'Ginny & Georgia' 's Scott Porter Shares His Personal Reason for Fighting Huntington's Disease

As the (newly reelected!) mayor of Wellsbury, Massachusetts in Ginny & Georgia, Scott Porter makes sure everything runs smoothly in the small new England town. Off screen, the actor, 41, made it his mission to fight Huntington's Disease with The Huntington's Disease Society of America.

The genetic disorder hits close to home for the Friday Night Lights alum. Months after Porter and his wife Kelsey Mayfield tied the knot in 2013, his mother-in-law was diagnosed the brain disease that currently has no cure. Mayfield herself then tested positive for the Huntington's gene, meaning that eventually, she will face the effects of HD, such as depression, mood swings, forgetfulness and slurred speech.

"I hope that one day I don't have to sit my kids down and fully explain to them what is happening to their mother," the father of son McCoy Lee, 5, and daughter Clover Ash, 3, says. "That's why we're fighting so hard today."

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Before May's Huntington's Disease Awareness Month comes to an end, Porter wants to raise money for the cause by virtually reuniting the Ginny & Georgia cast on May 26.

"Everybody said 'yes.' They all jumped right in," Porter says of his Netflix costars. "I'm so excited for us to all get back together, talk about season 1, converse with the fans — kind of like our own little private television convention for Ginny & Georgia — and raise money for a great cause at the same time."

Filming of the hit Netflix show wrapped in December 2019 and Porter planned to see his castmates again in Los Angeles after they all came home and "decompressed." Once the pandemic hit, "none of that got to materialize," Porter says. "A lot of us haven't seen each other this entire time, so to get on a stream with everybody else and see their faces is going to be so incredible."

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Porter says he and his castmates, as well as the series' creator Sarah Lampert and showrunner Deb Fisher, want to use the May 26 livestream as an opportunity to thank the fans. "We didn't know what the show would turn into, and the support from the people that have watched the show has been immense," he adds. "It took us all off guard a little bit, and we are so appreciative of them."

They'll also talk about how the show came together, how they each got involved with it and tease a bit of the upcoming second season — about which Porter admits he does not know much aside from "a couple of really funny jokes that Sarah has shared with me."

Porter hopes the second season will explore more of Mayor Paul's background "because he's still very mysterious, even to me," the Nebraska native says. "What kind of man goes and gets an Ivy League education, seemingly throws it all away to go teach English in Thailand for a while; goes backpacking through Tibet and then comes back with such a strong and directed political career in mind. Who does that?"

Porter thinks Paul knows a little something about Georgia's dark side, too. "I'm not going to say that he knows everything that Georgia is up to, but I think he lets her know that he sees her coming," he explains. "He sees someone who is so driven that [she] may be willing to color outside the lines a little bit while he has to stay within them. And I think that partnership is very attractive to him."

Fans who want to dive deeper into all things Ginny & Georgia — and maybe even ask the cast and creatives about their own theories — can donate $20 or more to gain access to a Q&A after the panel discussion.

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"We hope that a lot of our fans can come and hang out with us," Porter concludes. "And if we can make some amazing money for a great cause while doing it, then that will really mean that all is well in Wellsbury."

The virtual Ginny & Georgia reunion in support of Huntington's Disease Awareness Month takes place May 26 at 9:30 p.m. ET.