Watch out world, they’re really grown now!
Now that the countdown to graduation is officially on for the gang, this new season of grown-ish follows the crew as they embark on senior year at Cal U. With the reality that the “real world,” is right around the corner, the characters find themselves working through everything from breakups, to mental health, and more, proving that there’s a lot of beauty to come out of life’s growing pains.
Despite the changes, one thing remains constant and that’s the notion that life is a tad bit easier, when you have friends who grow with you along the way.
Ahead of the premiere of season 4B, the grown-ish cast, including Yara Shahidi, Chloe Bailey, Emily Arlook, Francia Raisa, Trevor Jackson, Jordan Buhat and Diggy Simons, chat with Shadow and Act about friendship, mental health, and some of the misconceptions that follow what it means to actually be grown!
“I think this season, we all have a ton of really determined characters and I feel like in many ways, as much as you’ve seen them grow up, a lot of them have continued down the path that they said they were going to pursue when we first met them freshman year in terms of having these future careers,” said Yara Shahidi who portrays Zoey, the fashion expert who has embarked down an interesting path as she manages to create her own lane within the industry while also juggling school (and boys).
“I feel like this season in particular, is the idea of expectation versus the reality of knowing that you can still have this passion and path, but when reality comes crashing in, how are you going to respond to it?”
As Zoey and her friends continue down this journey of life, they are met with some of the unexpected things that the world often omits when it comes to chasing your dreams.
“I think one of the most relatable parts of this season is that so many young people are following their dreams, yet at the same time, those dreams come with things that you don’t expect,” she continued.
On the other hand, Trevor Jackson hints to the fact that we’ll see his character Aaron learn how to get out of his own way a lot this season and ultimately begin to create the life he wants for himself.
“I think in creating the life that you want for yourself, it eventually comes with the decision to lose something,” Jackson shared. “You have to not only know that you can’t have the life that you currently have, but that things cannot change unless you let some things go.”
For a lot of the characters, art imitates life as the actors and actresses take what they’re learning and apply it to their own lives.
“I think I learned this in real life while I was on the show and it’s that you never truly figure it out,” said Diggy Simmons who plays Doug. “It’s a continuous mission to know [and] see who you are, see what works for you, and see who works in your life and find out that there’s a season that will serve you differently than others. I think it’s just that we’ll always be getting better at this thing called life.”
A part of getting better is taking control of your mental health which is a topic that grown-ish has never shied away from. Chloe Bailey, who has been vocal about reclaiming her own energy in her personal life and doing what works best for her, does a bit of the same through her character Jazz, which she says won’t change in the upcoming season.
“What I hope people resonate with the most is that it’s okay to not have your shit together.”
“And instead of beating yourself up about it, just find ways to change it,” Bailey expressed. “Don’t kind of get in a slump. I really sympathize with Jazz because everything that she has known to be normal has kind of disappeared and gone away. She’s trying to figure out who she truly is as a human being and I think that’s what people will resonate with because none of us really have it together no matter how put together we seem. We’re all struggling, we’re all figuring it out, we’re just at different degrees in it.”
Stay tuned for a season filled with growth through heartbreak, the pressures that come with preparing to graduate college, and more when grown-ish returns Jan. 27 at 10 p.m. on Freeform.
Watch the full interviews below:
