Caitlin Carver – The Fosters

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) I appeared on the first season of “Hit The Floor,” which is a scripted show on VH1. It got renewed for a second season and I did the first two episodes before I began working on “The Fosters.”

Q) Your character on this season of “The Fosters” has been kept quite secretive.

A) It has been a little bit secretive! I think we can officially say that I am the new character on the series and I play a girl named Hailey Heinz. She is a student at Baker Beach High School and she is actually the star of the school dance team. So, you will get to see her dance a little bit throughout the series, which is pretty cool. Hailey is very confident and she knows what she wants. She is not going to stop until she gets what she wants, even if that requires her to be a little bit manipulative. It’s pretty fun to play that and I’m excited for you all to see the journey of my character because she is interesting. I think sometimes she can be a little manipulative and jealous. I think when I first read the character, I was like, “Oh wow! This is not like me at all.” But I think when you look at the situations that she goes through you can actually kind of connect to a little bit more than you expected.

Q) Your castmates have been quite affectionate towards you online. Was there instant chemistry when you began working together?

A) Yes! Honestly, when I say that everyone on the show (whether it is the crew, the cast, the writers or the directors) are the nicest people in the world. They welcome anyone who is around. I remember my first day I was a little bit nervous because it was a completely new atmosphere and I didn’t know what to expect. They welcomed me with open arms and they were so sweet. I’m the type of person that I try to bring fun to where ever I’m at. So, I try to make things more exciting when they’re not. I think as long as you bring the fun you are going to have it. We have so much fun on that set. We goof around and joke with each other. When I say, at the end of the day I don’t want to go home, I actually mean that. It was like that from the first episode I did. They are so kind over there because they love what they do. It’s so great to be a part of it.

Q) Norman Buckley’s work with ABC Family has been exemplary and amazing to watch.

A) He directed the Season 2 premiere. It was really, really cool because I had been a fan of ABC Family shows forever. I will be the first to admit that I love “Pretty Little Liars” and I love a number of the shows. I always see Norman’s name directing episodes and I have kept up with his work. I was a huge fan of his and I remember right after I was offered the role of Hailey I saw he was directing my first episode and I was so excited to meet him. What he does, he just has an eye for directing and he is so talented. I think he is directing the midseason finale so I am excited to work with him again since I haven’t seen him since that first episode and it is ten episodes later.

Q) What kind of advice or direction did he give with your episode?

A) I was a little bit nervous going into it, like I said. You never know what to expect going into it. He was so welcoming and being able to watch him, he knows exactly what he is doing and exactly what he wants. The days go by so quickly because he has an eye for it and they know exactly what they want to see with the final outcome of the scene. I think Norman knows that as soon as he reads the script on the page. He doesn’t even need to see actors make it come to life. He just knows when he reads it on the page what he is going to do. It was probably the shortest day I’ve filmed so far because he knew exactly what he was going to do and he got it done. If I wasn’t giving the right delivery of a line he would tell me notes that really helped me give him what he wanted. He was so interested in each person, individually, which was really cool. It was awesome to be able to work with him.

Q) Was there anything that you added to the role that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) I think that in the first few episodes I was still kind of exploring Hailey, myself. Before I went to the audition and booked the role, I created a fun character for Hailey and I brought that when I went to the audition. I think throughout the season you really get to see Hailey’s character grow and get to see her journey. I think the character is so well developed in the writers’ eyes that I can add things here and there and a little bit of what I want behind her, but in the end the writers know because they have developed these characters. They know what they want. I was talking to a writer the other day and he said how cool it was to write something down and then actually see it come to life. He got to see what he created come to life. I think I can add things here and there, but in the end I think they created such a unique character for Hailey. I just portray that and really enjoy playing her.

Q) What makes this character unique, outside of her passion for dance?

A) She definitely explores different friendships and relationships with people on the show. She does become friends with Mariana (Cierra Ramirez). Their friendship is definitely interesting. It’s going to be a little bit unexpected.

Q) Since you are a part of social networking, are you looking forward to the instant fan feedback you’ll be receiving?

A) Yes! I’m so excited. I’m really excited to see the response from people when my character is introduced. There will be a few people who will disagree with Hailey’s opinions and the way she handles things. I am just there to provide life learning lessons for people and I think people will really relate to Hailey and the things she goes through in the season. That’s the most important thing. Whether people like the character or not, I think they are going to learn something from it. They will take something from it  and use it in their own personal life. That’s important and all I really care about.

Q) Is there anything else you would like to share with fans about Hailey or about the season?

A) This season what the writing team has created is so incredible. I was just telling my friend that I had seen a few episodes of the show before my audition just so I could get an idea and vibe for the show. I remember afterward wanting to keep watching it because it can relate to our lives. I love shows that effect me personally and season two you get to see that. In Season Two the stakes are even higher and there are so many situations and things that happen that the audience is really going to be able to connect to. There are new friendships and relationships happening. there are new characters and it’s going to be really cool. I think fans are going to be super excited for Season Two. I think it’s even better than Season One. They have raised the stakes.