We recently had the chance to chat with Bunheads actress Julia Goldani Telles (Sasha). Keep reading to find out more about what’s coming up for Sasha and Roman, what Julia’s all-time favorite Bunheads dance is – and more!

What was it about Sasha that made you interested in wanting to play her?

Julia: Amy Sherman-Palladino is famous for writing these idiosyncratic female characters. I mean nobody writes chicks like Amy does. And Sasha is so complicated because you look at her and she’s talented, and she has this perfect ballet body, but she doesn’t realize the worth of it, and if she does she doesn’t care. With ballet she’s sort of like this beautiful disaster, and I think the intricacy of her persona and her home life and how all of that ties in to her friendships—she’s just an intricate character, which I love about her, and also the fact that she’s rebellious and that’s just really fun to play. It’s fun to make trouble. It’s not fun to be a goody two-shoes I think. I’m a goody two-shoes in real life.

Fans are really, really loving Roman and Sasha together. Why do you think they work so well as a couple, and can you tell us a little bit about what’s coming up for them in the winter finale?

Julia: One thing that I really admire that Roman does with Sasha is that he tells it to her like it is, which she doesn’t get from a lot of other people in her life. He understands her and he understands her insecurities and how she’s scared to be vulnerable, and he sees through her facade. I think he’s one of the few people that she’s really let in so he can be real with her and she can be real with him.

And that’s very rare for Sasha to have a relationship like that, and throughout this season we’ve seen their relationship sort of intensifying, and in this last episode especially she’s becoming more emotionally attached to him. With that comes wondering what comes next physically, which is why in this episode she starts obsessively researching about sex. But I think they’re friends first and foremost, which is super important.

How do you think Sasha has grown since that very first episode we met her?

Julia: Oh, my gosh, she’s grown a lot! It actually surprised me how much. I thought she’d grow a little slower, but I’m glad that it’s happening so fast. When you first met Sasha she was very in the middle of this terrible marriage that her parents had, and she was incredibly unhappy. She didn’t know how to have a human connection that didn’t make her feel vulnerable and exposed. I think she tried a bunch of different things to try and find herself. She tried to rebel, and she tried to steal, and she tried to just be mean to everyone, and then she tried to cry, and I think she’s finally kind of finding her footing a little bit more.

I think it’s great that her parents you know peaced out and she’s living by herself because they’re terrible influences on her, and that Michelle is acting as this mother figure. She’s really learning how to take care of herself and how to take care of other people. The Sasha we met in the pilot would never cook for her friends. She’d never be able to have an honest conversation with a boy about how she felt, and she’d never be able to give Michelle a hug and cry on her shoulder, so I think she’s come a long way.

What is it like working with Sutton Foster and what do you think about the relationship between those characters?

Julia: I love the relationship between those characters. I always knew it would evolve but I didn’t really know how, and I think the way that it’s played out is really beautiful and honest and very touching. I’ve grown closer with Sutton as we’ve worked together more and more. I look up to her so much. She’s an incredible role model. She’s a great person, and I think she’s really a great example of how you can be successful and professional but you can also not lose your sense of humor and your quirkiness and you can still be relatable. She’s really a great role model.