The Fosters TV Academy Panel - watch the full panel
By Victoria Leigh Miller
16 hours ago
It was the ultimate family reunion for fans of The Fosters, when the showrunners and cast of the ABC Family drama gathered for a live TV Academy panel discussion on Monday night. Series stars Terri Polo, Maia Mitchell, Jake T. Austin, David Lambert, Danny Nucci, and Cierra Ramirez were joined by executive producers Bradley Bredeweg, Joanna Johnson, and Peter Paige for a chat and Q&A session about the critically acclaimed series that follows a blended family of foster and biological siblings being raised by a lesbian couple.
Read on for the highlights from the panel, which was hilariously hosted by Switched at Birth star Alec Mapa.
How the Cast Came Together
While the casting for the show seems spot on, several of the stars had bad first auditions - and maybe even some awkward first impressions. Polo (Stef Adams Foster on the show) said Sherri Saum (Lena Adams Foster) was "a bit aloof "and "standoffish" when they first met, but she attributed it to her co-star's nerves. (And thankfully, that all changed when they did a reading together.)
Mitchell was attracted to the "dark" role of Callie Quinn Jacob, but she revealed her first audition was a flop. "My first audition sucked," the 21-year-old Australian actress said. "It was just me and the casting director and it was so bad. And I convinced him to bring me back because I really love this and I'm actually pretty good at the role and I just did really bad [that day]."
Actor Nucci (Mike Foster on the show) also revealed that he asked for a redo after a lukewarm first audition. Nucci said he asked the casting director if he could come in again and was told, "Well, I guess. We haven't found anybody yet, so sure, come back in.'" (Clearly he nailed it on his second go-around.)
But for showrunner Paige, this entire cast had him at hello. "We knew when we saw every one of these guys," he said. "We knew."
Polo on Her Serious Chemistry With Saum
While Saum was absent from the panel, her onscreen love dished on their amazing chemistry. Polo said she was stunned when she walked in for a "chemistry read" and was faced with "the most stunningly beautiful woman in the entire universe." But it was their instant on-camera connection that really floored her. "We read the scenes together and even I knew," Polo said. "It was like we were finishing each other's sentences and we were interrupting each other and overlapping as if we'd done it for 10 years already. And as we have done the show, I don't think I've ever loved another woman in this way. I think I have more chemistry with Sherri Saum than I've had with any other male counterpart in 28 years."
Why the Lesbian Relationship Isn't What the Show Is About
While the relationship between Polo and Saum's characters is certainly central to the GLAAD Media Award-winning drama, the goal was - and still is - for viewers to focus more on the entire Foster family. "That was the whole point," Polo said. "Here's a family; here's love; here's kids; I've got a zit; I've got a boyfriend; I don't; and by the way, they happen to be lesbians… that was always the intention from the very beginning from the pilot."
Bredeweg acknowledged that the Foster family does deal with unique issues, but he added that the original focus of the show has remained unchanged. "Do our moms deal with different issues? Yes, they do, because they're two women in love," he said. "But mostly, they're a family. And that was always the goal. It was never about writing to anything else."
How Fans Have Reacted to The Fosters
While the cast was prepared for backlash (early on, the One Million Moms organization encouraged audiences to boycott the show), Polo says she's never heard anything negative about The Fosters since it debuted last year. "I have not heard one negative comment from anyone," Polo said. "It's all been positive and loving and caring and supportive." She added that she's received "every single positive reaction you can get," from hugs and tears in grocery stores, to teenagers and grandmothers coming up to her to tell her their personal stories. (One fan even showed off a tattoo of Polo and Saum).
As for the future of The Fosters, the producers all agreed that they want to be around to watch these "kids" grow up. "I hope after we put them through all of these challenges and all of this drama, that they can have a happy ending," Johnson said.
How Disney Alums Made the Transition to More Adult Roles
Disney XD alum David Lambert (Aaron Stone) revealed that while his character, Brandon Foster, is a classical pianist, he was never asked if he knew how to play the piano until after he was cast. (Luckily, he's an experienced musician!) Two of the other "youngsters" on the show, Cierra Ramirez and Jake T. Austin, came off of successful stints on Disney Channel comedies (The Suite Life of Zach & Cody and Wizards of Waverly Place, respectively), but both said the transition to more adult roles was easy.
"I really think this show is a very good example of ABC Family's new kind of family," Ramirez said. "I kind of grew up with the audience as well." Austin added that their Disney fans have grown with them and are able to grow with the show. "It's interesting to watch," he said. "We're doing it for the same audience, it feels."
The Fosters returns Monday, Jan. 19 on at 8 p.m. ABC Family.
