Happy’s Place welcomes another Reba vet to the barroom in Season 2’s latest installment, “Social Discontent,” as JoAnna Garcia Swisher stepped in to play Kenzie, a local actress and influencer.
Called in by Isabella (Belissa Escobedo) and Steve (Pablo Castelblanco) to help film commercial content for the bar, it was determined that Kenzie could also serve as a stand-in for Bobbie (Reba McEntire), who didn’t exactly have a natural acting ability. The situation led to a funny moment of seeing double as Kenzie delivered her best Bobbie impression, with Garcia Swisher impersonating her former TV mom in a hilarious third-act moment.
Below, Garcia Swisher discusses her reunion with Reba costars, McEntire and Melissa Peterman, as well as her reunion with the crew behind the scenes in this illuminating Q&A.
How did you feel about playing Kenzie, who turns out to be an influencer and actress who delivers a perfect impersonation of Bobbie?
Casey Durkin / NBC
JoAnna Garica Swisher: It was actually one of my favorite parts. We have been talking about doing this since the beginning, and Kevin Abbott always said, ‘I want it to be really a fun one,’ something that feels different from Cheyenne, even though I love Cheyenne very much, so it just kind of worked out timing wise too, and I was able to wrap Sweet Magnolias and then get on a plane and I went to LA and got to spend the week with my family, which is so thrilling.
Was it fun getting back in front of a live audience to film this episode?
Yeah, and it’s been a minute since I’ve done that. Honestly, it was just about being together, and after all of the years, it really didn’t feel like much time had passed because we’re all so close and connected personally. But to be back on stage, we have a ton of the same crew from Reba, which is really amazing. So it really did feel like home, and it felt very heartwarming.
Because you are so close with the cast already, did it feel like a reunion or just a regular get-together?
A little bit of both. It was very nostalgic, but it really did feel like home. I spent some really important years of my life on that show, and I grew up so much, but I always felt so loved and cherished and protected at a time in my life where I was young, and it was wild. They’re family and so it was really fun to go back to that, and I got to bring my girls back because they know Reba and Melissa on a personal level but they’ve never seen us work together in that way and I they haven’t even really watched much of Reba so it was really cool to be able to share that time with them. I almost didn’t bring them because of school, and I was like, ‘What are you talking about? Take them out of school, bring them to LA.’ And so, I called my husband, they got on a plane, and came out, and I’m so glad that I did that.
Casey Durkin / NBC
That’s so special that you got to have that full circle moment.
I think it put all the pieces together for them where they were like, ‘Oh, now we see these people in a different context and what they meant to you.’ I was very young when I did the show, so I didn’t ever see being able to share that part of my life with my daughters, so to be able to have a second go around with it felt really nice.
How was it getting to know Happy’s Place‘s other cast members?
They’re the best. They’re all so beautiful and wonderful and really talented. They just have such a great thing going over there, and it makes me really happy for the people that I’ve known forever and loved so much that they’re getting an opportunity to do this again, and to create a work environment that’s so important and will undoubtedly be very meaningful to all of them.
Kenzie’s impression of Bobbie felt spot-on. Is that something you’ve been working on for a while or had a lot of practice at working with Reba?
It was just really fun. I got to cozy up in her sweater, and she’s such a good sport about everything. We were all very tickled to do it.
Steve Howey and Christopher Rich previously appeared ont he show, did you get to connect with them about your turn on Happy’s Place?
We all went to dinner, and then Chris and his wife came to the taping because my family was in town, and we all try to get together as much as we can, so it’s kind of like a regular thing that we do. We’re always in constant communication. Steve’s doing High Potential, so he was working, but we made sure that we harassed him as much as possible via text and prank phone calls and all of that. We’re all still very present in one another’s lives, so this was just a cherry on top.
Kenzie offers up some wise words to Bobbie. Was it fun giving your former TV mom some advice onscreen?
I’m always going to her to check in and feel that mama love. So yeah, it was kind of fun to be the wise observer.
Is there any chance we could see Kenzie back as a guest in Season 3?
I will always do anything for them. I will always try to work it out, but I can assure you that I will be making an appearance on a personal level to celebrate with them.
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