‘I Love Playing Adriana’: ‘Finding Her Edge’ Star Madelyn Keys Breaks Down Season 1 Plot and Season 2 Renewal (Exclusive)
The ‘Finding Her Edge’ star chats about booking her first major role and what the success has been like
For Finding Her Edge star Madelyn Keys, landing a leading role on Netflix that drew the attention of millions was a complete surprise. As an actor, you have to be okay with hearing “no” now and then, so when she got the call that the role of Adriana Russo was hers, she was stunned.
“I remember my hands and legs feeling totally numb, like I couldn’t focus on anything,” Keys revealed.
Now, just over a year since becoming the lead in the TV adaptation of Jennifer Iacopelli’s 2022 book, Keys is gearing up for a second season as the figure skating prodigy. Woman’s World had a chance to sit down with Keys to chat about her audition process, the success of Season 1, the quick Season 2 renewal and the love triangle nobody can stop talking about.
Woman’s World: You play Adriana Russo in Finding Her Edge—can you tell our readers a little bit about your character and where she is when the show begins?
Madelyn Keys: Adriana is the middle child in the Russo figure skating dynasty. When we meet her, she has taken a step back from skating after splitting with her former partner, Freddie (Olly Atkins), and she’s really taken to running the rink and trying to save it from sinking into financial distress. Once her sister is no longer able to place for a medal due to an injury, Adriana decides she’s going to save the rink by becoming a champion figure skater.
WW: Of course, Finding Her Edge was originally a book. Had you known of or read the story before auditioning for Adriana?
MK: When I got the initial casting call, we were using a working title; it wasn’t Finding Her Edge. It didn’t mention that anywhere, so I didn’t actually know there was even a book. It was only later in the audition process when I knew that there was more source material that I could pull from. I had read Persuasion [which the book was based on] while in the audition process, but once I got the role, that’s when I found out about the book, and then I busted out my highlighter again.
WW: Did you use the written version of Adriana to inform how you played the character in the show or did you put your own twist on her?
MK: I tried to do a little bit of both. I really think the book Finding Her Edge diverges a lot from Persuasion, and our show diverges a lot from the book. I wanted to try and figure out the areas of similarity that existed in all three [source materials], like her internal dialog and the way she feels about herself, but also the way she feels about the different characters. Those are pieces that I wanted to bring forward. Aside from that, I wanted to make sure that it still felt like I could bring a part of myself to the role. Luckily, there are a lot of areas where Adriana and I are similar.
WW: How did you first learn about this role and what initially drew you to this character, as opposed to say Elise or Riley?
MK: When I got it as a regular audition, it came as an email that I’d been selected to apply for a role. Usually, your agent will submit you for a breakdown and then if they want you to apply, they will say yes, and then you get the official audition. So, I only ever read for Adriana. I didn’t get calls for any other character, and I am glad because, man, do I love playing her. I was thrilled to get to read for a lead role because that wasn’t a thing that always happened for me.
When I had read those initial audition scripts, it was just something that lingered in the back of my mind. I try to forget auditions ever happened after I leave the room because there are a lot of no’s. But this was one that kept sticking around. And I’m very lucky that I was sticking around in someone else’s mind, too.
WW: Given that this was one of your first major leading roles, how were you feeling when you booked this part?
MK: I remember getting that phone call and it was late at night on a Friday, and I knew I wouldn’t be getting a call from my agent late on a Friday if it wasn’t going to be good news. I remember my hands and legs feeling totally numb, like I couldn’t focus on anything. I was thrilled.
Going into this audition process, being someone who hadn’t had an experience like this and was definitely an unknown actor, I knew if I was auditioning for this part, they were auditioning everybody. There were going to be people who were better skaters than I was, people who had more followers than I do, people who have more acting experience than I do. For me, it was about how to make the people who made this decision confident that they made the right one. That was making sure I knew my lines, I had done my prep, and I had good questions to ask. But I was also trying to get as much time on the ice and in the dance studio as I possibly could to learn those newer skills and just show up, treat everybody with respect and have a good time.
WW: Finding Her Edge became an instant hit on Netflix, peaking at #3. What has it been like navigating all of its success?
MK: I don’t think I have fully rationalized what all of this feels like. It’s been so new for me, and I think it’s something that you can mentally prepare for, like I know this is a possibility but it’s a totally different thing to have it happen so quickly. It has felt like so much at times and other times it doesn’t. It’s just that process your brain is going through, trying to make sense of all this attention all at once.
I focus on spending time with my family and friends and the people I knew before all this. And then when it comes to the stuff that feels a little more overwhelming, talking about it with the cast that I love and trust. We’re going through similar things.
WW: Congratulations on the show being renewed for season 2. How were you feeling when you found out about the renewal?
