“I was so excited to hear that Noel [Fisher] was going to be joining The Conners for a few episodes because I love him,” Emma Kenney told HollywoodLife at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. “I’ve grown up with him and it was so nice to be able to take him under my wing. It’s always scary for somebody to come guest star. I’d like to hope he was happy that I was there to welcome him in.” Noel will be playing the adult version of Dan’s adult half-brother, Ed. The news was first reported by our sister site TVLine.
Emma and Noel are also both currently starring on the hit Showtime series Shameless, which was just renewed for an 11th and final season. They’ve played Debbie Gallagher and Mickey Milkovich since the show’s premiere in 2011. Emma was the first Shameless star to join The Conners. She plays Harris, the daughter of Darlene and David.
The 20-year-old actress also revealed what’s next for Harris when the show returns on Jan. 21. “She is always up to something,” Emma teased. “She always has some kind of hustle going. She’s always trying to make money in some way, which is cool. I totally respect that. She’s once again looking for a job, but she’s looking for more of a 9-to-5 day job rather than selling weed brownies in school like she was doing a few episodes earlier.”
Emma has been pulling double duty on both The Conners and Shameless. Going back and forth between playing Debbie and Harris has become pretty seamless for Emma. “People always ask if I get confused. I try not to,” Emma said. “I was shooting both at the same time for a period of time. I just wrapped Shameless a few weeks ago, so I’m just doing The Conners now. But we shoot both of them at Warner Brothers and I just try to stay focused and in the moment and just not memorize both at the same time, if that makes sense.” The Conners season 2 airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.