Maddie (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), Helen (Heather Headley), and Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott) have poured it out at countless margarita nights over the course of five seasons of Sweet Magnolias, and according to Swisher, the props department has just as much fun concocting the beverages as the three ladies appear to be having while enjoying them onscreen.
“Our props department takes it very seriously. They do such an amazing job. It’s a very well-thought-out margarita. We get a little memo about it,” she explained to DECIDER over Zoom last month, noting that the drinks they are sipping on are “kind of like mocktails.”
Season 5 of Sweet Magnolias, which premiered today on Netflix, brings Swisher’s Maddie to New York City (albeit, for a New York minute) for a marketing job at an indie publishing house. Swisher, who is married to former New York Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher, shared how meaningful it was to be back in a city that holds such an important place in the hearts of her and her family.
“Oh, we had the best time. It was run and gun,” she recalled. “It was wild how much we had to shoot in the time that we had there. But it was so cool. It was special. To be able to be with Brooke and Heather in New York, and all of our kind of core crew that we took with us from Atlanta. To be able to tell this story in that city, it was a very surreal, cool moment. And obviously it’s a city that means a lot to me and my family.”
During our chat, Swisher also opened up about welcoming one of her “best friends,” Jamie-Lynn Sigler, to the Season 5 cast, the “unfinished business” left by Dana Sue and Ronnie’s (Brandon Quinn) rocky relationship status, how Maddie and Cal’s (Justin Bruening) scenes prove they are a “fun couple” that “still are hot,” and more. Give our conversation a read below.
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Sweet Magnolias Season 5, now streaming on Netflix.
DECIDER: Maddie gets her New York moment in her role at an indie publishing house, though that New York moment is cut short. What was your experience like shooting on location in New York City this season?
JOANNA GARCIA SWISHER: Oh, we had the best time. It was run and gun. It was wild how much we had to shoot in the time that we had there. But it was so cool. It was special. To be able to be with Brooke and Heather in New York, and all of our kind of core crew that we took with us from Atlanta. To be able to tell this story in that city, it was a very surreal, cool moment. And obviously it’s a city that means a lot to me and my
family. Nick and the girls were with me. Actually, Nick was working, so he was already there. So it was really, really fun and just very iconic. We were ultimate tourists, so we had a lot of fun.
Did you have a favorite scene to shoot while you were there?
Our Central Park scene was really special. It was really hot when we were there. Really, really hot, like I think record-breaking heat. So the more evening scenes, the better. But there was this one moment where I’m
walking down the New York City street after being fired on my way to go meet Helen and Dana Sue. It was our last scene that we shot of our entire New York experience, and the sun was about to come up and we were racing against that. I look over at Radio City, and it’s this emotional moment. And I just thought, this is something I’ll never forget.
This season, the Magnolias also traveled to Savannah for Helen’s bachelorette. Did you get to shoot on location there, too?
We got to go there too. We actually shot that last. So even though it was in Episode 8 I believe, we went there when we wrapped the show. So everybody was kind of wrapping up for Season 5, but we were still on our way. It was me, Brooke, Heather, Brittany [J. Smith], and then Justin came too because Cal and Maddie, had like a night in Savannah to have their honeymoon, if you will.
Season 5 also welcomed Jamie-Lynn Sigler as author Nell Winters. Can you take me through how this cameo came to be?
Well, Jamie-Lynn is one of my best friends. And then [writer] Sheryl [J. Anderson] is a big fan of her too. And so she wrote this role. She had it in mind for her, and I was just really grateful. Jamie was excited to come do it, and it was nice, selfishly, to have my best friend there with me.
It was kind of cool timing considering she just released her memoir [And So It Is…: A Memoir of Acceptance and Hope]. So [her] being an author in the show was really cool.
It was really cool.
Are there any other stars you would like to welcome to Serenity in a future season?
I mean, where do I begin? Someone asked me if Reba [McEntire] and Melissa [Peterman] would do it, and I was like, yeah, we’ve been trying to get that done. It’s hard to coordinate those things! But yeah, it would be nice to have a lot of familiar faces in Serenity. I think everybody can see themselves there.
The series truly puts female friendship at the forefront, and you’re now five seasons in with Heather Headley and Brooke Elliott. What’s it been like creating this chemistry between the three of you on screen?
