Star Pablo Castelblanco Unpacks Steve's Confession In Happy's Place Season 1, Episode 12

Feb 8, 2025 - 11:00

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Happy's Place

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Happy's Place season 1, episode 12.

Happy's Place star Pablo Castelblanco teases big things to come for his and other characters on the show. Castelblanco plays Steve, an accountant for the show’s titular restaurant and bar, who struggles with OCD. Outside of his work in this fictional bar, Castelblanco is recognizable for his appearances in Ganymede and Alaska Daily.

The show overall tells the story of Bobbie, played by Reba McEntire, who inherits the restaurant Happy’s Place from her recently deceased father, Happy. ScreenRant’s Happy’s Place review praised McEntire’s performance as a highlight but also hoped for more fleshed-out storylines for the show’s other characters beyond the pilot, Castelblanco’s Steve included. Since then, the show has done so, allowing audiences to see more of who Steve and his peers are as people.

Belissa Escobedo as Isabella, Reba McEntire as Bobbie looking shocked in Happy's Place

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ScreenRant interviews Pablo Castelblanco about his work as Steve on Happy’s Place. Castelblanco discusses the events of Happy’s Place season 1, episode 12 and the special relationship between Steve and Gabby. The actor also touches on the way Happy’s Place portrays real-world issues like OCD and how the end of the episode tees up the rest of the season.

Pablo Castelblanco Talks Steve’s Reflection On Fatherhood & Growing His Character

“I Love The Fact That They’re Willing To Give Steve Other Aspects Of His Life”

Pablo Castelblanco as Steve in Happy's Place

ScreenRant: I want to talk to you a little bit about [episode 12]. Gabby trusted Steve to take care of her AI baby. Why do you think that surprised him so much?

Pablo Castelblanco: I feel like Steve and Gabby have a very special relationship. We push each other's buttons the hardest, I think, both ways. I try to ground her in reality, and I think she tries to move me away from my stubbornness and the OCD stuff. I don't think she does it in a mean way, but she's kind of like, “Okay, you're ready to move forward.” Like the episode where I try to move from the stool, and she really took it to heart that I wasn't able to stay there for longer. So, we push each other buttons.

Therefore, I feel like Steve was approaching the situation with a little bit of sarcasm at the beginning, being like, “Wait, no. You wouldn't trust me first, because you and I have this rapport.” But I think she was like, “Oh no, I would, actually.” It’s that kind of thing where we discover that these people hold each other to a higher standard because they’re chosen family, and I feel like he was just surprised at her earnestness.

Steve confesses that he'll probably never be able to have a baby because of everything going on in his head. As the actor playing him, how did it feel for you to hear that?

Pablo Castelblanco: It was very interesting. That scene changed a lot. That's kind of what happens a lot in multicam sitcoms—we get the opportunity to rewrite, [because] we see how it's playing in front of an audience. That scene specifically, with Emmett in the kitchen, changed a lot because the attitude of Steve with the baby, to start with, was a little bit more of distaste because of the idea of an AI baby and the oddness of it. It was a great scene to start with, [but] finally, it ended up becoming, in the rewrite process, a little bit more internal and about something more meaningful.

So, when I read the new version, I was like, “Oh, this is what this scene was all along.” It's not about being like, “Why is there a robot baby?” but about being like, “Oh my god. This is making everyone in the tavern deal with the idea of parenthood, in a way.” You see everyone’s version of it in funny ways, and I love seeing that Steve would have that realization in that moment.

I think it’s that thing of when you have conversations with your friends as you're in your early thirties or late twenties, and you're like, “Would you have kids?” And I think that's a different answer that you give if you're in your early twenties. If you're 21, you give an answer. You’re so sure. And as you gain experience in your life, then you may be like, “Well, I was a ‘no’ before and now maybe I’m a ‘maybe’.” I feel like that's what Steve is going through in that moment—a new realization [that] maybe that's where he is at that moment with that.

That moment, among some others, is one that brought up this question for me: how do you feel the show finds that balance between letting his OCD play into the comedy, but also depicting the actual struggles that people with OCD deal with every day?

