‘Good Trouble’ Star Sherry Cola Credits the Show for Her Real-Life Coming Out

Good Trouble, The Fosters’ spinoff, follows Callie's (Maia Mitchell) and Mariana Adams-Foster's (Mariana Gutierrez) move to the Coterie, where Shery Cola’s Alice Kwan is the building manager. 

Cola starred as Alice in the Freeform series for three seasons. The show follows a diverse group of residents in a communal living space, as they navigate their lives. The show hits on topics like equal pay, Black Lives Matter, queer rights especially queer Asian female experiences. 

Over the course of the show, Alice, who is a lesbian, experiences plenty of character growth. She comes out to her parents and stands by her love interest, Joey, as they transition from female to nonbinary. 

Her character has allowed Good Trouble to forge ahead in representation by focussing on an Asian-American LGBTQ+ romantic relationship, which is hardly ever seen in television shows and movies. 

Playing Alice on the show changed Cola’s life, and she opened up to Hollywood Reporter how the show “liberated” her off-camera. 

The Show Liberated Cola 

The actress started by recounting her experience of growing up in an Asian household. She explained that most immigrant children did not communicate openly with their parents and that “controversial” topics like dating were excluded from dinner table conversations. 

She revealed that after preaching to her mother about certain things, her mother finally voted and opined that such conversations were imperative and long-overdue.

She then added that starring on the show had taught her how to converse with her immigrant parents and shared the moment she came out to her mother as bi. 

When I booked this role, I ended up coming out to my mom as bi. It’s something I’ve been holding in forever, and it’s such a weight off my shoulders. I really feel like I spread my wings because of the show.

Diving further into her response, she added that there was a stereotype around Asian families or immigrant parents — that they’re close-minded folk who might not accept their LGBTQ kids.

Most queer Asian children thus refrain from having conversations about being different and marginalized. 

But the actress feels that with everything happening, people are finally speaking out. 

On Being a Role Model to Other Queer Asian Girls

Cola is now on a mission to spread positive messages of acceptance and break stereotypes. In an interview with ABC Chicago, the actress revealed she wanted to help the LGBTIQ+ youth, who lacked interaction with their friends and the queer community, feel accepted. 

Her gay character has grown both in confidence and self-acceptance, and the actress hopes that kids can find solace and courage in Alice and Good Trouble for its diverse representation of the queer community. 

Being an Asian queer girl — these stories were never on the screen, which perpetuated the narrow-mindedness.

In the Freeform series, Cola’s Alice comes out to her parents and shares kisses with women, which Cola believes will pave the way for breaking stereotypes surrounding “traditional” immigrant and Asian families.

These days Cola gets DM’s from Asian girls who tell her they loved her character and felt seen because of her.  Cola could not be more proud.