Kaitlin Olson has been crafting her comedic chops on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” for 20 years now, but she’s flexing a slightly more dramatic muscle in “High Potential” — to the benefit of her young co-stars.
Ahead of Tuesday night’s Season 2 premiere, Amirah J and Matthew Lamb praised their on-screen mother to TheWrap, both referring to the actress as “a masterclass” in separate interviews.
“Kaitlin is a powerhouse, she’s fantastic. It’s a masterclass watching her work and she makes everybody feel so welcome. She will always go up to the day players or a background character and introduce herself,” Lamb shared at ABC’s Summer Soirée on Sept. 5, while Amirah echoed: “Kaitlin is incredible, I’ve learned so much from her over the last two, three years. She’s very motherly and nurturing, on and off screen, so I always feel super comfortable any time I get to work with her, and she’s definitely the person I work with the most. A masterclass.”
Amirah and Lamb play the elder children of Olson’s Morgan, Ava and Elliot, respectively — only the latter of whom has seemingly inherited their mom’s high IQ. Season 2 picks up shortly after the events of the first season finale, which saw Ava’s missing father Roman somewhat come back into the picture.
“We pick up where we left off, Episode 1 occurs a week after the Season 1 finale. My character definitely goes through a bit of a rollercoaster with figuring out more about her father and his disappearance, and how that has shaped her,” Amirah teased. “It affects her relationship with her mom, too, which is very interesting to see play out.”
“You see more of us this time, and obviously there’s more episodes so you just get more. It’s so much fun, Amirah’s the best big set sister ever,” Lamb added. “You see more of us this time, and obviously there’s more episodes so you just get more. It’s so much fun, Amirah’s the best big set sister ever.”
So in addition to starring alongside comedy royalty, what’s it like for the young actors to be part of a show that proved to be a ratings hit for the network right from the get-go?
“When you see the numbers, you can’t really internalize how many people that is watching your show,” Lamb said. “But when you go look at all of the different fans loving ‘High Potential’ online, it really means a lot.”
“I tried to keep my school life and work life separate, but my friends and my friends’ families would watch and support – but actually enjoy it and want to know what’s going on, too,” Amirah shared. “A few episodes into the season when we started breaking records for ABC, that was crazy to see. I’m so grateful for it.”
“High Potential” airs Tuesdays on ABC before streaming on Hulu.
