Exclusive Interview
Inside the Heated ‘Finding Her Edge’ Love Triangle With the Show’s Stars
What To Know
- Finding Her Edge follows Adriana Russo, who becomes entangled in a love triangle with her former partner, Freddie, and new partner, Brayden.
- Series stars Madelyn Keys, Olly Atkins, and Cale Ambrozic reveal to Swooon what the romantic struggle brings out in their characters.
- The cast breaks down why ice sports are so popular in romance right now.
[Warning: The following contains spoilers for Finding Her Edge Season 1.]
From Heated Rivalry to Finding Her Edge, who knew ice sports could be so hot? (Okay, we knew.)
On January 22, Netflix debuted its new series Finding Her Edge, which follows Adriana Russo (Madelyn Keys), one of three heirs to her family’s ice skating legacy. Forced to return to the ice to save their family’s rink after her award-winning sister, Elise (Alexandra Beaton), is injured, Adriana teams up with Brayden (Cale Ambrozic), much to the dismay of her former partner and first love, Freddie (Olly Atkins).
Following the release of Finding Her Edge, series leads Madelyn Keys, Cale Ambrozic, and Olly Atkins sat down with Swooon to discuss how their character changed throughout Season 1’s heated love triangle and why they believe ice sports are at the epicenter of romantic stories right now.
“The ice is a special place,” Canadian-born Ambrozic explained. With Heated Rivalry ushering in the new year, Finding Her Edge capturing our hearts today, and Off Campus coming soon, we’re seeing a clear trend.
Netflix
“I’m going to steal this answer from Jennifer Iacopelli, the woman who wrote the book our show is based on,” Keys told Swooon. “Romances are especially poignant in sports and in athlete stories because typically these are people who have sacrificed so much in their lives to do one specific thing, and then someone comes along and changes everything for them.”
For Adriana, this was Freddie, who served as her partner from a young age. However, after Adriana’s mother died, she ended her partnership with Freddie, who she did not see again until he returned to the rink years later with his new partner, Riley (Millie Davis).
At the same time, Adriana finally returns to the ice to win over Brayden, who is favored to win Worlds with a new partner by his side. Once they team up, Adriana and Brayden decide to pretend that they’re dating off the ice to win better sponsorships for Russo Rink.
“For a long time, Freddie doesn’t really want to admit that he’s still super in love with Adriana, but he definitely is,” Atkins revealed to Swooon. “I think it’s a struggle to see her and Brayden together.” While Freddie wants to “respect the time and space that came between them,” there’s definitely some real feelings there.
Netflix
While seeing Freddie return brings back real feelings for Adriana, fake dating her new partner without falling for him proves to be an even bigger challenge. Keys shared with Swooon, “[Brayden and Adriana’s] relationship becomes more than fake dating when they start to be real with their feelings,” and go beyond the “surface level.”
Ambrozic revealed that, for Brayden, their relationship took a turn when he realized he could open up to Adriana without receiving judgment in return. He explained, “I don’t think he’s ever really done that before.”
While we won’t reveal who Adriana ends up with at the end of the season just yet — check back for our interview with the cast about the finale and their Season 2 hopes — the cast was able to reveal what finding themselves in a classic YA love triangle brought out in their characters.
Netflix
At the heart of the love triangle is Adriana, who Keys revealed “has thought that there is one right way to act.” Caught between two guys, both of whom she really likes, Adriana “has to come to terms with the fact that there is no right answer.”
Ambrozic added, “For Brayden, there’s a little bit of a sense of jealousy. I don’t think he’s ever felt jealousy before.” For the first time, he isn’t getting everything he thinks he deserves.
According to Atkins, Freddie “really feels responsible for people and their happiness,” which gets tested throughout the season. “But Freddie’s got to come to terms with the fact that he really has to act on his feelings.”
Find out the Finding Her Edge cast’s favorite love triangles, how much skating experience they had prior to filming, and more in Swooon‘s full interview above.
Finding Her Edge, Season 1, Streaming Now, Netflix