A total privilege. I mean, these are women that I love deeply. I admire them and I feel so lucky. And honestly, I think that what we have created in terms of our chemistry and our personal friendships and how that’s translated is really like you said, it’s the heart of the show and it’s something that I think is really special. And I’m very, very grateful for that.
And you three love pouring it out. I wanted to ask, what is it you guys are actually drinking during these margarita night scenes?
Our props department takes it very seriously. They do such an amazing job. It’s a very well-thought-out margarita. We get a little memo about it, like all of this kind of stuff. But, I mean, our props department is incredible. They’re just so creative. So I always get excited about what they’re going to look like and all that kind of stuff. But they’re usually like, you know, non-alcoholic. They’re kind of like mocktails. Some taste better than others, some look better than they taste. But honestly, if it looks good, that’s all that matters.
Honestly. I want some of these recipes.
I actually said that. We would have to create the recipes because they are, like I said, they’re mocktails, but they’re very pretty.
Like a Sweet Magnolias mocktail or cocktail book that can come out, too.
I love where your mind’s at.
Something I’ve loved to see over the course of this series so far has been the emergence of the Mini Magnolias, like Annie [Anneliese Judge] and Cece [Harlan Drum] and Lily [Artemis]. What has the experience been like watching these actors, as well as the actors that play your onscreen children, grow up over the course of the show?
I’m obsessed with them. They let me do a couple TikToks with them this season. Very cool. I was like, this is so exciting. They’re great. They’re just so fun. They honestly have a blast together. And that energy, that youthful energy is really refreshing on our set. They all come in, they’re all really tight. They have genuine friendships and they go out and they do young people things together, which is so cool. So I get to be privy to all of that. But they’re not like really wild, but they’re really fun.
Speaking of your onscreen children, Carson Rowland is is missing from this season. We get kind of hints of Ty through messages he sends back home. And so do you think he could come back if there are future seasons? Was it a scheduling issue as to why he was not really in this season?
I can’t really speak to all of that, but I will say that there is a ton of love for Ty and a ton of love for Carson on our show. He’s a huge part of the story and the heart of the show. But I also think it really opened up an amazing opportunity to tell a very cool storyline for Annie and to welcome some new faces into the show, which I think in a fifth season is super important to do. I just play Maddie on the show. I don’t have all the reasons for everything, but I know that there there is a lot of great love and affection for Ty and for Carson.
At the end of the season, we finally get to see Helen and Erik’s [Dion Johnstone] wedding come to fruition, which was so beautiful. And I loved getting to hear Heather sing. I know she’s gotten to sing throughout the series, but this especially just felt like such a special moment. What was it like getting to film this beautiful wedding scene and to get to see her sing throughout this?
I mean, I’d love to get her to try to sing 24/7. She doesn’t do it for me as much as she should, I think. But that’s just me. It’s great. I think it’s a great element. And honestly, when you have a person that can sing the way that Heather does, if you don’t put it in the show, it’s like such a waste. But it was really beautiful. Yeah, I was really happy for their happy ending.
But in contrast, the season also ends with Dana Sue and Ronnie’s [Brandon Quinn] relationship being on the rocks. Do you see that as a potential leeway to lead into a potential Season 6?
I think it’s definitely one of the largest cliffhangers that we have and unfinished business. I think it’s a really cool storyline. I think it gave Brandon a huge opportunity… While Ronnie kind of bumbled around a lot and didn’t make all the decisions necessarily, it was just a real honest portrayal of a man trying to kind of find himself and I think that’s super important. And then sometimes it’s like timing and things and how they match up. So I think it’s a very real storyline. I know it’s icky and kind of uncomfortable because you want everybody to be good and you’re so invested in these characters, but it does not mean that Brandon’s going anywhere or Ronnie’s not going to be around. Ronnie’s a huge part of Dana Sue’s life and a huge part of our show. So I think that it’s just sort of opened up this playground to kind of dig in and and tell another story that I think that could be potentially really relatable to certain people.
It’s not lost on fans that Cal is a former MLB star, just like your husband in real life. With Cal bringing a baseball team to Serenity, could we potentially see another cameo from Nick in the future?
[Laughs]. Yeah, sure! I think he would love that. They’ve talked. They talk a lot of shop. Yeah, I think it would be great. I think Nick would love to get his hands on the ballplayers in the show. And I just talked to Justin the other day. I actually talked to a few people and they were like, “Let me know when Nick finally sees the show to let us know how what he thinks of the baseball stuff.” And I was like, “Okay, I’ll get on that.” I was like, “Just go ahead and call him.” So I think everybody wants to make him proud.
