The Fosters' Kerr Smith on Robert's Win-Win Situation with Callie & More

Callie (Maia Mitchell) makes a tough decision on tonight’s episode of The Fosters and we got the scoop!

JJJ caught up with star Kerr Smith, who of course plays Robert Quinn, her biological father. As Callie’s dealing with this police investigation, it looks like she will be moving in with him to avoid getting the Fosters involved.

But are Robert’s intentions good? And how will Jude (Hayden Byerly) react to the news? Check out our interview with Kerr below!

The Fosters airs TONIGHT, February 23 @ 8PM on ABC Family!

JustJaredJr.com: So here at JJJ, we’re constantly going back and forth about Robert. One minute we like him and the next, we want him to go away (laughs). How much did you know about the character and his intentions going in?

Kerr Smith: Nothing, actually. This has kind of developed as we’ve gone along. Initially, I was only slated to do four or five episodes and it’s turned into this whole big storyline, which is great because it’s been an awesome experience and a really fun storyline. What you said about not knowing which way to go with Robert – sometimes you root for him and sometimes you just want him to go away – that’s great that you said that because that’s exactly what I want in a character.

Click inside to read the rest of our interview with Kerr Smith…

JustJaredJr.com Interview – Kerr Smith

When I first read it, I was like, OK, he’s going to rip Callie out of this nice family situation that she has going on. He has every right to do that because he’s the biological father. But I wanted to play the character in such a way that the audience will root for him. Because even though he’s doing something they don’t like, you have to come from the Fosters perspective and the Quinn perspective, which is, “Look, I’m a victim too. I didn’t even know Callie existed in my life.” There is a lot of guilt that comes associated with that. I just wanted people to feel for Robert as much as they feel for Callie in this awkward situation.

JJJ: Is it fun as an actor to play that line of likeability with the audience?

KS: It’s stuff that’s in between the line and it depends on the actor which way you want to go. I found it more interesting that people were going to root for someone they might consider a villain or the antagonist.

JJJ: With Callie moving in and him helping her with the police situation, does Robert have any ulterior motives? Or is this just a win-win situation for him?

KS: I’m coming from the angle that it’s kind of a win-win, although I think there’s more of a win if she’s in the Quinn house. But she has a good situation over there and has two parents who absolutely love her. But again, it comes back to this poor guy just wanting to get to know his daughter. I personally don’t think that’s anything selfish at all.

JJJ: There’s been a lot of tension between Robert and Stef and Lena. Is it safe to say it’s going to get worse before it gets better?

KS: Yes. Teri [Polo] and I have been having fun with it because it seems every scene we do, we’re giving each other the stink eye. It’s going to develop. It’s going to be Fosters versus Quinn. You’re going to see Stef go to some lengths…you may be a little surprised. She’s going to get some ammunition against Robert, let’s put it that way.

JJJ: What about Robert’s wife? Does she have any hesitation with Callie moving in? Will we see more of her?

KS: Yeah, she actually gets a lot more involved. You’re going to see a lot more scenes with her, Callie, Jude, and myself. Yeah, she does. I think it’s OK to say that she gets on Team Robert. I think in the beginning, as any wife would, she was like, “Wait a minute, what’s going on here? This is a child from another woman. This is weird. I don’t know. We already have a kid.” Blah, blah, blah. But after a while, she understands that everything that Robert is doing is out of love for this daughter he never knew he had. That’s his life partner and she’s got to stand behind him on something like that.

JJJ: And where does Jude come in?

KS: Poor Jude is kind of caught in the middle, right? Callie feels really bad about it. She’s trying to make this situation of where she’s going to live, and that definitely affects Jude’s life in many ways. I even have talks with Jude that say, “Look, this doesn’t mean you’re out of the picture. You’ve very much in the picture. You can be a part of this situation to any degree that you want. This isn’t just about Callie. This is about you too.” I think it’s a really endearing quality that Robert has. He includes Jude in all of this.

JJJ: Wow, so we’ll be seeing Robert have scenes with more characters.

KS: There are some interactions with Rosie’s [O'Donnell] character, which is kind of neat. We get together off screen and get a surprise for Callie. I won’t tell you what that is, but it’s a nice surprise.

KS: Initially, no. I don’t think there’s a scenario that would work out for everybody. There are egos involved here. But I think wherever she decides to go, I think over time, the “losing party” – if that’s what you want to call it – will accept what’s going on. It’s really a win-win situation for Robert. He knows she has a great situation with the Fosters, but biologically, he’s the father of this child and he just wants to get to know his daughter. That’s just the bottom line.

JJJ: And lastly, Robert mentioned Sophia last week. Will we be seeing her soon?

KS: Oh yeah, she’ll be back. Bailee’s [Madison] a busy girl, so we can only get her part time. But believe me, if she was available all the time, she wouldn’t be at some crazy asylum. She would be in more scenes. But yeah, she’ll be back.