Cierra Ramirez has come a long way as an actress. From earlier roles on “CSI: Miami”, “Desperate Housewives”, Cierra would eventually appear in multiple episodes of “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” and on the final season of “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” and her first feature film with Ava Mendes in the 2012 film “Girl in Progress”.
And now, Cierra Ramirez stars in the ABC drama “The Fosters”, playing the character Mariana Foster.
The series revolves around a bi-racial lesbian couple Lena (portrayed by Sherri Saum) and Stef (portrayed by Teri Polo) who raise a biological son and several adoptive children. Lena, an altruistic school principal wants to save children and tries to introduce new children into the family, while Stef is a police officer who is not always aware that Lena has brought new additions to their growing family. Especially with the addition of Callie (portrayed by Maia Mitchell), a troubled teenager who is known to turn family’s lives upside down.
In the series, the character of Mariana Foster is one of the adopted daughters who is the fraternal twin sister of Jesus. She is popular, smart and cares for her appearances a lot. But she has recently connected with her real mother who needs money and so Mariana resorts to drug trafficking. But when she gets in trouble, she puts the blame on the new adopted and troubled girl of the family, Callie.
“The Fosters” airs on Mondays on ABC Family, 9/8 central.
Recently, ABC Family held a media Q&A with Cierra Ramirez to promote the show. Here is a transcript from the Q&A:
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 Familyâ€. 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? Â
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.
For more information on “The Fosters”, please visit the official website.