The hit ABC crime drama/legal procedural How To Get Away With Murder wrapped up with its sixth season, bidding farewell to a dark, sexy series with unexpected twists and mind-boggling performances. The stunning Viola Davis won a Primetime Emmy for her portrayal of the fierce defense attorney Annalise Keating who was like a mother hen to her little brood of sociopathic law students.
Laurel Castillo was a lead character on the show--a quietly dangerous, extremely shrewd young woman who started out as an idealist but was soon taking an initiative in covering up murders and burying bodies, literally. Actress Karla Souza's Laurel went from being a soft-spoken introvert to a twisted individual who would do anything to protect herself, her friends, and her son. Here are a few details about her that might have gone unnoticed.
Laure's Stepmom Was Shown Only Once
Laurel's dad, the notorious Jorge Castillo, played a crucial role in much of the events that transpired, especially from the third season onwards. Laurel's own biological mom also popped up once, adding layers to the mystery of who killed Wes Gibbins.
However, Laurel's stepmom was only shown once and hardly ever mentioned at all. She was shown during a Christmas dinner at the Castillo mansion in Florida where Laurel made it clear that she wasn't a fan and was asked to leave the table by her angry father. Even though Jorge ended up in jail afterward and became one of the show's antagonists, his second wife disappeared from the narrative.
Actors Swapped For Laurel's Father & Brother
In season 1, Laurel's dad was played by actor José Zúñiga but was later essayed by Esai Morales in a recurring capacity for the rest of the series.
Interestingly, the actor who played Laurel's brother in a brief role in season 1 was also different from the one who played Xavier Castillo in season 6. It is never indicated clearly whether Laurel's brother from season 1 was Xavier at all or perhaps a second brother, who was the son of Jorge and his second wife, Elena.
Laurel Wilding Became Laurel Castillo
In the initial script for the pilot, Karla Souza's character was named Laurel Wilding and not Castillo. The character was also not Mexican in the first draft.
The showrunners Peter Nowalk and producer Shonda Rhimes later went on to discuss the character's background with Souza and opted to make her Latina.
The Latina Identity Was Not Highlighted
Even though Laurel went from being a Wilding to a Castillo, the actress as well as the creators wanted to make sure that her Mexican identity did not define her character.
Laurel is never stereotyped throughout the series, either by her style or her food choices, a trope that many other shows often fall into. She is a smart, intelligent budding lawyer who just happens to be Latina.
Laurel Was Kidnapped As A Teenager
It is revealed during the course of events in season 4 that Laurel had been kidnapped as a teenager, around the age of 16, and her father had refused to pay the ransom to get save her life. Although Laurel never forgives her dad for this oddly unfatherly behavior, Jorge himself seems somewhat remorseful and makes superficial attempts to repair his relationship with his daughter.
Whether Jorge had been pressurized not to pay the ransom by some interested parties, or whether he hah himself been involved in his daughter's abduction is never addressed. However, it turns out that Tegan Price had helped to get Laurel released at the time.
Laurel Was Protecting Wes's Apartment
One of the most shocking deaths on television was that of Wes Gibbins in the third season of How To Get Away With Murder. Laurel later realized that it was her father Jorge who had ordered his right-hand man Dominic to murder Wes.
After she had herself recovered from the trauma of being in the same fire that had killed Wes, Laurel very sweetly moved into Wes' old apartment. While for the fans, this was a testament to Laurel's love for Wes, the actress has stated that in addition to mourning Wes in his apartment, Laurel was also protecting his place against her father's henchmen who she felt might intrude into her late boyfriend's personal space.
Laurel & Tegan
Laurel and Tegan Price, the high-powered lawyer at Caplan & Gold developed an odd relationship in seasons 5 and 6. Laurel found out that it was Tegan who had helped her dad with much of his shady dealings under the guise of Antares Technologies.
It was also understood that Tegan had helped release Laurel from her kidnappers when she was a teenager. Taking advantage of Tegan's regrets that she had participated in underhand activities for Jorge Castillo, Laurel asked her to help her disappear with her son at the end of season 5. However, one small detail that remained vague in the finale was when Laurel surreptitiously informed Tegan that she had properties worth millions in Mexico. The rushed finale never quite cleared up what Laurel's offer to Tegan really was.
The Actress Was Pregnant During Season 4
One of the most powerful episodes in season 4 was when Laurel gave birth to her baby prematurely inside an elevator and both baby and mom nearly died.
The fun fact is that while Laurel was pregnant with Wes' child on the show, the actress herself was also pregnant in reality underneath the prosthetics. For those with keen eyes, Laurel actually put on weight and wore loose, comfortable clothing during the second half of the season, because she was carrying her first child.
The Actress Didn't Expect Her Screen Pregnancy To Work Out
The actress has further stated that she never expected her character to go ahead with the pregnancy and have Wes's son posthumously. It is not a cakewalk for production teams to have a pregnant character, what with all the makeup prosthetics involved, moreover, having a newborn baby on the sets is also rather a massive task to accomplish.
However, fortunately for the fans, Laurel decided to have the baby and gave both herself as well as the audience the chance to protect his legacy even though Wes himself was gone.
Laurel Castillo's Exit Remained Unaddressed
Laurel disappeared with her toddler son at the end of season 5 leaving Annalise screaming for her amidst a crowded high street. In fact, one of the secondary mysteries of the final season that trended at the time was #WhereisLaurel?
But although one of the main actors on the show who had been around since the beginning exited rather unceremoniously, the showrunners never really addressed her departure. There were theories doing the rounds that the actress had been cast in a high-profile Amazon original series. However, Karla Souza did not leave completely and showed up as a guest actor during the final episodes of the series.