Erika Henningsen shares motherhood lesson from 'Four Seasons' role

Erika Henningsen is embracing a new chapter for her character Ginny in Netflix’s The Four Seasons. The 33‑year‑old actress spoke with PEOPLE about returning for season 2 as Ginny, a grieving new mother navigating friendship, change, and life after the death of her boyfriend Nick (Steve Carell).

This season traces Ginny’s story through pregnancy and into motherhood, as she welcomes her son Gino (formerly Cove). At first, she leans heavily on Anne (Kerri Kenney‑Silver) for guidance, but eventually realizes she can raise her child on her own.

“Similar to Ginny, I always look to other people to affirm that I’m doing it right,” Henningsen admitted. “It’s really hard for me to trust my own instinct. Be it as an actor, I constantly text [costar] Marco [Calvani] after a take and write, 'Oh, do you think that was good?' So I'm very much an outside seeker of affirmation."

One scene that resonated deeply with her was when Ginny takes baby Gino to the ocean and reminds him she’s his mom. "Sometimes you can not know what you're doing and keep walking forward, and you don't have to keep looking to the left and right for other people to affirm that it's going well," Henningsen says. "If I become a mom, I hope I can take that lesson."

She adds, "But I think that lesson is applicable to anything you are trying to create and bring into the world."

Henningsen stars alongside Calvani, Kenney‑Silver, Tina Fey, Will Forte, and Colman Domingo, with Carell appearing in a flashback episode.

For Henningsen, one of the highlights of season 2 was simply spending more time with the ensemble. “We love our jobs, we love these scripts. It’s a joy to bring these characters to life. And it’s equally fun when they call cut and we get to goof around before the next setup,” she said.

On Instagram, Henningsen thanked “all the brave moms and dads who let me hold their babies,” praised the wardrobe team for their creativity, and joked about receiving a prop baby “delivered in a plastic bag.” She also gave a shout‑out to directors and executive producers Jeff Richmond and Tracey Wigfield, as well as the PAs who kept track of the cast during filming on the Jersey Shore boardwalk.

The Four Seasons season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.