And speaking of Maddie and Cal, I feel like this season definitely brought out more steamy moments in the broad scope of the show. I feel like probably some of the most steamy in the context of the show thus far. What was your experience like filming these scenes with Justin?
Well, I mean, we have a very long standing friendship at this point. We have been doing this together. He’s been my partner since day one, and so there’s a tremendous amount of trust. And our families are very close. But then I also think we’re both really invested in Cal and Maddie’s happiness. We really root for that story. And so we were excited just to have a season where we finally were like, void of any personal turmoil in that way, and able to kind of just celebrate the fact that we’re doing life together. And so, yes, it was a little, I would say steamier than most seasons. But, you know, Cal and Maddie, they’re a fun couple.
I know, it was nice to see them settle into married life without too much chaos for them.
Like they’re happy, they’re doing life together, but they still are hot. It’s nice to be able to depict that type of relationship. Like something that I could see in like my relationship with my husband. Like yeah, we still got it, you know?
You got to direct an episode of Sweet Magnolias Season 4. Did you get to return to the director’s chair this season?
I did. I did Episodes 5 and 6 this season.
What was the experience like?
It was incredible… It was like the pinnacle of this season. I was like, ooh, God ok, my hands are full. I’m ready though!
Does it feel weird shifting from actor to director, and also directing yourself?
Well, I’m an actor that loves to be directed. So yes, I do feel the void. I’m always like, “Anybody? Anybody got anything for me?” But Sheryl Anderson, our showrunner, is like a constant presence on our set. So I did have that. And then obviously we have Norman Buckley and Matt Drake, who are executive producers and directors on our show that popped in quite a bit. They were both prepping and editing their respective blocks […] [but] for the fire, I was like, all hands on deck. I’m in these scenes. We have 700 shots to shoot. And my DP and my first AD had our whole plan. But performance-wise, it was nice to have somebody to kind of have my back in that way. But that’s just something I think takes a little bit of getting used to and just knowing that it’s got to be really well thought-out and in it. But I also really just like being behind the monitor, because for me, you can really see those moments and help people carve out performances and find different things, and really kind of be the support system other actors that I appreciate so much in my daily work as an actor. So it’s very rewarding and I love doing it. And I was so surprised at how much I loved it and want to continue to do it. It was really a cool extension of my job.
Do you think you’d ever like to direct a project that you’re not acting in?
Yes! I literally talk about this all the time. I’m like, yeah, I would love that. If f I didn’t have to wear that hat, it would be just so cool. I’m grateful that I get to do it this way too. But yeah, of course, 100%.
Sweet Magnolias is such a comfort watch for so many people. What shows do you go to for that comfort watch?
Shows like Sweet Magnolias or Virgin River. I also really love just comedies. I’ll watch The Office reruns or Parks and Rec. Those kind of shows are major comfort shows for me that get me really tickled. I really love that. But I also love a good thriller and spy thing. I love that kind of stuff, like a murder mystery or anything like that. I love being plot-twisted. I’m watching Citadel. Have you ever seen that?
No. Season 2 came out recently, right?
I had never seen it, and I love Priyanka Chopra. I love Richard Madden. Obviously, Stanley Tucci is like, come on! So I was excited to watch it. And I was gasping last night and Nick came in and he’s like, “What happened?” I was like, “I got plot-twisted! I got plot-twisted!” And he’s like, “Oh, it’s your favorite thing.” And I was like, “It is.” So I love a good, “Ah! What?” I love those moments. Those are comforting to me.
You have a Netflix Christmas movie coming out soon, A Christmas Kind of Love. Can you tease what the status is on it, and tell me more about what fans can expect from it?
We’ll have a good idea of what the status is, I think, [this] month. We’re working hard on it. It was a joy. I get to sing in it. I had so much fun. It was honestly one of my favorite jobs I’ve ever done. It was so cool and I’m so excited about it. It’s very like Hope Floats kind of meets Sweet Home Alabama, but like a real musical element. And it was so fun. I love it. I’m so excited for for it to come out.
I’m so excited. Christmas movies are basically my favorite genre.
Not one Santa in it. It’s like a cool, it’s just like in the moment of Christmas.
Sweet Magnolias Season 5 is now streaming on Netflix.