Pablo Castelblanco: Well, first of all, we have a very good shepherd in one of our producers. The character is slightly based on one of her family members who has OCD, and they've gone through that whole process in their life. We have that as a great guiding light—someone who can look at the truthfulness of any moment like that and steer everybody, the writers or myself, in performance, to a more earnest place.

Also, I love the fact that they're willing to give Steve other aspects of his life. We've shown him being excited about other stuff and engaging with the world in other ways. I love that he's become a little bit of a pot stirrer in the group. I love that he loves football and has it in his head because he loves the statistics of it. I love soccer in my life.

It may not be the same sport, but it's something where people [might] be like, “Oh, I didn't expect that,” and I'm like, “I love it. I wake up early to watch it.” So, I just love that we've expanded Steve, because people with any kind of condition or thing in their life are more than that thing. They expand beyond the barriers of that. So, that's my favorite thing that we've done—expanded on Steve.

Castelblanco Expects “A Mine For Comedy” In Gabby’s Single Motherhood Journey

“It’s Going To Be A Wild Ride”

Reba McEntire as Bobbie, Pablo Castelblanco as Steve, and Melissa Peterman as Gabby in Happy's Place

Gabby decided at the end of episode 12 that she's ready to be a single mom. When you and the cast read the script, what was your reaction? Because if it happens, it's a big shift in the story.

Pablo Castelblanco: A big shift in the story. I think it's also a mine for comedy. I'm the biggest fan of Melissa Peterman, and I just think every step of that process is comedy gold. She's going to be able to give us the biggest, best performance and most interesting choices about what it [motherhood] means. I'm just excited for that journey. I'm going to be in a front row seat on that bar, where Steve sits, just going through it.

As a character, I'm also very excited. I feel like Gabby wants belonging so bad, and she has belonging with all of us, and that's what we want to prove to her, that we're there to support her, but I feel like this will also be that thing that she didn't have. She had a terrible mother, and I don't think she's going to be that way. I'm excited for Gabby. I feel like everyone, as cast members, and everyone, as characters, is very excited for her. We just know it's going to be a wild ride.

I'm excited too. The AI baby storyline was fun, so when you bring an actual baby into it…

Pablo Castelblanco: It was a crazy baby, by the way. It looked really human, and it would move with a control, and it weighed [the same as] a real baby. It was odd. It was a weird out-of-body experience to hold it and be like, “It could be a real baby,” and it's moving and it's making noises. It was odd.

Castelblanco Teases What’s To Come For Steve In The Rest Of The Season

“These Episodes That Are Yet To Air Are Fantastic”

Happy's Place Gabby standing behind the bar looking upset while Steve and Takoda look on sympathetically

Lastly, now that we've got this big storyline for Gabby, I'm curious if there is a storyline that you would like to see explored for Steve.

Pablo Castelblanco: Well, I know things that are coming up, so I can just hint to one that's coming up. There's an episode in which we talk about the pride Steve takes in his work. He takes a lot of pride in his work and maybe someone offends that pride and from then on you can see a little bit of retaliation from his side. I just loved showing Steve being like, “Oh, no, you hurt me, and this is how I'm going to go back.”

It's a very fun episode—maybe one of my favorites we've done. That's one. God, there are so many things coming up. I feel like people should be so excited. There's another side of Steve in the arts that you'll get to discover that's also really fun. I just think we're ramping up. These episodes that are yet to air are fantastic.

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About Happy’s Place Season 1

Writer Kevin Abbott Executive Produces With Reba McEntire, Michael Hanel, Mindy Schultheis, Matt Berry And Pamela Fryman

Happy's Place is a TV show that follows the story of Happy, a charismatic and enigmatic figure who runs a mysterious establishment where individuals can come to escape their troubles. As Happy's Place gains popularity, its patrons must navigate the blurred lines between reality and fantasy, leading to unexpected consequences.

Check out our other Happy's Place interviews, as well:

Happy’s Place airs Friday nights on NBC, and is available to stream the next day on Peacock.