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By
Suzanne

Interview with Cierra Ramirez of "The
Fosters" on ABC Family 7/16/13
I'm very sorry I missed this call, but I was packing and
moving all summer, so I missed quite a few. I love "The
Fosters", and Cierra does a great job playing Mariana.
ABC Family’s Q&A with Cierra Ramirez
The Fosters
Moderator: How will the relationship with Mariana’s mother
continue to evolve this season?
C. Ramirez: I would definitely say that Mariana’s secrets
will definitely come up and haunt her. She still has to go
through what happened in all the betrayal and the lies and
the secrets and it’s all going to come back and she’s going
to have to deal with it. So, it’s not the last that you will
see of her.
Moderator: Are there any other projects that you’re working
on during the upcoming break?
C. Ramirez: At the moment, I am not. I am in Houston, Texas
right now visiting with friends and family, so I’m busy with
that. But I still am auditioning so if anything comes my way
that would definitely change.
Moderator: Can you tell me a little bit about the reactions
you’ve been getting from people about the themes of the
show? What kind of things have you been hearing, positive or
negative?
C. Ramirez: The biggest reward I usually love as an actress
is getting feedback and seeing different audience members
relate to the character or the plot or anything like that
and, thankfully, everyone has been so positive. People have
found this very relatable and universal, so it’s really fun
to hear lots of people’s stories and seeing how they can
just interact with the show, so it’s been a blessing.
Moderator: Do you think a show like this can make people
change their minds on the topic of same sex marriage?
C. Ramirez: I definitely do think that it could, it’s about
time a show like this has been on the air. There’s never
been anything like it and it’s about time. It has perfect
timing with everything that’s going on in the world and with
Prop 8 and stuff like that. I think it can help people
become a little bit more open to the idea of it, to same sex
marriage and the idea that families being raised in certain
households like that do turn out all right.
Moderator: What was your reaction to this story and the
characters that were in it?
C. Ramirez: I’m a sucker for mom and daughter stories. I love
being able to relate to that and being in other people’s
shoes. But I just was so drawn to the writing. I thought it
was so real. Like I said before, it’s time that a show like
this has been aired. I just fell in love with the script,
every single one of the characters.
I think they’re all amazing and people can really identify
with their cleverness and their wittiness and I just think
it’s great.
Moderator: Were you able to pick your character?
C. Ramirez: No, I wasn’t able to choose. My auditioning
process was actually very strange. I literally auditioned
for the show the day I found out that the series I was on,
The Secret Life of the American Teenager, was not getting
picked up for another season.
I put myself on tape. They were testing for the role of
Mariana and I didn’t think I’d make it in time, but I later
found out that I did get the role. So, it was really fast,
but it was such a blessing to just hop on from one project
to another.
Moderator: Could you talk a little bit about your character
in your words for people that may have not yet watched The
Fosters?
C. Ramirez: Mariana is a 15-year-old girl. She’s very
optimistic and with that comes a lot of curiosity,
especially coming from a fostering background. She’s very
curious in finding out about her background, where she comes
from. So, she gets in contact with her birth mom and goes
behind her parents’ back so she gets herself into a lot of
the trouble and a lot of betrayal, a lot of secrets.
Moderator: What quality do you love about her?
C. Ramirez: I love her wittiness. That’s one thing. I’m not
very witty, so I can kind of live vicariously through her.
She has very good comebacks. Whereas I would just kind of
take it and put a smile on my face. But she’s very witty and
very fashionable and even though she does get herself into a
lot of trouble, she does have a very good heart. So, I
really love that about her.
Moderator: How is being on The Secret Life of the American
Teenager different from The Fosters?
C. Ramirez: It’s very different in the sense that when I got
on Secret Life it was already in its fifth season, so I was
the newcomer with all of these people who had been bonding
for four years and they were family, not only cast mates.
So, it was a change, but everyone was so welcoming and so
warm that I wouldn’t have really known any difference.
But, it was actually really fun to go through the whole
pilot experience with the cast of The Fosters. So, we’ve
gone from the get-go and it’s really been fun. It’s been a
blast.
Moderator: Is there ever a time with Mariana when you just
kind of want to shake her and steer her in a different
direction than she goes?
