Lecy Goranson Talks ‘The Conners’ and Becky’s Struggles This Season [Interview]

It’s rare that an actor gets to play a character for most of their career. In the case of Lecy Goranson, she’s been playing Becky Conner since she was a pre-teen. 

From her days on Roseanne until her role on the current hit, The Conners, Goranson has grown to love and feel deeply connected to Becky.

I recently spoke with Goranson about that connection and the struggles we’ve seen Becky go through this season.

On Becky’s Struggles With Addiction:

One of the biggest struggles for Becky during The Conners Season 5 has been discovering that her addictive personality gets triggered by more than just alcohol.

“Through her overwhelm with life, she kind of finds herself going, oh, this [lottery machine] is a quick fix if I just earn a little money,” Goranson said. “And then, sure enough, her addictive personality becomes overwhelming. As a person who loves Becky, it’s sad to see her go through that.”

Goranson was quick to add that all hope isn’t lost with Becky during her struggle. She mentioned that it’s important to remember that all the Conner children will always have their father, Dan, to guide them back.

“I think what’s really powerful is that with her dad’s help, she could kind of quickly recognize where she was going and stop it,” she said.

On Becky’s Relationship with Darlene:

The wonderful thing about The Conners is that Becky is never alone in her struggles. She will always have that bond with her dad, and her sister Darlene as well. 

“Both of them were nervous about being in the same house. Just them alone with Ben. And you can see through the season that that hasn’t been perfect,” Goranson said.

“There are a lot of times where Becky’s in the middle of [Darlene and Ben’s] relationship and she has a relationship with Harris. Darlene’s butting in about Becky’s parenting and Becky’s butting in about Darlene’s. I think it’s really interesting because their relationship is such a love/hate.”

“They’re always at each other’s throats, but then there’s a frankness about them too that’s refreshing. You know, they’re not going behind each other’s backs. They’re really just saying things to each other’s faces for the good or bad of it,” Goranson continued.

On Becky’s Parenting:

We have seen the sisters butting heads plenty this season, but in the end, it’s plain to see they will always stand up for each other.

And when Harris has a miscarriage — Becky and Darlene are both there for her.

Moments with Beverly Rose and Harris show just how strong Becky is as a mother and an aunt. It’s a strength that Goranson really leans into.

“There’s no real [parenting] model. There’s no perfect thing and it’s a complicated relationship being a parent to a child. So I hope people, you know, feel some kind of solace and say, ‘oh my gosh, you know what, I see [myself] in this kind of chaos and I can forgive myself a little bit for that,'” Goranson said.

She added that the relationship with Darlene gives Becky common ground for people as well.

“The bottom line is that Becky loves her and really wants her to be happy. And you see that over and over again. It’s a nice thing to see the characters fall back on,” she said. “Time and again they can be caught up in [life]. And then we see Becky really being excited for Darlene and genuinely wanting her to have a great relationship with her children. I think it’s realistic and really powerful.” 

On Becky and Louise’s Relationship:

Of course, the bigger elephant in the room regarding Becky’s struggles with confidence this season is Louise. Their father’s new wife hasn’t been around long enough to gain the trust of the family.

Goranson dove into that further, saying she thinks Becky looks up to Louise, but she also feels excluded. “She’s married to her dad, so there is kind of feeling of they wanted to be together exclusively and have Becky and Darlene out of the house. And I think she felt there was some kind of energy behind that. A kind of, does Louise want me here?”

“[She has] the feeling of being excluded. Even though she’s older, there’s still the child-like part of her that wants to be loved by her dad and wants Louise to like her. I think that she’s surprised when Louise sends this text about her and so she feels like Louise is two-faced.”

“She’s judging Becky on her parenting,” she continued. “Basically her Achilles heel. There’s something really primal about someone coming into your clan or your family like Louise has. She is the most outsider of everyone still, and so, I think that’s [what causes Becky to lash out]. People become threatened by that.”

Final Thoughts on Becky:

That is what draws people to Becky Conner: her loyalty to her family and the strength she carries within her every day. It’s what makes her so special to Lecy Goranson especially.

“The times where she has been the most low — I think the strength that she has to emerge from those times is really incredible,” she said. “And I think Becky’s smart, but I also think she’s someone that actually is curious about life. And I think curiosity is a great way, is a great tool to kind of get you out of yourself, get you unstuck. That’s very interesting to me about her.”

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The Conners airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on ABC.

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