YA Mag decided to take a different appraoch on interviews and let the actors speak about who they are and what they like most about their characters. Here you’ll find Hayden Byerly talk about his character Jude on The Fosters, and some of things he hopes people take away. Enjoy!

 

I love Jude’s character and all he brings to The Fosters. He started off as this young boy who was lost, shuffled through the foster care system, with only the security of his sister, Callie. I can’t imagine what Jude went through prior to us meeting him in the pilot but can most definitely see he has blossomed since being taken in by Lena and Stef. I think the writers have done a great job teaching us about the struggles of the foster care system. In real life, these kids can be missing so much, like food, stability, honesty from others, trust, education opportunities, friends, and tragically, so much more.

 

 

Jude seems to have adapted well to his new family. I’m sure Jude is no stranger to sharing a room but to see Jude stand up for himself towards Jesus was a shocker to us all. It looks as if Jude is starting to feel more comfortable speaking up and like he’s gained confidence from being surrounded by loving and encouraging people.

 

We always see Jude going to Lena with his questions. I love the confidant he has found in her.  I like how he is smart enough to take bits and pieces from each of his family members, making their unique qualities a part of his own. He really is an amazing kid. We saw him drawn towards Mariana. She seems to be the one that started the “being different is ok” thoughts that run through his mind. Even though we always knew Jude was curious, I feel without her support he would have never opened up this way. Jude has done a lot of questioning of his sexuality in the most recent episodes but I feel like there is so much more to learn about him. What if for some reason it wasn’t Callie’s anger that had the two of them moving from home to home, as she seems to blame herself for, but something else? I also loved working with Jamie McShane so I personally would like to see Jude’s father come back. And I would love to know more about Jude’s past. Some days I’m like, “Wait! It seems too easy to just pop into this amazing family! How did Jude get here?”

 

I love being on The Fosters because it’s a show that spreads such a positive message to so many people, on so many topics.