In Ginny & Georgia’s most emotionally raw season yet, Marcus Baker is unraveling—and so is everyone around him. Actor Felix Mallard opens up to L’OFFICIEL about portraying a teen in crisis, showing young men the strength in vulnerability, and the strange gift of reliving your adolescence on camera.
Embracing the breakdown
When Felix Mallard found out that Marcus Baker—his brooding, introspective character in Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia—would spiral even deeper into depression in season 3, he didn’t flinch. “As an actor, that’s exactly what you want,” he says. “To play the highs and the lows. I’m lucky with Marcus—we go to some really dark places.”
The new season picks up in the wake of Georgia’s shocking arrest at her wedding, but it’s not just the Miller family that’s suffering. Marcus is spiraling: reeling from his breakup with Ginny, flunking school, drinking to numb himself, and isolating from everyone who cares about him. “He’s not doing well,” Mallard says plainly. “He’s throwing up all these coping mechanisms and masks. But eventually, the truth always catches up.”
It’s a heavy arc—but for Mallard, 27, the chance to explore Marcus’s internal collapse felt more like an opportunity than a burden. “The whole season asks: What happens when the things you use to survive don’t work anymore?” he says. “That was really compelling to me.”
Portraying pain with purpose
Season 3 of Ginny & Georgia dives headfirst into themes of addiction, mental illness, and generational trauma. For Mallard, portraying Marcus’s depression and substance abuse wasn’t just about acting—it was about honoring real experiences. “You have to approach it with love, care, and a whole lot of respect,” he explains. “There are people out there watching who have lived this. It’s not something to take lightly.”
Marcus’s spiral is subtle but gut-wrenching: the way he slurs his words at dinner, his hollow gaze, the way he lashes out at his sister, Max, when she confronts him about drinking. “He’s lonely. He’s scared. He’s hurting,” Mallard says. “And when you’re in that place, it’s really hard to see how your pain affects everyone else.”
The emotional toll wasn’t just on screen. “When you’re crying in a scene for six hours, your body doesn’t know it’s fake,” Mallard admits. “You have to remind yourself to come back—to separate from the character. But honestly, being able to dive that deep is a privilege.”
Redefining masculinity on screen
Teenage boys don’t often get to be vulnerable on screen—but Marcus is different. “We don’t see enough male characters who are in touch with their emotions,” Mallard says. “So for me, it was important to show that. To say, it’s okay to feel this deeply.”
He hopes that Marcus’s journey speaks especially to young men. “Maybe they see themselves in Marcus. Or maybe they understand a friend better. Either way, it’s about showing that this pain is real, and that there’s a way through it. But also—when you’re self-destructing, you’re not just hurting yourself. You’re hurting the people who love you.”
One of the most heartbreaking dynamics this season is between Marcus and his twin sister, Max (Sara Waisglass), whose attempts to help him are met with resentment. “Max tells their parents about his drinking, and Marcus feels betrayed,” Mallard says. “But she’s doing it out of love. She’s saying, ‘I’d rather you hate me than lose you.’ That’s incredibly powerful—and complicated.”
High school, again—at 27
Playing a teenager when you’re nearly 30 has its quirks. “It’s objectively weird,” Mallard laughs. “You’re in a literal high school, wearing a backpack. But high school is also where your emotions are at a ten all the time. It’s life or death every day. As an actor, that’s gold.”
While Mallard’s own teenage years in Melbourne didn’t mirror the American high school chaos of Ginny & Georgia, the experience of filming helped him reconnect with that emotional intensity. “That coming-of-age feeling? It’s universal,” he says. “It’s the first time you really start to see yourself—who you are, who you want to be.”
And at the end of each emotionally draining day, Mallard has his rituals. “I go home, take the makeup off, stop talking in an American accent, and just scroll for two hours,” he says with a grin. “That helps remind me—it’s just a job. We’re just playing dress-up.”
Life beyond Wellsbury
When he’s not portraying one of TV’s most emotionally complex teens, Mallard channels his creativity into other outlets—namely music. His band, Enemies Alike, gives him space to explore himself in a way that’s distinct from acting. “Music is a meditation,” he says. “It’s me processing my own emotions. Acting is using those emotions to tell someone else’s story.”
He’s also become more attuned to fashion since moving to L.A., where the sun demands a different wardrobe than back home in Australia. “You can’t wear jackets here!” he jokes. “I’ve definitely fallen into the baggy pants and ‘90s revival. But fashion is storytelling too. In photo shoots, it feels like another character I get to inhabit. I love that.” As for fame, Mallard is trying to stay grounded. “It’s weird to perceive yourself in the third person,” he says. “People come up to me now—it’s part of life. But you have to protect your peace.”
What’s next for Marcus?
With Ginny & Georgia renewed for a fourth season, Mallard has high hopes for his character—but also a dose of realism. “Of course I want Marcus to go to therapy and heal and learn how to love in a healthy way,” he says. “But if everyone in Wellsbury fixed their problems, we wouldn’t have a show.”
Still, he wants viewers to see that healing is possible, even if the road is long and messy. “He’s got to learn to feel his emotions when they come—not when they explode,” Mallard says. “If that leads him back to Ginny, great. But more than that, I want him to find peace with himself.” Until then? “We’ll keep watching them all self-sabotage,” he says with a smirk. “Why not?”
Photography: Sela Shiloni
Styled by: Monty Jackson