MK: It was the dream to do this in the first place, so the fact that we get to do it again is incredible. I don’t think it’s totally sunk in for me yet. I got a text from our show runner and he said, ‘Do you have five minutes to chat? Nothing bad.’ And I was, like, I know what’s going on here. I was just waiting for them to say the actual words so it would feel real. And then I had to keep it a secret from the rest of the cast for a few days.
WW: Let’s talk about this love triangle. Your character is caught between the new guy, Brayden, and her first love, Freddie. Which character were you rooting for Adriana to end up with?
MK: I knew what was going to happen at the end, so there was no shock for me. I think I was absolutely rooting for each character and elements of their character. They both have wonderful qualities and they both would benefit from having each other’s qualities. I wouldn’t say I had a preference going into. The response from the fans, at least those who are the most vocal on social media, have definitely been in one direction, but when we were shooting the project, among the cast and the crew, it was very much 50/50. It’s been really interesting to see.
I think Brayden (Cale Ambrozic) has some incredible qualities. He was absolutely willing to grow and change for Adriana, but I think if they were to be together right now, there would be an imbalance in their dynamics. Adriana would have to teach Brayden how to be respectful in a relationship and she’d have to deal with his outbursts when that doesn’t work out. I don’t think that would be a healthy relationship. Maybe they have to learn some lessons from other people, and they could be perfect for each other in the future, but I don’t think that it would make them happy right now, even if they think it would.
WW: There are so many different tropes in Finding Her Edge—second chance romance with Freddie, fake dating with Brayden, among others. In general, which trope are you most often drawn to?
MK: I like the forced proximity of all the characters having to live together and those moments during the power outage and in competitions, where everybody is stuck together.
WW: The Russo sisters are all competitive figure skaters, which can certainly lead to some rivalry between them. What did you like the most about portraying that sister relationship?
MK: Aside from the fact that I love Alice [Malakhov] and Alexandra [Beaton] (who play Maria and Elise Russo) as if they were my own sisters, I love that the show is more than just a love triangle. [The sister relationship is] an unexpected element that a lot of people maybe wouldn’t have seen from the trailer. These characters are fully rounded and would be equally as exciting if they didn’t have a love triangle going on in their lives.
I think making those examples of what it means to be a well-rounded human and that your love life doesn’t define you, especially for a lot of young women who watch the show, [was important]. You don’t have to be in those relationships to be worthy and to be whole. There are many different relationships that we have in our lives that are equally as valuable.
WW: What are you most excited about in terms of that relationship with Elise and Maria?
MK: I’ve been saying that I really want Adriana to be a better sister to Maria than she was in the first season. There was no direct conflict between the two of them, but Adriana was always going to Maria for advice and emotional support, and she was never reciprocating that. I want her to be a better sister to Maria than Elise has been to her.
Selfishly, I love fighting with Alexandra as an actor. I think that is really fun. I need Elise and Adriana to butt heads on something at some point. But I also want them to figure out a healthier style of communication and how to cheer for each other. Now, they’ve switched roles in their family in terms of who is the responsible one and who is in the spotlight, so I hope they can figure that out and have some time where they’re getting along.
WW: The end of the season leaves room for what might happen in year two, introducing new partnerships between Brayden and Riley and Freddie and Adriana. Do you think these new pairings will cause tension between the friends, as well as Adriana and Brayden?
MK: Man, I’d be disappointed if it didn’t. Adriana has taken Riley (Millie Davis) for granted all during the first season. She has not put in any effort even though Riley has been there for her multiple times. I am glad that she is putting more of those people-pleasing tendencies behind her and is going to hold Adriana accountable.
Do I think seeing Riley and Brayden together will make Adriana feel a little jealous? Absolutely, yes, even though she may be doing her very best to hide that or will those feelings away.
WW: It takes a lot of skill to be a figure skater like Adriana is. What was it like to prepare for that aspect of the role?
MK: I like to say that I had a general Canadian skating ability. I learned how to skate in gym class and would skate outside with my friends a lot, but that is not the same as being a champion ice dancer. That really came down to getting as much time on the ice as I could and starting dance lessons for the first time in my life, and getting as much training as I could from our coaches. As well as talking to our amazing skating doubles about how they do what they do. It’s something that I’m so excited to continue doing.
WW: Do you have a favorite memory from your time spent with the cast?
MK: My favorites are everybody sitting together at lunch and talking about our lives outside of our roles. It’s so nice when you get to know somebody and you start recognizing their best friends, you develop inside jokes with the cast and you have favorite songs that we play when we’re in hair and makeup. Everyone was so excited to be a part of this project and really proud of it, so getting to spend the mundane moments together was always a treat.
WW: What are you looking forward to the most for Season 2?
Madelyn Keys: I truly have no idea what’s going to happen next. They have not told me and that is not a secret, but I am very excited to see what happens with the rink after it was sold to Voltage [the rival organization]. That probably means a whole new set of skaters that become part of the dynamic and new coaches. Maybe there’s a butting of heads with different training styles. Set aside the romantic plots, I think the whole skating world is going to be changed and challenged.
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