"The Fosters" star Tom Phelan recently talked about his character Cole, a transgender young man. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Phelan, who is also transgender in real life, shared what it was like auditioning for the hit ABC Family series.
"My mom got a call and they asked if I wanted to come and audition. I was away on a school rafting trip. When I got back, I was the most sunburned I've ever been and I was like, 'What not? It'll never happen but it'll be cool to audition,'" she recounted.
Meanwhile, ahead of his appearance on "The Fosters," Pheland revealed what it was like coming out as a transgender for the first time ever. According to him, he first told his parents and then all of his friends. At that time, Phelan's parents took some of the burden off his shoulders by sending out an email telling all of their family members and relatives that the actor should now be referred to as a "he."
"It was really great of them because coming out a million times can be really emotionally exhausting, so the fact that they took on some of that burden themselves was really great," he said.
Phelan has also received countless positive comments and feedback from audiences who could relate to him and his transition. According to him, transgender characters on television are important because they can serve as inspiration especially to young viewers.
"Characters like Cole and characters like Laverne Cox's Sophia on 'Orange is the New Black' are really important, especially for trans kids who are coming into their own and just realizing that this is something that they might be," he said.
Phelan recently appeared as his transgender self on "The Fosters" Season 3. Back in Season 2, he was portrayed as a character that was still coming to terms with her sexuality, GLAAD reported.
"The Fosters" Season 3 airs Monday nights on ABC Family.
