Interview with Cierra Ramirez on ‘The Fosters’

Cierra Ramirez stars as Mariana Foster on the hit ABC Family original drama series The Fosters. The Fosters has become an instant hit with viewers and we find ourselves looking forward to a new episode every week. Cierra previously appeared on The Secret Life of the American Teenager as well as The Suite Life of Zack and Cody on the Disney Channel.

We recently had the chance to chat with Cierra about the current season of The Fosters and what we can expect from her character Mariana in the upcoming new episodes.

Read on for our interview with Cierra Ramirez:

Pop City Life: Mariana has had a rough first half of the season. With a possible new love interest on the horizon, is this Mariana’s chance to finally be happy?

Cierra Ramirez: Well, you did see Mariana deal with some very dark issues on the first half of the season, so it has definitely lightened up. But I wouldn’t say that it’s all just gone. A lot of her stuff will come back to haunt her, so you can definitely look forward to some dark stuff coming up.

Pop City Life: As Mariana begins to associate with others, would you say she’s struggling without Lexi around?

Cierra: It is a story that will continue, and you’ve kind of seen how the relationship and dynamic has changed with Lexi now dating her brother. You’re going to see how that kind of comes into play. And with her leaving, yes, I definitely think that she will miss Lexi in her life.

Also revealed on the conference call:

How are these perceived expectations of teen normalcy (having a boyfriend) going to affect her actions this half of the season?

Cierra: It actually unravels in one of the upcoming episodes. There is a lot of pressure, and especially if there’s competition. I don’t want to say too much but there might be a little competition in the running towards a love interest. But, yes, there will be pressure, and you’ll see that all unravel.

What issues in the upcoming episodes would you like to see Mariana take on?

Cierra: If I had to go back to the idea of pressures, pressuring in the teen dating life, I think maybe dealing with the idea of sex or virginity. They have touched it briefly on the show. But I think it’s different with a girl. I think Mariana would be interesting in that scenario. You might be able to see something like that on this upcoming season. It will be interesting.

Is there a possibility of something happening between Mariana, Zac and Chase?

Cierra: Oh, I don’t want to give too much away, but maybe you’re on to something! You know she’s never had a boyfriend, so a lot of that topic will surface and there could possibly be a love triangle.

What does Mariana feel about Brandon and Callie’s relationship?

Cierra: Her relationship with Callie has grown and progressed so much over the first half of the season into this sisterly relationship. She’s known Brandon for so much of her life, that’s her brother, and for them to be dating, I don’t think she approves. Cierra is definitely Team Brallie, but Mariana’s definitely not. I’ve got to say I love those moments. Brandon’s truth comes to play — you’ll see how the whole Foster family really approves or disapproves of it.

What do you think has made The Fosters such a quick fan favorite series?

Cierra: The fact that it deals with topics and issues that are so real and relevant right now in the world — but they aren’t often on television for the viewers to see. I think it has done really well, being able to connect to the audiences. That’s the best part about the series — having people approach you saying that they really relate to a certain character or storyline. That’s what the whole idea of the show is, it’s so universal. I think that’s really awesome to see.

What guest stars will we be seeing this season?

Cierra: Well, you did see Rosie O’Donnell, that’s going to be really awesome. I’m really excited for that. I wasn’t really a part of that whole filming process, so I’m excited for that as well. Garrett Clayton will be guest starring as one of Mariana’s possible love interests, so that’s going to be interesting as well.

 

Once again, we’d like to thank Cierra for taking the time to answer some questions for us. You can check out our first interview with Cierra Ramirez here.

Be sure to follow Cierra on Twitter and tune in to The Fosters, Mondays, on ABC Family.