Hey, guys! There are only HOURS left before the premiere of the much-anticipated series Switched at Birth. We recently had the chance to sit down and chat with Vanessa Marano, who stars as Bay, one of the girls actually switched at birth on the show. See what she has to say about her fellow cast members, her character, how she plans to watch the premiere – and more!
 
Can you tell us what it’s like working with the Switched at Birth cast?
Vanessa Marano: Oh, I lucked out! The cast is amazing. We have such a collective group of talented people who’ve been doing this for such a long time, and they’re actors who can do drama and they’re actors who can do comedy. Lea (Thompson, who plays Kathryn) and Constance (Marie, who plays Regina) and D.W. (Moffett, who plays John) are all fabulous to work with and just so professional and so funny and really just great at what they do. Even from a younger standpoint, Sean (Berdy), who plays Emmett on the show, has been acting since he’s been a little kid.  Lucas (Grabeel, who plays Toby) has been doing it forever, and Katie (Leclerc), who plays Daphne, is just a rock star and is so talented and lights up the screen. I’m so lucky that I get to work with these fabulous people because to work off of them makes me better. 
 
Do you relate to Bay at all?
Vanessa Marano: A big attraction for me with Bay is that I don’t usually play characters like Bay, ever actually. This is my first time playing a character like Bay. That was a big attraction. And I think the biggest thing for me – because I don’t find that I’m like Bay at all – was trying to find a way to relate to her and like her and maybe put a little bit of myself in her. I think I’ve finally been able to do that, and if I find myself relating to her, then I feel like I’m doing a good job because I don’t find myself like her at all. But if I can relate to her in any way, I feel like oh, yeah, okay, I’m doing it right.
 
Why did you decide to do Switched at Birth?
Vanessa Marano: I auditioned for it and they hired me. That was a big selling point! But I really lucked out that it got picked up and is being produced and is actually going to air, but even more so that just what a cast and such an amazing group of people who I really got to click with, and you don’t get to click with people very often in the first season, and we all clicked, and it was good. 
 
How did you prepare yourself to play the character of Bay?
Vanessa Marano: Well, Bay is a difficult character to play. She’s a very spirited teenager, and she’s very stubborn and harsh. I think the biggest challenge for me was playing her as a protagonist versus an antagonist because you have Daphne who’s so full of life and is happy and light and smart and just really wholesome and good and easy to deal with, and Bay’s very much the polar opposite of that, but isn’t a bad person. That was the most difficult thing going into playing Bay for me.