Last season, ABC Family's The Fosters made history by featuring the youngest ever same-sex kiss on TV. It didn't take long for #Jonnor, a combination of Jude (Hayden Byerly) and Connor (Gavin MacIntosh), to become one of the hottest topics trending on Twitter. However, the groundbreaking moment is a lot more than just a hashtag, it's a sign of real social change in our country. Ahead of tonight's Season 3 premiere, we spoke with Hayden, who has become a role model for countless LGBT youth, an honor he doesn't take lightly. Handling himself with enough grace and maturity to put most adults to shame, the 14-year-old is striving to make a real and lasting difference for those in need of support.
Classicalite: What can you tell us about tonight's all new episode? What is in store for Jude in Season 3?
Hayden: Well, in the coming episodes of this season, we see a lot of the storyline will be based around [Jude] and Connor's newfound relationship. It's going to be them experiencing, you know, what to do with their new love, and how they are going to deal with some issues...
Obviously, the end of Season 2 left off with a big cliffhanger, so we will see the family being affected by that, as well as how it affects Jude.
CL: Can we expect to see Jude and Connor be more open with their relationship now that Connor's father knows:
HB: Not necessarily...Jude is really the one who wants to keep it under wraps. He wants to make sure that it is kind of on the down low, and Connor is the one who kind of wants to be a little bit more open about it, because he has told his dad and his dad knows now.
So, it is a little conflicting between the two of them, because they both have different opinions on what to do...
CL: Obviously, Jonnor is one of the most talked about TV couples. Maia Mitchell is blowing up with Teen Beach Movie 2. This is shaping up to be a pretty big year for The Fosters. Are you ready for all the attention that is coming?
HB: I don't think so. I think...I don't think so. [Laughs] No, I think that a lot of the attention that we have is very good, and so I think that it is always nice to hear the great stories that people have to tell and the nice things that they have to say.
Obviously there is some bad with the good, but I think that there is a lot of positivity and it kind of covers the bad. So I am very excited to see the feedback that we get from this season of The Fosters.
CL: A large part of the show centers around the adopted family dynamic. Since taking on the role, have you gotten to meet a lot of kids in the foster care system? How do they respond to the show?
HB: I have gotten to meet a lot of kids in the foster care system on many different occasions, and in my own life, I have done a lot with the foster care system.
But, I think that one of the most awesome things about meeting all these foster kids, is that they all say that they love the show and that it portrays the foster system so well...
And I think that is awesome to be able to talk to these kids and hear what they have to say about our show, and that they say it is accurate, we do a great job at portraying it.
CL: I know it is a little early in your life for you to be planning your own family, but could you see yourself fostering or adopting a child when you are older?
HB: Yeah, I could. I could definitely see myself adopting or fostering a child in the future.
CL: This year you will be joined by another groundbreaking show, Becoming Us. Caitlyn Jenner just revealed herself to the world. Do you think that all the press around Caitlyn Jenner's transition will help both shows?
HB: I am not sure if it will help both of the shows. I think that Caitlyn's journey and the things that she has openly put out to the public [about transitioning] is an incredible thing...and I do think that many people have seen it, and it has kind of opened their eyes.
So, it is entirely possible that a lot of people that have seen [Caitlyn's journey] or read a lot about what she has done, will start to search more in the world for shows and documentaries and articles...that include a lot of different stories and a lot of what is happening in the world today, and the things and the people that are around us.
For her to have her documentary to come out and all these different stories, I do think that it could help The Fosters.
CL: Drake Bell recently tweeted that he was still going to call Caitlyn Jenner, "Bruce." How important are pronouns in this discussion?
HB: Very! Pronouns are very important throughout...It is also somewhat confusing, to the point where you have to learn all these names. I have learned them through going to so many different events and being a part of that community, but the average person might not know the proper terms.
So, I think that having someone who hasn't heard of a lot of these before, may be confused by it, and of course, a lot of people aren't accepting of it.
And that is one of the most difficult parts [for transgendered people to go through]...people not accepting them for who they are, you know...whether they are a man or a woman...it doesn't necessarily matter, as long as they are who they are, and they are happy with that.
That is the only thing that is important.
CL: You said Jude is the one who wants to keep the relationship under wraps, but in a way Jude is lucky that his adoptive parents are lesbians, and more likely to be supportive of his sexuality. Not all kids are so lucky. Do you think that he would have had been as comfortable exploring who he is without that influence?
HB: I don't think so, no.
I think that if he had a male and a female...a mom and a dad...that were accepting, then he would still be very open. [The fact that Jude's parents] are very accepting of him being gay, or him being straight, I think that is what really helps him be able to talk openly about his sexuality...
As long as the [straight parents] were still accepting of that and shared the same type of ideas and beliefs that Stef and Lena do, I definitely think he would still be comfortable telling them that.
CL: What would you say to the critics that might point to Jude's lack of a positive father figure or his "non-traditional" family dynamic as something that might "make him gay?"
