The Fosters spinoff Good Trouble follows Callie (Maia Mitchell) and Mariana Adams-Foster (Mariana Gutierrez) when they relocate to the Coterie, where Alice Kwan (Sherry Cola) is the building manager.
For three seasons, Cola played Alice in the Freeform series. The show follows a diverse mix of inhabitants as they negotiate their lives in a communal living area. The show touches on issues such as fair pay, Black Lives Matter, and LGBT rights, particularly the experiences of queer Asian women. Alice, who is a lesbian, goes through a lot of character development during the show. She tells her parents about her sexual orientation and supports Joey as he transitions from female to nonbinary.
Her character has allowed Good Trouble to break new ground in terms of representation by focusing on an Asian-American LGBTQ+ romantic connection, which is rarely shown on TV or in films. Cola went out to Hollywood Reporter about how playing Alice on the program “liberated” her off-camera.
An Icon to Other Homosexual Asian Girls
Cola is now on a quest to dispel prejudices and disseminate positive sentiments of inclusion. The actress claimed in an interview with ABC Chicago that she wants to help LGBTIQ+ youth who lacked engagement with their peers and the gay community feel accepted.
Her lesbian character has gained confidence and self-acceptance, and the actress believes that children will find comfort and courage in Alice and Good Trouble because of its broad portrayal of the queer community. Cola’s Alice in the Freeform series comes out to her parents and kisses women, which Cola hopes will help to dispel perceptions about “traditional” immigrant and Asian families.
Cola is getting DMs from Asian girls who say they admire her character and feel more visible because of her. Cola couldn’t be happier.
‘Good Trouble’ Liberated Cola
The actress began by sharing her childhood memories of growing up in an Asian family. She explained that most immigrant children did not interact openly with their parents, and that “controversial” matters such as dating were not discussed at the dinner table.
She said that after preaching to her mother about various issues, she ultimately voted and agreed that such discussions were necessary and long overdue. She went on to say that being a part of the show had taught her how to communicate with her immigrant parents, and she described the moment she told her mother she was bisexual.
Furthering her remark, she stated that there is a prejudice about Asian families or immigrant parents being closed-minded people who might not embrace their LGBTQ children.
As a result, most LGBT Asian youngsters avoid discussing their differences and marginalization. However, the actress believes that, in light of recent events, people are now speaking up.
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