The Fosters' Maia Mitchell on Callie Meeting Her Birth Father, & More! (JJJ Interview)

After last season’s jaw-dropping finale, we’re so excited that The Fosters picks back up tonight with season two!

We caught up with star Maia Mitchell to get the dirt on what’s going down this time around, including Callie’s relationship with Brandon (David Lambert), her adoption troubles, and her totally justified trepidation when it comes to meeting her birth father (played by Kerr Smith).

We can’t wait to see what happens! Be sure to tune in to The Fosters premiere TONIGHT @ 9/8c on ABC Family!

JustJaredJr: So much happened in the finale! Do we pick up right after those events?

Maia Mitchell: There’s a time jump, so basically the family has settled after Brandon’s incident. Callie is still dealing with the court stuff surrounding her birth father, and whether she wants to go down that path and discover who he is. You see her still trying to process that and the family kind of picking up the pieces after the finale.

Click inside to see the rest of our interview with Maia Mitchell…

JustJaredJr.com Interview – Maia Mitchell

JJJ: Does Callie have any interest in knowing her birth father, or is she only focused on getting those papers signed?

MM: Right now, she really has tunnel vision in wanting to be adopted. That’s where her goals are. I think she has so many doors opening for her and things coming up from her past, and I think right now she wants things to be settled and wants some peace, to play it safe. I think she doesn’t want anything to do with this Robert person. In her mind, he didn’t raise her, she doesn’t know who this person is, why should she open that door without knowing what’s on the other side of it? And so yeah, I think she just wants to be adopted and there’s that conundrum of that she does need to go down that road if she does want to be adopted. She’s thinking, “Can I still be a part of the family without needing a piece of paper?” She really does have to go through all that.

JJJ: We know Kerr Smith was cast as Robert and they do meet at some point. What’s her mind set when she comes face-to-face with him?

MM: I think she’s absolutely not looking for a father figure. I don’t think she’s very open to having that relationship at all. Whether that changes throughout the season, we’ll have to find out, but she really has her mind set on being a part of the Fosters and being raised by the moms. She doesn’t think she needs that father figure right now. She definitely doesn’t go into that relationship wanting anything from him, other than his abandonment really.

JJJ: Much of last season Callie spent worrying about Jude. Now that he’s been formally adopted, will we see her relax a little? Maybe have some fun and focus on herself?

MM: Yeah, you do. I think it’s a huge weight off her shoulders to know Jude has been adopted and that he does have that safe place that she knows is always going to be there. I think that’s a huge relief. So you do see her trying to build her life and really work on herself. There are a lot of setbacks. Right now, she’s in a relationship with Wyatt. She’s exploring that and I guess you’ll see some challenges from that, just from her past and what she’s experienced with intimacy with Liam. So that comes back a little bit. She’s really trying to work through her past and the things that have happened.

JJJ: Where does Callie’s relationship with Brandon stand? Are things awkward because she’s with Wyatt?

MM: I don’t think it’s awkward. They are very much both wanting for Callie to be part of the family and they have no romantic attachment to each other. You see them letting go of that. He starts to become interested in this girl Lou, and it’s hard for him to let go of her. They almost feel like they need each other’s permission to keep letting go and keep moving on. You do see that happening in those stages, and the progression of that letting go. But I don’t think it’s awkward. They’re too close and they love each other too much to let it be awkward.

JJJ: Brandon and Dani’s hookup has yet to come out. That can’t stay a secret forever, right? Will we see other people’s reactions to that this season?

MM: You’ll definitely see Brandon struggling with it (laughs). He’s his own worst enemy and he has such a conscience. You see Brandon really, really struggling with that. I’m not sure how much I can say. There are definitely consequences to those actions, yes.

JJJ: Brandon’s hand is going to cause some problems where his music career is concerned. Will he turn to Callie for support?

MM: He’s going through a rough time. I think it’s important to them to find support in other people right now. But they do talk about it, and you do see, especially in the season premiere, they have a conversation about it. But it’s interrupted by Wyatt, so there’s still that dynamic. His hand is pretty messed up and he’s going to have to figure out maybe a change of direction. He was a classical pianist and so now he’s going to have to let go of that. Callie and Mariana especially try to open him up to new stuff and new music. So yeah actually, Callie is a huge support and a big part of why he joins the band, and moves forth with maybe a different kind of music.

JJJ: Speaking of that, we love that Callie and Mariana have become really close. Will we see a lot of scenes with them together this season?

MM: Yeah, it’s actually very similar to mine and Cierra’s relationship. She’s a couple years younger than me and we have that sister dynamic. I love their friendship. It’s really fun and they’re definitely sisters now. I’m excited for everyone to see it. They have a lot of funny, typical Callie-Mariana moments, especially because they share a room.