Who Is Travis (AKA Brandon Jay McLaren) in ‘Firefly Lane’?

If you’re a fan of Kristin Hannah’s 2008 novel, Firefly Lane, you might be surprised to learn that the new Netflix series of the same name has a few new characters.

Meet Brandon Jay McLaren, who plays Travis on Firefly Lane. The 39-year-old actor recently sat down for an exclusive interview with PureWow to discuss the popular show, which has already claimed the number one spot on Netflix’s list of most-watched TV shows just 24 hours after it premiered.

Although he read the best-selling book, McLaren revealed that his character wasn’t in it. “I didn’t read the whole series, but I read the first book,” he told PureWow. “And no, Travis isn’t in it.”

The star explained that certain elements—like Travis—were added to the story by Netflix for entertainment purposes. “That’s the way they adapted the TV show,” he said. “Because it’s for TV and because it takes place over three generations, I think they took some creative license to do their own adaptation.”

McLaren went on to discuss his Firefly Lane character, adding, “My daughter and Sarah Chalke’s [Kate Malarky] daughter are like best friends. So, we’re in the same parent group at the high school. And over the course of the first season, Travis develops a little crush on Kate. But Travis is also mourning the death of his wife, so things get like a little bit messy and complicated. But ultimately, I think there’s a real earnest attraction.”

He continued, “I think one of the great things about this show is that because it takes place over the ’80s, ’90s and ’00s, you’re going to see a whole gamut of fashion and style. It really has a nostalgic quality that hopefully people will watch and sort of look back and reflect on their own life and have a little chuckle.”

Firefly Lane, here we come.

Want Netflix's top shows sent right to your inbox? Click here.