well as his real-life battle with PTSD), the awkward moments he shares with Kate’s parents, if Tully should be forgiven for the accident with Mara, and his thoughts on Johnny’s different hairstyles.

We also learned about Ben‘s holiday plans, including what he plans on doing for New Year’s Eve.

Click inside to read the full interview…

Read the full interview below!

JUST JARED: We saw Johnny dealing with PTSD from the explosion in Iraq, which led to some violent moments. What kind of research did you do to understand what Johnny might have been going through and to get yourself into that mindset?

BEN LAWSON: I actually have complex PTSD (or C-PTSD). Johnny has Primary PTSD. The two are different but often share symptoms: anxiety, depression, inability to regulate emotions, self-loathing, relationship issues, the list goes on. So while I’ve never served on the battlefield, I do know what it’s like to live in a state of dull panic. There is also a wonderful book on trauma called The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk. I highly recommend it to anyone who thinks they may be dealing with PTSD and wants to understand themselves better.

To be honest, I hesitated to share this thing about myself, but I really believe PTSD is much more common than we realize. By not mentioning it, I would have perpetuated the stigma of shame around it, and there is nothing shameful about trauma. I think we’re due for a conversation about it, especially for us men who (spoiler) are unable to process emotions. We see this in Johnny as he goes from “There’s nothing wrong” to “There’s something wrong but I can deal with it” to “There’s something wrong and I need help.” Johnny makes this journey in just three episodes; suffice it to say it took me much longer.

JJ: In Johnny’s 1980s timeline this season, we saw him having awkward moments while meeting Kate’s parents and trying to win them over. Have you ever had any similar moments in real-life with a significant other?

BL: I learned very early on the importance of being a parent-charmer, so not really. That being said, there was a time around the age of 19 when I thought I could be a stand-up. I was young and didn’t know anything yet, so pretty much my whole set was about having sex with my girlfriend. I’d registered for Australia’s Raw Comedy Competition, and my girlfriend wanted to come and support me, which seemed fine. I figured we’d laugh about it afterward. She showed up with her entire family, also there to support me because: parent-charmer. I didn’t know what to do, and it’s not like I had other material to fall back on. So I got up there and made jokes for 5 minutes about having sex with their daughter. I did not make it to the next round of the competition and pretty quickly started focusing on acting, the performance art where you say SOMEONE ELSE’S words. (nb. incredibly, this is not the trauma from question 1)

JJ: Do you think Kate and Johnny should forgive Tully for the accident with Mara?

BL: Yes, I do. Tully has crazy boundary issues and should never have let a grounded Marah out of the house, but when it comes to saving her, she is in an impossible situation.

JJ: In the final moments of episode nine, we learn that Kate has an aggressive form of breast cancer. Why do you think she immediately went to Tully’s apartment instead of going straight to Johnny?

BL: I think because Tully has always been that person for Kate since they were kids. The first call for every high and every low. And I think that devastating news made her realize just how much she misses Tully.

JJ: Johnny’s hair is one of the main ways his look is differentiated between decades. Which hairstyle was your favorite to wear?

BL: I personally like the 90s hair the best. I always wanted that haircut growing up in the 90s, but it wasn’t in the repertoire of the shopping-center barber my mum took me to. I brought photos of 90s Michael J Fox and Hugh Grant to our head of hair, Sarah Koppes, and said, “Let’s do something like that.” She made a very uncool teenager’s dreams come true.

JJ: Have you ever had a friendship like the one Tully and Kate experience in the series?

BL: Tully and Kate’s friendship is a little too suffocating for me personally. I prefer to spend a lot of time by myself, but I have four brothers, so there’s always someone to talk to.

JJ: There are lots of shirtless moments for Johnny throughout the season. What do you do to prepare for those scenes?

BL: Diet and exercise. As the season goes on and Ben has less time to work out and eat well, you’ll notice that Johnny becomes inexplicably more body modest.

JJ: It’s been a while since you finished filming all episodes of season two. How hard has it been to avoid giving away spoilers for both halves of the season? Do you worry about slipping before June 2023?

BL: I had to watch the first 9 episodes of season 2 to remember what actually happens but now that I’m on top of it, no, I will not slip up no matter what you ask.

JJ: That being said, what can you tease about the remaining episodes?

BL: The butler did it. Dammit! You’re good, forget I said that.

JJ: Your Instagram bio is simply, “Former Family Feud contestant.” Were you actually on the show? Tell us more about that experience if so!

BL: I absolutely was on that show. When I was about 15, I was flipping through some magazine, and there was half a page with the mailing addresses of different game shows in Australia. Family Feud was the only one that shot in my hometown, so I sent off an application. When I got a response, I had to go to my parents and convince them to be on it too. We were up against a family who had been dominating for a record 3 weeks or something, and we actually beat them. It was such a rush. Then we lost our very next game, and the dream was over, the perfect introduction to the fickle business of entertainment. My mother still has the tape somewhere.

JJ: Do you have any exciting plans for the holidays? What do you usually enjoy doing on New Year’s Eve?

BL: I’ll see my family for the holidays and spend New Year’s Eve with friends. Last New Year’s Eve, I went to the Mexican place on the corner, got covid, and spent the first week of the new year in bed. This year I’m just aiming for a better start to the year than that.

JJ: If you can only receive one gift this year, what are you hoping to get?

BL: SURPRISE ME, JUST JARED!

JJ: What have you been binge watching these days in your free time?

BL: I’m late to it, but I just got done bingeing “Love on the Spectrum.” It’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. And it was created by an Aussie, which makes me very proud!