How to Get Cast on ‘Good Trouble’

“Good Trouble” is a spinoff of “The Fosters,” which originally aired on ABC Family before moving to Freeform. Set five years after its predecessor, “Good Trouble” follows new college graduates Callie and Mariana Foster as they grapple with their intimidating careers as a law clerk and a software engineer, respectively, and move into the Coterie, a communal apartment building in Los Angeles. In Seasons 2 and 3, the sisters face heartbreak and tough decisions, struggling to strike a balance between their professional and personal relationships. And in Season 4, The Coterie crew find themselves going down diverging paths.

Throughout its four seasons, the “Good Trouble” cast has remained relatively consistent. The ensemble includes:

• Maia Mitchell as Callie Adams Foster
• Cierra Ramirez as Mariana Adams Foster
• Zuri Adele as Malika Williams
• Sherry Cola as Alice Kwan
• Tommy Martinez as Gael Martinez
• Roger Bart as Curtis Wilson
• Emma Hunton as Davia Moss
• Josh Pence as Dennis Cooper
• Beau Mirchoff as Jamie Hunter
• Priscilla Quintana as Isabella Tavez
• Bryan Craig as Joaquin Peréz

In Episode 2 of Season 4, fans said goodbye to Mitchell’s character, Callie Adams Foster. Series co-creator Joanna Johnson had hoped that Mitchell would stay, but the actor opted to return to her native Australia, as she had not seen her family for two years due to lockdown restrictions. However, Johnson assured fans that “[Mitchell is] always going to be part of the family, and I don’t think it’s the last we’ll ever see of Callie. Callie’s journey is happening off-camera, but we’ll catch up with her.” Along with Mitchell’s exit, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Mirchoff’s character, Jamie, is also leaving. According to Johnson, Mirchoff’s exit from the series is due to the writers’ decision that Callie and Jamie should get the happy ending the show always intended.

“Good Trouble” is cast by Deborah George, Scott Genkinger, Becky Silverman, and Mary Venderley, each of whom has years of experience finding talent for television series and films. Longtime CD duo George and Genkinger also cast “The Fosters” alongside Dawn Nygren.

For “Good Trouble,” the producers and casting directors sought out a wide spectrum of actors from a variety of cultures and backgrounds to reflect the diversity of the L.A. setting. Building off the foundation laid by “The Fosters” (which infamously rattled some conservative cages by depicting a same-sex couple raising children of mixed ethnicities), “Good Trouble” has continued to provide a platform for voices who don’t always get featured on television.

When Zuri Adele, who plays activist Malika Williams, auditioned, she said producers and casting directors had a variety of women read for the part; they were open to having the chosen actor shape the character’s appearance and vibe. “We all looked different,” she told the Advocate. “They were still finding Malika, and I loved that. I loved seeing the diversity among Black women, and that they were really open to that—because all the women in the waiting room, we expressed ourselves really differently, from our fashion to our hair to our voices. It was just cool to see that: Oh, Malika could be any of us. They’re really breaking that ground.” She added that “there has been a [history] of Black women being caricatures, in a way, on TV…. It was so great to see so many different looking women in that room.”

Because “Good Trouble” is a spinoff of “The Fosters,” its two leads were cast from the jump; but the series also introduced a whole new crop of supporting characters. Speaking on the development phase of the show, Johnson said that she was initially “sort of resisting it becoming an ensemble show, I think because I felt so attached to ‘The Fosters’ and that ensemble. And I thought, How am I ever going to love another ensemble the way that I love ‘The Fosters’? But it’s been really fun to have fresh character points of view to have [Callie and Mariana] play off of. It’s a new toy chest.”

Tommy Martinez (“Riverdale,” “Hunters”), who plays bisexual artist Gael, remembered that his rigorous screening process consisted of a monthlong series of four auditions. It began with the initial audition, followed by a producer session, chemistry read, and network test. “I first read with Scott Genkinger, and it wasn’t on tape,” he said. “I had all the sides, and I truly felt myself in Gael’s life and prepared as much as I could. After the audition, Scott asked me a couple of questions about my life and how I got started here in Los Angeles…. A week later, I’m in the room with Joanna Johnson, Peter Paige, and Bradley Bredeweg—all of the creators…. An actor can run circles in their mind thinking, What the hell does that mean? Did they like me? I don’t know, but at least I was happy with what I put up.”

Similarly, Sherry Cola jumped at the chance to play Coterie manager Alice Kwan. “Off the bat, I was told that a ‘first-generation Asian lesbian, not out to her parents, aspires to be a standup’ was something that these creators wanted to see. So many aspects of Alice mirror my real life, so it went from ‘I want this role’ to ‘I need this role,’ especially because of how under-represented this specific story has been,” she said in a 2019 interview.

Freeform hasn’t yet announced whether or not the show will be renewed for a fifth season. However, the creators are hopeful that the next chapter will soon be greenlit. Be sure to keep an eye on our casting section for the latest news about renewals.

Because Season 5 hasn’t been confirmed, there are currently no casting calls. However, you can stay on top of potential notices via Freeform’s website, Twitter, and Instagram. The show’s official Twitter and Instagram also regularly share updates and audition opportunities. You can also stay up to date by bookmarking our roundup of similar gigs.

Check out this advice from the show’s stars on how to prepare for a “Good Trouble” audition.

• Step out of your comfort zone: “Never judge your character,” advised Martinez. “We all do this for the love of storytelling, and if you judge your character, that will seep [into] your performance. I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous because I had never kissed a man before; but it was completely natural. Michael Galante [who plays Bryan] and I really hit it off. [He is] such an incredible person, and we had a blast telling these stories. Part of acting is stepping out of your comfort zone, but once you step over to that side, you’ll realize that it’s not anything that you ever thought of. We all became family, and we love creating what we do…. So will you.”
• Know the power of your individuality: “The key is to walk in with one important prop: me,” said Cola in an interview with us. “Peter Paige recently told me that actors are the worst liars. It took me a second to fully grasp, but it makes so much sense. See, the common misconception is that actors are the best liars, because we’re ‘pretending’ to be other people. But are we? Is it make-believe, or are we actually just revealing a different version of ourselves? Turns out, at least for me, that the fantasy isn’t that far from reality.
• Make sure your unique voice is heard: “There are stories that have to be told that are ready to be told, and [Freeform is] looking for your vessel,” Adele said. “They’re looking for you! Our casting team is so ready to meet you. Freeform network is the network where we get to tell all the stories we wanna tell, and we get to dismantle the systems that we need to dismantle.”
• It’s normal to be hard on yourself: Maia Mitchell said her original audition for “The Fosters” was “a complete flop,” via the Daily Mail. “I said to Scott, who was our casting director, ‘I am so sorry. I know that was crap. Please bring me back, because I can act, and I love this role, and I am so passionate about it. The next time I came back was with Peter Paige and Brad Bredeweg, and they said the moment they saw me, they knew I was Callie.”