GREEK returns tonight on ABC Family with an all new cycle of episodes.  The first episode back is big with the funny, and the dramatic, and is one of my favorites so far!  Casey is back from her internship in DC, and she’s holding onto some secrets from her summer.  Rusty is an active in the KT house, and he’s got some living space problems.  We find out quickly which sorority (ZBZ or IKI) Rebecca chose, and why, and there’s movement made in many different relationships and friendships as the first hour goes on.  Look for new recruit Jesse McCartney to cause some more problems between KT and OX, as well. 

In celebration of the season premiere tonight, I spent some time talking with Casey Cartwright herself, the lovely Spencer Grammer, who is as excited about the show as we are!

I’m loving Greek – one of the only shows that my sister and I sit down and have to watch together, so I’m very excited to have it back!
That’s awesome.  I’m glad to hear that.  I love hearing that, it’s so cool!

You’ve gotten to play Casey for a while now; what are some of your favorite things about her?
I love that she’s a good person who is always messing up, and trying to do the right thing, and it always turns out wrong.  I love that she’s always like confused about who she is, or who she wants to be, or the right guy for her.  But she’s always, like, on that path.  Always struggling to figure it out.  I love that about her.

I think a lot of people are always on that path.  They don’t always have all the answers.  I think that’s maybe why the show is so relatable.
Maybe [laughs].  No, I’m definitely on that path, too, so I’m like, oh it’s great!  I get to play a part of myself, too.  We’re always in self-discovery mode, especially in that college age.  But like, in your early twenties or late teens, you’re definitely, that’s where you’re realy finding yourself.

The show itself has taken a long time to get through a year of college…
[Spencer laughs out loud]

Is it hard to remember little plot points after shooting so long for one year?
Yeah, it totally is!  They all become like one.  It’s like, I’m living it, so it’s like, wait, I don’t even know when that episode happened, but I remember things going on. They kind of become one season in a lot of ways, so we’ve been shooting episode, after episode, after episode.  But I do know what’s happening in this next one because I’ve been talking about it a lot of lately.

I’ve talked to so many people from the cast that say it’s like a big family, and you all get along so well.
Yeah, totally.  Probably not at 5 in the morning, if I’m really tired, but we have a lot of fun and it’s great.  We all kind of suffer together, have lunch together.

What can we expect this season?  I’ve seen the first episode, and it’s classic GREEK, and I love it!
It’s great.  You’re going to have your cattiness, and there’s going to be a lot more, you’re going to see Casey and Rebecca’s relationship grow and expand.  More Casey/Cappie scenes as friends and maybe more.  Max is there, obviously, and I think Michael Rady is such a great addition to the cast.  He’s a pleasure to work with.  A lot of that stuff.  A lot of love.  We’ve got some really great guest stars.  We’ve got Janeane Garofalo, and Jesse McCartney’s on the show as a new rushee so you get to see him pledge a house.  You see Rusty being an active which is exciting too.

Where do you stand on the Cappie / Casey relationship – are they meant to be in your eyes?
I love the Casey / Cappie stuff.  It makes our show unique, but almost like every other show, where you have those two people who are always trying to be together, but somehow fate comes in and keeps them apart.  You’re always hoping and rooting for them, and I feel the same way.

In the beginning, it was the big, Team Evan or Team Cappie, and I was always a Cappie girl!
Yeah, always Cappie, always Cappie!  He’s got all of our hearts!

Why is now a good time for people to get involved in the show?
I really think that this season is a really, really, particularly good season. We’ve been playing the characters for a long time, and we’ve gotten the chance to get settled in them.  I think a lot of us are taking more risks.  You’ll see, I had a lot of dramatic stuff this season, so I was kind of surprised that I could pull it off a little bit, but it’s been fun [laughs], pushing my limits.  I think that people should watch because of great guest stars, and a lot of makeouts, and a lot of parties.

You got into acting young, and I’m sure that having a dad like Kelsey (Grammer, FRASIER) didn’t hurt, but do you think that because you had more exposure to it, you really became interested, or is it something you think would have happened anyway?
I can’t say that it didn’t influence me, but I can’t say that it was always positive.  I mean there are negative sides to being in the public eye.  Your personal life becomes public and things that ordinarily, people wouldn’t know about you and your family, they know.  That’s always a strange feeling.  My dad loves what he does, and ultimately, his passion and drive for what he did was definitely an influence in what I wanted to do, because I love it.  I love being able to play another character, I love the feeling that you get when you’re on a set and it feels like a family, and it’s just a magical thing to bring joy to people’s lives, so I love it.

Who would you love to work with?
Oh god, so many people.  I would love to do a movie with Tim Burton.  I want him to direct me one day.  As far as actors, could Clive Owen be in a love scene with me?

We’re casting this movie – Tim Burton is going to direct, Clive Owen is your love interest.
That’s great [laughs] and Helena Bonham Carter is going to be like, my friend.  She’s been my favorite actress since I was a kid.

Any final thoughts?
Just really enjoy this season.  I think it’s a really good one, and I hope that you all love it as much as I did making it!