The Shameless Kids Mouth Off About Their Raunchy Hit

TV Guide Magazine: Even though the Gallaghers are wildly screwed up, in a weird way they’re as solid and sturdy as the Waltons. How do you explain that?
Emmy Rossum: They have their own set of values and rules. Not the traditional ones, like “Don’t have underage sex” or “Don’t drink” or “Don’t steal.” Their values are more like “Be loyal” and “Do steal if it’s for the family” and “Do drink if you’re suppressing pain.”
Jeremy Allen White: They have an extraordinary survival instinct. Their dad, Frank [William H. Macy], is a hopeless, alcoholic, drug-addicted bum, and their mom, Monica [Chloe Webb], abandoned them years ago, but no one is wallowing in self-pity. Anger, yes, but no self-pity.
Cameron Monaghan: In a strange way, their parents’ dysfunction forces the kids to be functional. They stick together. They know that if one falls, the entire unit falls.

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