Interview: Sherri Saum Previews The Fosters 3B – Exclusive

It’s been a rough season so far for Lena and Stef on The Fosters and it looks like their struggles are anything but over. We spoke with series star Sherri Saum about what’s ahead for the duo, that upcoming musical episode, and what else the fans can look forward to when the series returns with the second half of season 3.

Read on for our interview with Sherri Saum below:

Lena really struggled last season with the situation with Monte and Stef. Has that kind of resolved itself or is that still going to be an issue this time around?

Sherri Saum: I don’t know that something like that can be resolved so quickly. It’s such a breach of trust. Once that trust is broken in a relationship it’s really hard to rebuild. Especially because the factor in the whole thing is still present with Monte – Lena has to work with her every day. But I think Stef and I had a lot of work and communication about it, painful as it was, and I think it made us wake up that we need to take care of each other and be there for each other so that we don’t turn to other people. But it’s not going to go away anytime soon. It’s a toughie.

Lena has always been really good at being there for Stef. I feel like that health scare last season kind of brought the two of them back together. Are they going to be as united this time around with everything that Stef is going through?

I think so. I think it’s a strange blessing in disguise. Anytime someone goes through something really serious or scary, it kind of refocuses you and makes you see how important they are. All the trivialities of life and all the petty annoyances kind of disappear and you get to focus on the person and why you love them and why you can’t live without them. So in that sense it’s a silver lining.

How has it been with Noah Centineo joining the cast? I hear he’s been a great addition.

Yeah, Noah just fits in like a glove. He didn’t skip a beat. There wasn’t an awkward adjustment period. He didn’t even blink. He got our sense of humor on the set and he was fearless and made Jesus his own. That’s a really hard thing to do for a young actor with an established role. I’m so proud of him and I really enjoy working with him.

You’ve had a few great guest stars this season. Can you talk a little about working with them?

Oh yeah, Kelli Williams and Rob Morrow, and once again the wonderful Annie Potts. We are just so blessed with our guest stars. They have just added colors and layers and depth to the show. I think everyone will be really pleased with how they fit into the stories.

What can you tell us about the upcoming musical episode? Do you get to kind of jump in there too?

I wish. I can sang. I can’t just sing but I can sang. In reality I really, really can’t so I can see why they’re keeping me at arm’s length during that episode. Lena is obviously a part of it for her son’s sake and attends the show but this one is all about the kids and their project. It’s really exciting. It’s something that Bradley [Bredeweg] is really proud of and it’s a huge undertaking. I can’t believe they pulled it off as beautifully as they did.

What else is ahead for Lena that the viewers can look forward to?

Well, let’s say that Lena has some struggles of her own with trying to figure out what’s best for Stef and kind of battling with Stef’s mom about what’s best for Stef. So we kind of have to navigate those waters a bit and reestablish our time. There’s so much going on with the kids so we have to fight for that and we know now how important that is and we manage to achieve that.

Thank you so much to Sherri Saum for taking the time to chat with us! Be sure to follow her on Twitter @SherriSaum1 for all updates.

Don’t forget to watch Sherri Saum on The Fosters when it returns to Freeform Monday, Jan. 25, and refresh your memory of where season 3A left off. You can also check out our interview with Hayden Byerly, who plays Jude on the show.