OlderThe Fosters' Hayden Byerly Talks Saying Goodbye to Jude
Hayden Byerly is opening up about the end of The Fosters and saying goodbye to his character Jude.
The 17-year-old actor talked with Tiger Beat about what he’s taking away from the show, literally and figuratively, having the youngest gay kiss on television, and more.
On saying goodbye to his character: “Jude is not necessarily just a character that I played, he’s also a part of me. So it’s pretty crazy. It’s almost, saying goodbye to a piece of yourself, something that has been so connected and tied to you for so long. I will never really forget Jude. He’ll always be a part of my life, but it is kind of crazy to just say goodbye to him in this particular way, to say goodbye to him on screen and to not really be able to show him to the world anymore. But there’s so many more characters and things that I hope to do and play in the future!”
On having the youngest gay kiss on TV: “I think that it’s remarkable. I’m unbelievably honored that I was allowed to be a part of history, to make such a change and to do something so big and new in the entertainment industry. The writers had approached me and talked to me about it. To me, I was like, okay, that doesn’t seem like such a crazy thing, not a big deal, but it was. It made such an impact on society, on young kids in the LGBT community that wanted to see themselves accurately represented and portrayed on television. They wanted to see a character that made them feel happy and proud to be who they are. That’s what Jude was.”
On what he took from set: “A lot of people have probably seen it. It’s never been super in your face, but one of those Hollywood license plates on his door, with his name. I ended up taking that from the set, which, if anyone from Warner Brothers calls and asks, I’ll always deny it! I remember that early into the show, when Jude first moved into the house. He always had that sign on his door, and that was one of my favorite things, so I took that.”
For more from Hayden, head over to TigerBeat.com!
