Awkward's Jillian Rose Reed Talks Tamara's New Guy, Dream Spinoff

After scoring a new best friend (Sadie!) and a new wardrobe (holy credit card debt!), Awkward‘s Tamara is ready for her biggest change yet.

“There is going to be another love interest for Tamara down the line,” Jillian Rose Reed tells TVLine. “He comes in kind of a funny way, and he really catapults her storyline for the rest of the season. He’s so cute. I think fans are really going to like him, so I’m really excited.”

Though Reed can’t reveal T’s new man (yet), she says he’s a “really good fit for Tamara. He brings out a lot in her that we haven’t seen yet, so that’s going to be an exciting way for her to grow.” (But before you start cooking up theories about a Jake/Tamara reunion, Reed says her character’s new love interest is not someone we’ve met.)

Below, Reed weighs in on Tamara’s new friendship with Sadie, strained relationship with Jenna and her desire to keep this show going for years to come.

TVLINE | I feel like I know the answer to this, but what was the biggest surprise for you when you got the first 5B script?
The biggest surprise for me — and it wasn’t a bad surprised — was the Sadie/Tamara friendship. I love that it’s happening; it’s one of my favorite storylines. Ultimately, Sadie is Jenna’s worth enemy, so for the two of them to be friends is the biggest change.

TVLINE | I love seeing them together in New York.
Well, you’re going to get a lot more. [Laughs]

TVLINE | So we can expect more flashbacks, or are we mostly sticking in the present?
A little bit of both, but now that we know what happened with Jenna and Matty, it’ll stay mostly in the present. Everybody’s figuring out how to deal with the new versions of all these characters.

TVLINE | If you guys don’t end up doing a sixth season, I’d take a Sadie/Tamara spinoff.
[Laughs] Well, tell MTV that. We’d both love it.

TVLINE | Let’s touch on the latest Jenna/Matty drama for a minute: What she did was unfortunate, but I don’t think she deserves all the hate she’s getting. What are your thoughts? 
As Jillian Rose Reed watching the show, it’s very real to me. I had a boyfriend all through high school, and we were on and off just like Jenna and Matty, but I got to a point in my life where I realized I was growing up and needed to move on from the relationship. That’s what Jenna’s going through now; she says pretty blatantly that she loves Matty, but she also loves where she is in her life. So as much as fans can say “I hate Jenna” or “I’m mad at her,” this is real life. It’s not the worst thing that could happen, but for these teenagers, it feels that way. When you’re 17 or 18 years old, everything is the end of the world.

TVLINE | On a happier note, I see from the trailer that you have some scenes with Jonathan Bennett coming up. I assume you’re a Mean Girls fan. 
[Laughs] Oh yeah, totally.

TVLINE | Had you met him before, or was this it?
This was the first time, and I did everything I possibly could to not make any Mean Girls jokes. A lot of people do, so I didn’t tell him he looks sexy with his hair pushed back or anything. I kept it super cool.

TVLINE | Do your characters spend a lot of time together?
There’s a brief little storyline where Tamara spends some time at IdeaBin. Something happens to her that affects her friendship with Jenna. We really test the limits of how far their friendship can go this season. As they grow up, are they going to be able to keep it together and remain best friends?

TVLINE | Lastly, I know it’s not 100 percent certain that this is the last season of Awkward. Where do you stand on that?
I want the show to last forever. I feel at home with the show and I’m still so in love with these characters and these people who I consider my family. I’d love to do a few more seasons or even a spinoff. I want to keep working with these people as this character. Tamara’s been in my life for six years now, and I love her. … We filmed this season as if it was the last, and I would be happy with the way things end for her if this is it. She makes a really important decision for her, and I’m very proud of her.

Awkward fans, what are your hopes for the rest of Season 5B? Would you watch a sixth season? A New York-set spinoff with Tamara and Sadie? Whatever’s on your mind, drop it in a comment below.

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