C. Ramirez: Of course. But I do know, she’s 15, she’s
growing, she’s going to make these mistakes and that’s what
it’s all about. I know that she is a little bit more
adventurous than other 15-year-olds may be, but she does
have a very good heart. So, I know that no matter what she
goes through it’ll all turn out well in the end. I am
genuinely a fan of the show, so I love reading the different
scripts, getting them, I just love it. I love getting to
know what’s new with Mariana, what trouble she’s in.
Moderator: Is her relationship with Jesus going to continue
to improve or are there going to be more roadblocks for
them?
C. Ramirez: I think so, because she has kind of accepted the
fact that he is dating her best friend and she’s going to
have to deal with it, whether she likes it or not. She can’t
let go of the few people that she loves. So, I definitely
think that their relationship will get better.
Moderator: How do you define family?
C. Ramirez: This show, in particular, definitely goes along
with the ABC Family slogan, “A New Kind of Family”. And
that’s definitely what I think it is. But family for me is
someone, or it could be anyone; you don’t have to be related
to them, just like in the show, but it’s someone or a group
of people that will accept you no matter what, through thick
and thin and will always be there for you and love you
unconditionally.
Moderator: What are conservative groups who don’t watch the
show missing?
C. Ramirez: I definitely think it’s just the openness. They
need to have more of an open mind to something that’s such a
big deal right now. It’s the biggest thing in the world
right now. It’s a big issue and it needs to be more open.
That’s what I love about this project. I’m hoping that it
can get through to lots of different families and it can
become a better issue.
Moderator: How does it make you and your cast members feel
that The Fosters has been nominated for a Teen Choice Award
in the category of Best TV Breakout Show?
C. Ramirez: We actually all found out together. The producers
told us and we were all on set. We were freaking out, I
mean, literally. It still hasn’t even really hit me. But
I’m, along with the audience, I’m there voting. I’m voting
every day. I’m very excited and I can’t wait to see what the
outcome is. I’m just really excited no matter what. And the
fact that it was nominated four episodes into it is such a
blessing.
Moderator: Does anyone on the cast plan on going to the Teen
Choice Awards?
C. Ramirez: I think everyone is. We’re all excited.
Definitely.
Moderator: Could you talk a little bit about what it’s like
working with Maia Mitchell, Jake T. Austin and the rest of
the cast?
C. Ramirez: They are just so amazing. They’re actually my
reason to wake up every morning. It’s such a blessing to
come to work with such amazing and talented people. I can’t
stress that enough. It makes work fun. It’s not work. It’s
constant laughter whenever we’re filming, on and off screen,
so it’s just an amazing group of people and I’m so blessed
to know them and work with them every day.
Moderator: Which episode is your favorite?
C. Ramirez: I would definitely have to be a little biased and
say the Quinceanera. Mainly because who wouldn’t love being
dressed up for a whole week like that. I never actually had
a Quinceanera, so I got to experience one through Mariana
and it’s televised, so I mean it’s the best of both worlds.
So, it was a really fun episode and the dance scene was
probably my favorite. We had to rehearse for that, so that
was really fun.
Moderator: Who has influenced you as an actress and who you
would love to work with someday?
C. Ramirez: That’s a good question. I would definitely have
to say Angelina Jolie, which is something I know everyone
says. But I just love her so much as an actress and as a
human being. I just love everything she does. I respect all
of her work. There’s not one project that she’s ever done
that I’ve never been a fan of.
I think she’s just so passionate and I would love to follow
in her footsteps one day.
Moderator: Are there any really funny behind-the-scenes
moments on set?
C. Ramirez: There has definitely been some funny moments. I
think it would have to do a lot with phones on set, because
we’re all so very tech savvy. We’re always on our phones,
every single one of the cast members. So, it’s really funny
when a certain cast member’s phone will go off in the middle
of a scene while we’re filming because that happens a lot.
It’s really bad, but it happens a lot to me. I’m very well
known for hiding my phone in really weird places. I can hide
it in a refrigerator during a scene or under that bed. It’s
pretty bad, but at the end of the day we can all laugh at
it.
Moderator: Has your new dog gotten into any trouble when
you’ve brought her to set?
C. Ramirez: I’m actually playing with her right now, it’s so
funny. I’ve actually tried to smuggle her onto the lot, but
they’re pretty strict about that. So, she has gotten into
some trouble. Well, that cute little thing, how could she
get in trouble?
