‘Switched at Birth’: Gilles Marini Teases Angelo’s Millionaire Status and a New Threat

When Switched at Birth returns for the start of its sophomore run, a lot of change is headed toward the Kennish and Vasquez families, with Angelo being awarded millions from the hospital. Then, a mysterious pregnant woman claiming to be carrying his unborn child changes everything Angelo spent months building.

“He wanted to be reunited with his kid (Bay, played by Vanessa Marano) and he did. He wanted to be reunited with the person he loved (Regina, played by Constance Marie) and he did. The next thing you know, things start to go his way and he makes $5 million and this lady (Lana, played by Annie Ilonzeh) all of a sudden shows up saying she has his baby,” Gilles Marini told The Hollywood Reporter of where his character sits at the beginning of the season.

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When Marini — who placed sixth on the all-star edition of Dancing With the Stars — spoke to THR, he was in the middle of filming an episode that progresses the Angelo and Lana storyline dramatically. “Lana shattered the idea that everyone could be a happy family,” Marini said.

“The storyline is getting bigger and better with Lana,” he elaborated. “She has something that will completely shift the entire family. It’s going to be a bombshell.”

There is one development Marini would like to see by the end of the season: the birth of Lana’s baby. “That would be an incredible moment for sure,” he said. “As an audience member, I’d love to see this happen to see how the family dynamic would work out.”

For much of season one, viewers saw Angelo struggling to make ends meet and provide for his family financially. Now that he has a new sense of wealth, Marini said that “this is an unknown feeling to him. There are a lot of things coming my character’s way.” (In a preview clip below from Monday’s season premiere, Angelo goes on a generous shopping spree.)

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Often people utter the phrase “money changes people”; in Angelo’s case, that’s exactly what will happen. “He’s going to be more eccentric, flashier,” Marini said. “All those real money problems are going to surface this season. He’s trying to adjust to being a father, maybe even being a father (for a second time), and he maybe doesn’t even want to be a father again. It’s a big roller-coaster.”

“A lot of things will be revealed, in the sense of, is he really good or is he really not?” Marini teased. “When money comes into the picture, people change.”

Marini is still holding out hope for meaty scenes between Angelo and Emmett (Sean Berdy). “He’s a bit of a rebel, and I think Angelo’s also a bit of a rebel, so I would want to have an embracing of friendship. That would be something I would love to play because they can do some bold, ballsy stuff together,” he said.

Switched at Birth premieres season two 8 p.m. Monday on ABC Family.

E-mail: Philiana.Ng@thr.com
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