As “Ginny & Georgia” fans debate Austin’s age, Sara Waisglass opens up about Diesel La Torraca’s growth, talent, and why he remains irreplaceable.
When Ginny & Georgia returned with its third season, viewers noticed something impossible to ignore: Austin Miller had grown up — fast.
Played by Diesel La Torraca since the show’s debut, the once-little brother of Ginny is now visibly taller, deeper-voiced, and very much a teenager.
While some fans questioned whether the character should be recast, one cast member is firmly standing by him.
Sara Waisglass, who plays the bold and energetic Max Baker, recently shared her thoughts on the conversation surrounding La Torraca’s growth — and she has nothing but admiration for her younger co-star.
“He’s doing a great job,” Waisglass said while promoting her new Tubi film, How to Lose a Popularity Contest. “He’s taking it all in stride. And honestly, how lucky are we to have a job that we can grow through?”
For Waisglass, La Torraca’s situation feels deeply familiar. Like him, she started acting as a child and understands the strange in-between space that comes with growing up on set.
“He’s taller than me now,” she laughed, noting how surreal that feels. “But he’s always been my peer. When you’re a child actor, you’re often too young to hang out with adults and too old to hang out with kids your age. I really understood that.”
She recalled meeting La Torraca when he was just 8 years old and watching him mature into a thoughtful young performer. One moment, in particular, stood out.
“The funniest thing was the first table read after he’d grown,” she said. “We all introduce ourselves — ‘Hi, I’m playing Max’ — and then Diesel speaks in this deep voice. We just lost it laughing.”
Fans may joke about Austin suddenly looking older than his age, but behind the scenes, the creative team never considered replacing La Torraca. Series creator Sarah Lampert made that clear after season 3 aired.
“We can’t recast,” Lampert explained. “Diesel is Austin.”
While the show is known for its attention to detail, Lampert admitted that time and growth are things no production can fully control. Rather than forcing a time jump or rewriting emotional arcs, the show chose storytelling over strict realism — even if that means asking viewers to suspend disbelief.
“Time is but a construct in Wellsbury,” Lampert said, acknowledging that flashbacks and timelines already stretch logic for emotional payoff.
La Torraca himself has addressed the situation with humor and honesty. He admitted the show sometimes simply ignores how much he’s grown, with a few creative tricks along the way — bending his knees, slouching, or adjusting camera angles.
“At the end of the day, it’s a 14-year-old playing a 9-year-old,” he said, shrugging it off. “And that’s OK.”
Still, the challenge is real. Playing a much younger character requires La Torraca to adjust everything from his posture to his voice. It’s a balancing act — one that highlights his commitment to the role.
As for Waisglass, she’s currently proving her own range outside of Ginny & Georgia. In How to Lose a Popularity Contest, she was determined not to feel like Max Baker in a new setting.
“I was really intentional,” she said. “Posture, tone of voice — small things that help separate characters.”
With Ginny & Georgia set to return for season 4, one thing is certain: Austin may be growing up, but Diesel La Torraca isn’t going anywhere.
And with support from castmates like Sara Waisglass, his journey is being embraced — not erased.
