The Fosters Season One Finale
David Lambert Talks Season One Finale, What He Hopes is in Store For Brandon and Being On A Buzzed About Show!
Season One of ABC Family's buzzed about drama, "The Fosters" comes to an end on March 24 as some problems are resolved and some drama just keeps getting bigger. The series, which premiered on June 3, 2013, introduced Stef Foster, a police officer, and her life-partner Lena, as two mothers who are raising Stef's biological son Brandon, and adopted twins, Mariana and Jesus. As if raising three teenagers isn't hard enough, Lena meets Callie and her younger brother Jude. The brother and sister have had a rough childhood and Lena thinks providing them a good home is the right thing to do.
Expanding the household wreaks havoc on every family member's life, especially Brandon who starts to develop feelings for Callie. The season-long journey has been an emotional roller coaster albeit one that is addictive and fun to watch.
The Fosters, like other ABC Family shows, should be praised for presenting a family that doesn't look like your typical television family, yet probably looks more and more like your neighborhood or resembles somebody's life that you go to school with, if not your own. It shows, by example, tolerance and how that really, when you get right down to it, we all have the same problems, the same fears and the same goals no matter what color our skin is or who our heart chooses to fall in love with. The Fosters make as many mistakes as we do and learn just as many lessons from them.
We checked in with actor David Lambert to find out what it's like to be a part of "The Fosters." He gave us a hint as to what to expect from the finale and then talked about what he hoped will be in store for Brandon in Season Two. Find out more about this versatile performer below!
"It really did start off just like another audition for me," David recalls about the first time he heard about "The Fosters." "As an actor in L.A., you're one of thousands of kids out here just trying to audition and book something... anything! This was just another audition for me. I'd been fortunate enough to work in the past, but you know, you go through periods where you are auditioning a lot. I went in for this and I just happened to keep going back in. Before I knew it, I was part of this show. "
"I really didn't realize the scale and sort of, the impact, until, honestly, sometime during filming season one," he admits about realizing how important the show was going to be to the fans. "It was just through social media and hearing the response, and reading all these articles and seeing just how people were reacting to it all. It made me feel very honored to be a part of it. And like you said, that's a very good way of putting it; it is the new normal."
Though some people might want to dub the show "controversial," more and more households in America are bearing some resemblance to "The Fosters" every day. It's good that teenagers can turn on a television and see people that look like them and their families. Hopefully, it makes teens and even adults feel like they aren't so different from the rest of the world. David loves the approach the show takes. "What I love most about the show is we do introduce a lot of topics that maybe haven't been explored as much on television, but we did it in such a nonchalant, sort of, matter-of-fact way, that when you're watching it, you're just accepting it all. You don't even freak out... there's two Moms. They're lesbians. That's fine. They raise these kids. Two of them are adopted. That's fine. That's how it's sort of, presented. That's what I really love! That it's so low-key."
"As an actor, obviously, you just want to be a part of work that impacts people in any way, whether it's comedy or whatever. For me, I can't complain. I am very, very happy to be a part of this show. "
The character of Brandon has had quite a journey through season one. "He starts off very happy, very content. He's got a girlfriend and he's doing his music thing," David says, giving us a recap of his character's ups and downs. "It all sort of shifts when Callie's in the house and stuff. Feelings develop. I think Brandon grew a lot through Callie. I think she came in and caused him to go through a lot, just by knowing her. Obviously, he's gone through a lot too with his Dad and his alcohol problem and his drinking and the strain that puts on the family. The family in general, his relationship with his Mom, his relationship with the twins, it all sort of develops. We see more and more of that over the season. Everyone else is going through their own stuff so it really is like a normal family. It's a bigger household. Everyone has their own life they're all going through their own problems. Every so often we come together and talk about them or don't talk about them!"
Overall, how would David describe "Brandon?" "I think he's a very loving, loyal, smart kid and very talented. He usually knows where he's going. He knows what he wants and he's going to go there. He has the focus to do it. That's why I think right now is such an interesting time for him because he's totally not that and he's all over the place. It's a whole other side to Brandon."
We asked David, who is also a very talented musician that plays several different instruments, how he put the pieces of "Brandon" together to play him on-screen? "I definitely took a bit of me. He resembles me most out of any character that I've ever played. He's definitely closest to me because I can relate with him in many ways. He's also different and has his own sides that I kind of gave him," he explained.
"It was also sort of an over time process. I had to see what arc's they were giving him and I had to see what sort of kid they were making him. Once we filmed the pilot, and once I really got into it, I really think he just became an extension of myself in a lot of ways. So it's a very subtle shift to play Brandon for me. He's younger and his household is different than mine. He has more siblings than I do. He's a better pianist than I am, but I try to keep up! He's a very interesting character to play I guess, because of the similarities."
And now... the big question on everyone's minds... what the heck is going to happen on the finale? "I think we're going to see a continuation of what we dipped into last week. There was obviously a lot that happened last week and we saw sort of a confrontation between Callie and Brandon and they had a pretty intense discussion about their future and what should be done there. I think in the finale we're going to see more of things that Brandon has to face because of choices he made earlier. There's the money with Anna. He's going to have to face his parents for that. I guess overall, we're going to see Brandon really kind of feeling the effects of everything he's been bottling up and pushing aside and ignoring. He has been reckless. He has made a lot of mistakes, so I think right now, he's sort of feeling the punishment for that."
See a commercial for the finale below:
And what does David hope to see happening with Brandon next season? "I'd like to see him maybe, start over. Maybe back up a little bit, slow down and reassess the situation. Then move forward. I'd like to see some of those great redeeming qualities that he does have. He's been such a wreck and so internally conflicted that he's been almost a different kid right now. So it would be interesting to see him maybe get a little back to where he was, a little more stable and solid and happy. I don't think Brandon's been very happy lately, well, for a while now. I'd like to see him maybe cheer up a little bit and get back to a good place. "
Whatever happens, fans will likely be very vocal about what they liked or didn't like but David mentioned that he appreciates hearing about the impact the show is making. "I think more than anything it's the LGBT community," he says about people who let it be known that the show is making a difference. "I'm constantly amazed and reminded the impact that this show really has and they really do look at us as a voice! The topics of discussion, the things we're bringing up, the things that are being shown on a weekly basis on our show really means a lot to that community. I would have never thought that I, myself, could have done anything to aid that or anything; but the fact that I'm on a show like this, it kinda of comes out of nowhere and surprises me. [The show is] so 'right now,' this is what's happening now, it's current stuff. It gets me excited. I'm stoked to be a part of it! Me at a young age, I can't ask for anything more."
See David and his cast-mates on the Season Finale of "The Fosters" on ABC Family, March 24 at 9:00PM. Don't miss a second of this season-ending episode! Season 2 will be coming soon! We can't wait to see what lies ahead for the Fosters then!
For more on The Fosters, visit http://ABCFamily.go.com/shows/The-Fosters
Follow David on Twitter:http://Twitter.com/DGLambert