MOM: Sadie Calvano Reflects on the Emotional Finale, Season 1, and What’s to Come

MOM ended its first season last week on an emotional note as Violet gave birth to her child — and stuck to her plan to give the baby up for adoption.

I spoke with MOM star Sadie Calvano (Violet) about filming the emotionally challenging finale scenes, what she’s looking forward to next season, and more…

When you read the script, did you know for sure that Violet was going to give up her child? Or when Violet had a temporary change of heart about the adoption, were you thinking, “Oh my God, I’m going to have an on-screen child next season?”
Sadie Calvano: Oh, absolutely, I had that moment. I don’t know what’s going on in the show until about two days until we start rehearsal for that episode. So as I was reading that script, it was such a roller coaster of emotion for me, because my mind was going a million miles an hour. I had been waiting so long to know what they were going to do with this baby.

And I was [ultimately] like, oh thank goodness, because shooting with a baby on set is really, really difficult. They have all sorts of crazy laws and restrictions, and they can only be shooting for like 20 minutes. So when we did have a baby on our set for the season finale, we had two babies, and we were going back and forth, and figuring out what to do, and they were so little, you had to make sure it wasn’t crying. It was a big ordeal. It was wonderful and they were so sweet, but it’s a big ordeal. So I was very curious to see how we were going to handle this, because it was inevitable that nine months pregnant, the baby is coming out one way or the other.

It’s a very scary, vulnerable thing. And throughout the season, you haven’t seen too many moments of Violet being so emotionally raw and vulnerable. And I think that really brings out a side of Violet you don’t normally see.

How was it shooting the goodbye scene?
SC: It was rough. Thank God we have that beautiful baby, because just looking at her was wild in itself. But I had some amazing women by my side [with costars Anna Faris (Christy) and Allison Janney (Bonnie)], and some brilliant writers. But that scene is hard, no matter how you look at it. Just even thinking about it right now is unbelievable. It’s such an unbelievably difficult thing to do. And to think that people seriously go through this all the time every day.

Do you know where Violet will be when season 2 starts?
SC: Currently, I’m in the dark. I have no idea what they have planned. But I’m so excited, and our writers are so good at what they do, that I’m so blessed to be along for the ride. We have such a fun show to work on, I can’t wait to see what we bring next season.

In some ways, it’s a fresh start for you on the show…
SC: I get to be skinny! I don’t have to wear that pad anymore! [Laughs] Goodbye Pea in the Pod [clothes]!

If you had your way, would you rather see Violet immediately start to rebuild her life or would you rather explore the emotional toll it can take on a person to give up a child?
SC: I think struggle is really fun to play. I think the more distress and craziness that is going on with these people’s lives, the more we get to dig our teeth in to. But I have a feeling there is going to be a lot going on.

Looking back at the show’s first season, what was your favorite part of filming season 1?
SC: I just had so many moments I’ve fallen in love with our show. We started our first table read for our pilot on my birthday. And so that was quite the birthday gift, and that was one I will be remembering — what a way to have a sweet 16! [Laughs] Reading with Anna Faris and Allison Janney for the first time was pretty mindblowing. And here we are, I just had my birthday [the week before the finale], so it was like a year later — to see how our cast has grown together is probably my favorite part of the entire season. How we’ve really created a family off-screen.

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Related:

MOM Season 1 Finale: Sadie Calvano Previews ‘Smokey Taylor and a Deathbed Confession’

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