One of the constant presences in the Walker family is Geri Broussard (Odette Annable), a lifelong family friend and the best friend of Cordell Walker's late wife Emily. After selling her bar, The Side Step, to Walker, she and the Texas Ranger began a tentative romance before Geri discovered she was the long-lost daughter of Gale Davidson. The Davidson family matriarch had reignited her longstanding feud against the Walkers. With the revelation about Geri's true parentage, she found herself right in the middle of this tense showdown, having to pick sides as Walker Season 2 nears its conclusion.

In an exclusive interview with CBR, Annable described navigating Geri's emotional rollercoaster ride through Season 2. She also praised the cast and crew for the show's production and reflected on what intrigued her about taking on the role of Geri.

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CBR: I feel like Geri is always in the center of a major plot twist in a given season. In Season 1, it was the true circumstances behind Emily's death, and this season, it's the secret of her parentage. How was it getting the script and finding out that bombshell of who Geri's parents are?

Odette Annable: Yeah, I think Geri wasn't prepared for that. [laughs] I think she was thinking she would get a little bit of a reprieve at this point, considering all the loss she's been through and the shifts in her life. I think she was ready to find some peace... until she didn't. She's learning how to roll with the punches, but setting boundaries is probably going to be the most important thing for Geri at this point because the hits keep coming. She's just going to have to adapt and not wait for that peace because it doesn't seem like it's going to happen anytime soon.

This bombshell was dropped just as Geri and Cordell were figuring out their relationship. How is it having Jared Padalecki as a scene partner and going into those vulnerable areas of your performance?

He's so wonderful to work with. He's such a generous actor, and he keeps things really light. Considering all the work he has to do on the show as an actor and also as an executive producer, he really stays as even-keeled as you could possibly be under those circumstances. I just love their storyline, the love that they have for each other, and I'm so excited to explore what is coming next for the two of them. Although they're not together right now, I think there's so much to uncover in their story.

Some of my favorite work of yours this season is your scenes with Molly Hagan. How was it working with her as Geri and Abby go into some really raw areas?

I love Molly Hagan. I think she's such a fantastic actress, and she's so dedicated and also so generous. I think we both really enjoyed working together. We felt how vulnerable these scenes were and really just went there. It really helped the performance in so many ways. I was grateful this season to have such raw and human stuff to work with. That's why I love being part of the show because I have to deal with being a human, and that's probably the most difficult thing that everybody's dealing with [laughs] -- how to navigate that, the relationships in your life, the new relationships that come in and how that throws you off.

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In terms of growth, what has surprised you the most about Geri after two seasons of growing into the character?

I am constantly surprised by how resilient Geri is and how well she's able to adapt to her circumstances. I'm just wondering when she's going to get fed up with it and start taking care of herself. [laughs]

Back when you were auditioning and reading the sides and character description, what stuck out the most to you about this character?

I loved the idea that she was part of the Walker family but not in the real sense of the way. She's not blood, but these characters have really welcomed her into their family when she didn't have one of her own. Being so close with them in such a different way than the way she's close with them now is so interesting because she was Emily's best friend, and they had a different relationship.

Now, because of everything that's happened, her and Cordi have opened the door towards being romantic, and I think that there's a delicate, fine line you weave opening that door. It's an interesting one to play because this is something that could obviously happen in real life. Being able to explore that and see what that means and how the audience reacts to it is really special.

With this particular episode, you've got Tessa Blake behind the camera, who has directed episodes of Walker before. How was it working with her here, especially with that tense dinner scene?

She's so stoic and calm, and when you have a dinner scene like that, when pretty much the entire cast comes in, you have to have a director who really knows what they're doing and has clear opinions, [has] done their work, knows their shot list, and isn't going to get run over by anybody, and that was her. She was the perfect person to direct this episode. Keegan Allen and I were sitting next to each other in the dinner scene, and we had a laugh attack, and we couldn't come back from it. Every time one of us would try to say our [lines], we would just burst out laughing. The patience that Tessa and all the other actors had for us was pretty amazing, but that's the stuff that kind of happens when you're bringing all the actors together that don't really get to work together that often. It's always a crapshoot, and she handled it like a pro.

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What direction did you personally want to see Geri move towards at the beginning of Season 2?

I really wanted to see Geri find her own path. Of course, she can't help but be the person that takes care of other people. That's just her make and who she is. She's really great at doing that, but I really wanted to start carving her own way and setting her own boundaries. I think she was kind of sideswiped this year, and it didn't work out so much for her. She was trying really hard to lead with heart and find her own happiness. Hopefully, that'll keep going into Season 3, the self-discovery of it all.

This season, Geri has had quite the rollercoaster with Gale and Denise Davidson. After her parentage was revealed, it was nice seeing them all together, but Geri is putting her guard up again. How is it balancing that nuance between tension and familial affection?

It's all about relationships for Geri and how she navigates all the different relationships in her life and the ones that continue to change as she gets to know people more and more. I think with Gale and Denise, it was really just sheer dislike for the two of them because of the way they handled themselves with the Walkers and how protective Geri is with the Walkers. When she found out she was a part of the family, after the shock settled in, I think she had to figure out what that meant to her and how she was going to navigate that relationship because they are family, and family is the most important thing to Geri. I think she was trying, and she tried her hardest to really open her arms to the two of them. I'm excited to see what the audience thinks of these last two episodes because things change.

With Walker having such a strong, recurring theme of family, you got to welcome Dave Annable to the Walker family this season as Dan Miller. How has it been having your husband as part of the show?

Well, they like Dave more than they like me. Everyone likes Dave more than they like me. [laughs] I walk on set and Manny [Leyva], our boom operator, is like, "How are you this morning? How's my boy, Dave?" and I'm like, "Talk to me first!" [laughs] Dave is just so infectious, and he is so grateful to be part of the team. It was such a nice surprise for both of us because, as an actor, working where you live is very rare. For both of us to have that opportunity is so incredible, especially for our own family and daughter. Being able to come home to our own beds, working together, and sharing the same experience has been really, really special, and we're both grateful. That being said, I'm so happy every scene of mine is not with Dan Miller. [laughs]

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How is the general vibe on set in Austin? Mitch Pileggi was saying it's the best on-set atmosphere he's had in his entire career.

I would agree with that, absolutely. I moved from California to Texas without knowing anybody, so being on a set was the only familiar thing to me. I was hoping and praying that I wasn't working with assholes, and thank god, it couldn't have come out any better. Truly, you come onto our set, and there isn't any tension. People are enjoying themselves. In between takes, our crew is playing music and joking around. When there are heavy scenes, everyone is incredibly respectful, and we get our work done in time. We get to go home and enjoy our families and work. That's rare, and we're very lucky.

Odette, what can you tease about Geri and the Walker-Davidson feud as Walker Season 2 enters its endgame?

Everything comes to a head, and Geri is at the center of the whole thing. The thing that Geri needs to discover on her own, that needs to be revealed, she does reveal -- I'll leave it at that.

Developed for television by Anna Fricke, Walker airs Thursdays at 8pm ET/PT on The CW.