HB: I am a person who strongly believes that being gay or straight is not a choice, so I don't necessarily understand their point when they say that he was influenced by his moms and that they changed him and kind of shaped him into a gay person.
I think that no matter what sort of surroundings you are in, that you are who you are. And if you are gay or straight, it doesn't matter if you are in a gay family or a straight family, I don't think that affects you at all.
I don't think that a lack of a father figure has really affected him in any way. Obviously, there are different things that come with being raised with a mom and a dad and different people, but I think that he still gets kind of the very soft, sweet side from his moms, and at times, they are very strict and hard on him.
So I think you see the sides of a mom and a dad, in a mom and mom or a dad and a dad. I don't think you need to have one of each gender to be your parents to have the same type of experiences and to have them raise you the same way.
CL: The Jude and Connor kiss has garnered a lot of attention both positive and negative. What kind of reactions has there been from both ends of the spectrum?
HB: There has obviously been positive and negative, and I think that the majority of the negative has been people who are not accepting of it. And that is something that is one of the main topics talked about when someone is gay or transgender, is people not accepting that.
So for me to be playing a gay character, a lot of people don't necessarily agree with that. They also don't necessarily agree that a straight boy should be playing a gay character. Very, in my opinion, absurd things to say. But a lot of the positive has been that this role has helped a lot of [LGBT youth] in their own lives, in their personal lives and in their own experiences. And they have accepted who they are, or they have come out to their parents.
All these different things outweigh the bad so much that it is almost like the negative isn't even there. I think that with this role, having people who aren't accepting of it is never going to outweigh the people who have had their lives changed for the better.
CL: Maybe it is a generational thing, but when I was growing up in the 90s, it felt like if you were straight and you supported gay rights, you might be bullied or labeled as gay as well, and a lot of people would just not speak up for fear of that. What would you say to those silent supporters out there to encourage them to speak up?
HB: The world is changing. It is a different place, and there are still obviously people who don't agree with whether someone is gay or transgender, but those people are not as powerful as they were a long time ago.
People have a different outlook on things. People have different opinions now, and they are being changed -- in my opinion -- for the better. We are starting to have more and more people accept who is around them for being different and for coming out and saying that they are gay or straight or transgender or this or that.
And that is something that is starting to be a bigger thing. More and more people are starting to say who they are and come out because of the amount of people who are super, super accepting about it -- super open to them being, you know, this different person. And I think that for the people who are still afraid, I think we have to make sure that... in the end, you don't want to make a mistake of going through your life and not taking a chance to be who you actually are.
That is kind of what Caitlyn said about her life, was that she grew up being someone that she was not, and that she regrets that very much. And I think that's a very important thing.
Because if you are gay, you have to make sure that people know you as gay...that you grow up being a gay person. Because that is who you are, that is a big part of your life. You need to make sure that you grow up being the person that you are.
CL: Were you prepared for the burden of the role? Not the negative attention, but the responsibility that comes with being a symbol for a movement?
HB: When I first started the show, no I was not ready. I was definitely not ready to take on such a complex and very interesting character. To have him be a big role model to lots of kids is something that was very nerve-racking for me.
So, it did take a fair amount of time for me to kind of accept this role, not just because he's gay, but because he is someone who is a very interesting character to play. He's not super easy, it's not like anybody can just roll out of bed and wake up and do something like this.
I am not saying that what I am doing is genius or incredible, but it is something that is different and definitely not for everyone. So to have this responsibility and to have this burden as being basically a gay icon for young kids, took a little bit of time for me to kind of accept and to be open about.
Not necessarily because I wasn't accepting of gay people or anything close to that, but it was just a lot to take on, especially so early in my age, when I was still young. I started the role when I was 12-years-old, and I am definitely different now, but playing such an interesting role at such a young age is something that is very difficult to do. When you're going through these experiences, your figuring stuff out, and your character is figuring stuff out, and they both go off in different directions...it's a little confusing.
CL: What other kinds of roles would you like to play next and what other social issues would you like to tackle in the future?
HB: I think that roles like this, where they make a difference...make a stance, they show people that being gay or being transgender or being straight or whoever you are is ok. Those are some of the main roles that I, very much so, enjoy playing.
I think that in the future, I want to continue trying to make sure that I, even after the show, move forward trying to spread the word that this is OK. That this is not a bad thing. That this is something that many people have to go through, and I want to still be able to help people who are gay or who are transgender be able to say that they are, openly...that they will be able to come out.
And I want to make sure that The Fosters makes a mark, and that that mark is left there for a very long time and makes a lot of different changes. And it's doing that right now, and it's great to be a part of that. So in the future, I would love to be a part of anything that dealt with any serious topic that is going on today, that has a very controversial kind of argument to it.
Be sure to tune into the Season 3 premiere of The Fosters, tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern on ABC Family.
You can help support foster children in need by visiting www.haydenshopetotes.org