[You can watch the video of the full panel at the source.]
16 hours ago
It was the ultimate family reunion for fans of The Fosters, when the showrunners and cast of the ABC Family drama gathered for a live TV Academy panel discussion on Monday night. Series stars Terri Polo, Maia Mitchell, Jake T. Austin, David Lambert, Danny Nucci, and Cierra Ramirez were joined by executive producers Bradley Bredeweg, Joanna Johnson, and Peter Paige for a chat and Q&A session about the critically acclaimed series that follows a blended family of foster and biological siblings being raised by a lesbian couple.
Read on for the highlights from the panel, which was hilariously hosted by Switched at Birth star Alec Mapa.
How the Cast Came Together
While the casting for the show seems spot on, several of the stars had bad first auditions - and maybe even some awkward first impressions. Polo (Stef Adams Foster on the show) said Sherri Saum (Lena Adams Foster) was "a bit aloof "and "standoffish" when they first met, but she attributed it to her co-star's nerves. (And thankfully, that all changed when they did a reading together.)
Mitchell was attracted to the "dark" role of Callie Quinn Jacob, but she revealed her first audition was a flop. "My first audition sucked," the 21-year-old Australian actress said. "It was just me and the casting director and it was so bad. And I convinced him to bring me back because I really love this and I'm actually pretty good at the role and I just did really bad [that day]."
Actor Nucci (Mike Foster on the show) also revealed that he asked for a redo after a lukewarm first audition. Nucci said he asked the casting director if he could come in again and was told, "Well, I guess. We haven't found anybody yet, so sure, come back in.'" (Clearly he nailed it on his second go-around.)
But for showrunner Paige, this entire cast had him at hello. "We knew when we saw every one of these guys," he said. "We knew."
Polo on Her Serious Chemistry With Saum
While Saum was absent from the panel, her onscreen love dished on their amazing chemistry. Polo said she was stunned when she walked in for a "chemistry read" and was faced with "the most stunningly beautiful woman in the entire universe." But it was their instant on-camera connection that really floored her. "We read the scenes together and even I knew," Polo said. "It was like we were finishing each other's sentences and we were interrupting each other and overlapping as if we'd done it for 10 years already. And as we have done the show, I don't think I've ever loved another woman in this way. I think I have more chemistry with Sherri Saum than I've had with any other male counterpart in 28 years."
Why the Lesbian Relationship Isn't What the Show Is About
While the relationship between Polo and Saum's characters is certainly central to the GLAAD Media Award-winning drama, the goal was - and still is - for viewers to focus more on the entire Foster family. "That was the whole point," Polo said. "Here's a family; here's love; here's kids; I've got a zit; I've got a boyfriend; I don't; and by the way, they happen to be lesbians… that was always the intention from the very beginning from the pilot."
Bredeweg acknowledged that the Foster family does deal with unique issues, but he added that the original focus of the show has remained unchanged. "Do our moms deal with different issues? Yes, they do, because they're two women in love," he said. "But mostly, they're a family. And that was always the goal. It was never about writing to anything else."
How Fans Have Reacted to The Fosters
While the cast was prepared for backlash (early on, the One Million Moms organization encouraged audiences to boycott the show), Polo says she's never heard anything negative about The Fosters since it debuted last year. "I have not heard one negative comment from anyone," Polo said. "It's all been positive and loving and caring and supportive." She added that she's received "every single positive reaction you can get," from hugs and tears in grocery stores, to teenagers and grandmothers coming up to her to tell her their personal stories. (One fan even showed off a tattoo of Polo and Saum).
As for the future of The Fosters, the producers all agreed that they want to be around to watch these "kids" grow up. "I hope after we put them through all of these challenges and all of this drama, that they can have a happy ending," Johnson said.
How Disney Alums Made the Transition to More Adult Roles
Disney XD alum David Lambert (Aaron Stone) revealed that while his character, Brandon Foster, is a classical pianist, he was never asked if he knew how to play the piano until after he was cast. (Luckily, he's an experienced musician!) Two of the other "youngsters" on the show, Cierra Ramirez and Jake T. Austin, came off of successful stints on Disney Channel comedies (The Suite Life of Zach & Cody and Wizards of Waverly Place, respectively), but both said the transition to more adult roles was easy.
"I really think this show is a very good example of ABC Family's new kind of family," Ramirez said. "I kind of grew up with the audience as well." Austin added that their Disney fans have grown with them and are able to grow with the show. "It's interesting to watch," he said. "We're doing it for the same audience, it feels."
The Fosters returns Monday, Jan. 19 on at 8 p.m. ABC Family.
[You can watch the video of the full panel at the source.]