Moderator: What kind of film roles are you looking for now or
what do you hope comes across your table in the next two
years?
C. Ramirez: The roles I’m definitely looking for taking on
are, generally the roles have been in; I’ve gone into
different roles with the same mindset. I’ve loved taking on
roles that have a very universal message that lots of people
can identify and relate to – and at the end of the day can
get people talking.
I’m actually a very dark person so I really want to get into
some really dark roles, maybe some thrillers. I’ve never
done one of those, so I think I’d really want to get into
that, but definitely something that would get lots of people
talking.
Moderator: What do you think of a show that comes along like
Devious Maids that portrays Latina’s in that light?
C. Ramirez: I usually try to get into roles that are very
universal. I try to stay away from those stereotypes, mainly
because I just feel like every role that comes my way is a
gardener’s daughter or something like that. But, it’s just
the way you make it.
With Girl In Progress you saw, my mother was a struggling
teen mother, who was struggling with two different jobs. She
was a maid and she was working in a restaurant as a
waitress. So, I mean it really just depends. I’m for them. I
just try to stay away from them. I don’t really care for
stereotypes.
Moderator: Is there a certain film that is your favorite?
C. Ramirez: I would definitely have to say Girl Interrupted.
I can watch that so many times. I can watch it four times a
day and still want more. I love Angelina Jolie, obviously. I
love different roles, just getting into it, something that’s
the complete opposite of who I am. I love a challenge, so I
would definitely love something like that.
Moderator: How do Mariana’s parents [Stef and Lena] take to
finding out what she has been up to?
C. Ramirez: Well, the idea of meeting her biological mother
had come up in previous episodes. They had been asking her
if she wanted to and she told her parents that she wasn’t
ready. But she was still in contact with her mother, even
though she said she wasn’t.
That’s definitely going to come up, the idea that we did
tell you that we were ready for you to meet her, but you
told us and you still went behind our backs. There’s a trail
and it’s all going to unravel. So I guess we’ll just have to
see.
Moderator: How was it on set when you guys were shooting the
last episode of the season?
C. Ramirez: The last episode of the season probably had to be
one of my most favorite filming processes. It was very
giddy. The whole set, everyone just kind of felt like it was
the last week of school in a way. It kind of was. It was
very fun and you’ll just have to see, it’s a very
extravagant, very big episode. So, that alone, it was just
so fun to film and everyone was just having a blast. I miss
them already, though.
Moderator: Did the cast do anything together on the last day
of filming?
C. Ramirez: We weren’t all filming together on the last day.
There were certain people that had wrapped on a certain day
of the week, so we weren’t all there together. But I
fortunately had the last scene of the last episode, so I was
there for everyone, the entire cast, the entire day until
wrap.
The producers and creators of the show all had a champagne
toast at the end. I wasn’t there for the wrap party, but
this was my wrap party, so I got to say goodbye and thank
you so much to everyone. It was bittersweet. I cried. I’m a
crybaby.
Moderator: Do you ever get a chance to make it to any of the
Disney parks since you are under the big Disney umbrella?
C. Ramirez: Oh, my gosh, yes. I actually just went the other
day for a premiere, but I didn’t get to ride any of the
rides, except the Cars ride. I’ve only been to Disneyland
and California Adventures, but it was such a blast. I’m
working on getting my year pass so that’s been really fun.
Moderator: What is your favorite Disney character?
C. Ramirez: I definitely have to go with Ariel. I loved The
Little Mermaid growing up.
Moderator: What is your favorite Disney Park worldwide?
C. Ramirez: I’ve only been to one, so I would definitely have
to say probably California Adventures, because I’m growing
up and those are kind of the more adventurous rides.
Moderator: What is your favorite Disney ride?
C. Ramirez: The Hollywood Tower of Terror.
Moderator: How about your favorite Disney food or restaurant?
C. Ramirez: Favorite Disney food or restaurant; This is not a
very Disney restaurant at all, but I love the fact that
every time I go to Starbucks they have those little Disney
cups. For my birthday I went, I think it’s called Club 33.
The little secret room, so that was really fun. Not that
many people I know have gone, so that was a blast.
S. Sander What is your favorite Disney movie?
C. Ramirez: The Little Mermaid.
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