Rome Flynn Reveals Backstage Memories From How To Get Away With Murder

Rome Flynn has played aspiring lawyer Gabriel Maddox on How to Get Away With Murder for the past three years. With the show set to air its series finale on May 14, the actor is already missing his TV home.

Rome Flynn Shares Behind-The-Scenes Moments

“I miss being Gabriel. I miss the opportunity to try and reveal things about him to the world,” the young actor says. “I think we did a good job of that and I have no regrets about any of it, but I wish we had more time.

“Things happened the way they did and ABC made the decision, and I applaud them for giving us the opportunity to tell the story in a full spectrum, but you always wish you could do more, though I’m happy with the way it ended.”

Thinking back on his entire time with the show, he admits it’s difficult to articulate the experience in a way that could really capture how he felt about working there.

“The overwhelming feeling is just gratitude,” Flynn, who also played Zende on The Bold and the Beautiful, says. “I’m really lucky and thankful to be able to say I did that and to be a part of something so culturally important.”

Working With Viola Davis
He loved his cast, he loved the crew, and he just enjoyed being on the set each day—especially when he had scenes with star Viola Davis.

“Working with Viola was a dream that I didn’t know I had until I got it, and I realized just how amazing it is,” Flynn says. “You don’t always think about things until you’re in the position that you’re in, and working with her—every moment of it—was every bit of a dream.

“I miss being around her, I miss her energy, I miss everything she would say in between takes. She is such a knowledgeable person. She is very opinionated but also very fact-driven. It’s amazing to hear her talk about things and I miss that. Hopefully, I will see her soon.”

One of his favorite scenes involved him and Davis in a church from the Season 5 finale.

“Gabriel catches Annalise drinking in the church and they have this little moment and he ended up grabbing her keys,” he says. “It was such a special moment to have that with her. We shot with just me and her on set that day and we spent a lot of time talking, and I learned a lot about her and a lot about myself.”

Another favorite scene is one he had with Marsha Blake who played Gabriel’s mom Vivien.

“We had a scene in a parking lot that I really enjoyed,” Flynn says. “She is a fantastic actor and very giving. We shot that scene one time besides for my coverage and it ended up being something I am really proud of. It shows sometimes, the first time is good enough.”

New Projects

Although some scripts are coming in, the pandemic has slowed many projects and he’s not sure yet what he’ll be doing next, so How to Get Away With Murder is still fresh on his mind—especially with two episodes still left to air.

“Once something comes along and I figure out acting-wise what’s next, I think I’ll be able to divert my attention and escape that feeling of missing the show,” he says. “Right now, I miss it.”

Thankfully, Rome Flynn has other things keeping him busy. He recently released a new single, Keep Me In Mind. The song is about a woman he knew, and he feels the words deliver a universal message that people deserve to be loved the way they want to be loved and need to make choices that let them be seen the way they want to be seen.

“A lot of times in relationships, if we’re not happy or feel like we shouldn’t be there, we stay because of the familiarity,” he says. “That shouldn’t be the reason you stay with someone, and I just wanted to talk about how the blessing could be on the other side of the door.”

A video for the song comes out on May 8. Flynn notes they shot in Los Angeles and finished the entire thing in a day, which was right before things started to get crazy and the stay-at-home orders came.

“I think it’s important to include storytelling in the visual format for my music,” he says. “Acting is a huge part of my DNA makeup, so I like that people can watch and be entertained by the music and it lets me paint a picture of what I meant by the song.”

Flynn looks forward to balancing acting and music in the months and years ahead and thanks his fans for following him in both endeavors.

“You have to be surrounded by people that believe in what you’re trying to do,” he says. “I’m very optimistic about what the future will look like.”