Differing greatly from its first batch of episodes Found season two begins after Sir escapes from Gabi’s basement, forcing the public relations expert to confess her dark secret to the team at Mosley & Associates. The most shocking twist comes when Lacey is once again kidnapped by Sir, causing Gabi’s friends to put aside their anger and search for one of their own. Gina Quinn arrives in town after learning that her daughter is missing and gives Gabi the comfort she so desperately needs after the tragedy.
Dionne Gipson (NCIS, Criminal Minds) notes that there is a “bit of calm” about Gina when she first appears, which the actor attributes to a sense of determination. Although she hoped for the best, Gipson believes her character always knew Sir would find a way back into their lives. Lacey is rescued and rushed to the hospital in Found Season 2, Episode 3, spending subsequent installments in recovery. Gipson says that Gina experienced a “myriad of feelings” throughout the overwhelming ordeal, teasing that any mama bear would want to avenge her child.
TelaRant Gipson interview about what defines Found separate from other procedurals, establishing her character over different time periods and how Gina handled Lacey’s initial kidnapping.
Gipson was excited to jump between the past and present in season two of Found
“It’s an actor’s dream to be able to go back to the past and then go to the present and see his character do a 180º turn.”
ScreenRant: You’re no stranger to procedurals, but what defines Found in addition to your other projects?
Dionne Gipson: First of all, I get to play a pretty full arc in this one. In the others, I played guest stars and had little arcs for a little life moment that happened in that episode. It starts and ends there. The thing about Found is that it’s an ongoing storyline.
Every week there is a new story, but there is another story full of plots and twists happening with the main characters, and I get to be part of that twist. My story doesn’t end with just one or two episodes. It’s really exciting to have a complete arc and a complete story – to have a flashback and then come full circle.
Speaking of flashbacks, you’re one of the only actors, besides Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who works with both the older and younger versions of Gabi and Lacey. What was it like switching between different periods of your lives?
Dionne Gipson: That’s the most fun part. When I got the sides for my audition and saw that I could play both a flashback and present-day Gina, I thought, “Oh my God. This is going to be so much fun if I book this.” It’s an actor’s dream to be able to go back to the past and then go to the present and see his character make a 180° turn.
Being able to go from thirty to fifty is so fun. It gives me a lot to play with and there are a lot of layers to Gina past and present. For an actor, it’s really fun to be able to dissect all these layers and turn them on and off in every scene I do. It really keeps the mind working and makes it so much fun.
Gina is a source of comfort for Gabi in season 2 of Found
“When [Gabi] I saw Gina, it was almost like she might faint.”
Gina went through something unimaginable. Your son was kidnapped twice by the same person. Do you think Gina ever suspected that Sir might come back for Lacey one day?
Dionne Gipson: I played with that. I felt like it was a possibility. I don’t think my character ever felt like he was completely gone. I think deep down she just hoped she had given her daughter a better life. But knowing he had never been caught, she probably felt it was a possibility.
“Where is he? He is somewhere, but we will continue to live our lives and hope for the best.” When she sees Gabi again, she feels a little calm, even though it’s scary again. I think she has a calmness, because deep down she knew it would happen again. So you deal with it differently.
Gina has known Gabi for decades, so how would you describe their relationship?
Dionne Gipson: I love the relationship between Gabi and Gina. Gabi has been going through a lot with Sir’s revelation, with the team and everything. Gina represents comfort and home to her. You got a glimpse of Gabi from when she was younger, how she takes care of everyone. Her father, and even when she was kidnapped, she was saving Lacey. Now, her entire purpose in life is to help and save everyone she can, so she has a lot of weight on her shoulders.
Often, these types of people never have anyone else to lean on. I think Gina represents that big hug for her. Everyone was so mad at her, and the pressure was building so much on her with the Lord’s revelation, so when she saw Gina, it was almost like she might faint. It’s like a big exhale for her. Like, “Oh my God. I need to cry. I need a hug.” I think Gina represents this pillow for her.
Gina had to face Lacey’s first kidnapping alone
“This was very new to her. She had no idea how to deal with it.”
Found it also focuses on the anguish families feel when searching for their loved ones. Did you say anything about Gina’s experience after Lacey disappeared the first time?
Dionne Gipson: They told me where she was. This was very new to her. She had no idea how to deal with this. Gina is a working mother and her husband is a truck driver. That’s all I knew at the time. Then I realized that Gina was the kind of mother who had never dealt with this before.
She almost feels alone in this because her husband is traveling all the time, so she is dealing with everything on her own. This is something she has been dealing with alone, in a way, until Gabi. She had the idea to bring Gabi closer to Bella, and they formed a friendship and a bond, and I think that helps her get through it.
I want to go back to that final scene from episode 3 because it really stood out. Gina got her daughter back, although she was in critical condition. What was going through her mind when Lacey was lying in the hospital bed?
Dionne Gipson: A huge sigh of relief because at least your baby is there. At least the baby is there. Now, of course, as any mother would do, you are praying to God that she will be okay. I think there is anger, and if she could kill the Lord, I’m sure she would, as any mother bear would. There are fears that he has not yet been captured. Could he go back and do something with her? There are a multitude of feelings she had at that moment.
About the NBC drama series found
Created by Nkechi Okoro Carroll
In any given year, more than 600,000 people are reported missing in the US. More than half of that number are people of color that the country seems to forget about. Public relations specialist Gabi Mosely (series star and producer Shanola Hampton), once one of those forgotten ones, and her crisis management team ensure that there is always someone looking out for the missing.
Gabi, however, has a frightening secret: in the midst of her grief, she imprisoned her childhood kidnapper, Sir (Mark-Paul Gosselaar). Now Sir has escaped and is on the loose, and his biggest secret is now his biggest threat.
Check out our other interviews with Found 2nd season cast:
Found Season 2 airs Thursdays on NBC at 10pm ET/PT.