In Freeform’s hit hilarious sitcom, “Baby Daddy,” Ben discovers he’s a father when his daughter Emma is left at his doorstep. With the help of his friends and family, Ben has to learn to be a single father in his twenties.
The Season 5 Summer premiere of “Baby Daddy” begins Wednesday, June 1st. I am so excited to start watching again as this comedy has definitely become one of my favorites. The cast and storyline is amazing and I can’t help but get invested in all the romances.
Jean-Luc Bilodeau plays Ben Wheeler; the main character. In this exclusive interview we find out how Jean-Luc relates to Ben, his thoughts on being a young father, and some spoilers about the new season.
(Freeform/Craig Sjodin)
In the last episode of season 5 of “Baby Daddy,” we saw Ben finally realize what was important to him in terms of his relationship with Zoey. Will this new perspective change the way Ben sees his relationships with women in the new season?
Yes, definitely. I think that with any heartbreak like he just faced, it will cause him to be a little more reserved for a little while until he meets another girl and he can work it out. I think that he doesn’t really know what he wants. I think he’s very young to be deciding who he wants to be with for the rest of his life. I’m hoping that he realizes that. Jean-Luc can share some wisdom with Ben and then if he takes it, he can just relax and just figure himself out. I think one key element that we’re missing in the show is that he doesn’t need anybody. All he needs is his daughter Emma. Hopefully he recognizes that. Well he does, but hopefully he employs that.
Can you give us any spoilers as to what we can expect from Zoey and Ben’s relationship this season?
I don’t know if I’m allowed to say anything. I just know that he’s got a couple options in this next part of the season. He’s going to explore a couple different options with two possible ladies (I’m not going to say who). I think that’s all I can say.
Are you anything like Ben Wheeler in real life? Do you share any personality traits?
Yeah, I suppose. I mean, you work on a character so long that you both learn things from each other. I guess in the first couple of seasons I would have said no, we’re not very similar at all, but as the show progresses I slowly started to kind of change him more of into who I am and vice versa. I’ve learned things from Ben as well. I could say we’re similar but were still very very very different. I hope to god I don’t have a kid anytime soon.
Ben is an extremely charismatic and witty character. What’s your favorite part of playing him?
That point exactly. He’s a smart kid, he’s quick and he cares about everybody. Even though he makes a lot of mistakes, he usually learns from them and doesn’t repeat them which is great. I learned that that’s the most important quality in him I think. I just love the relationship he has with Riley, Danny, Tucker, Bonnie and his daughter. This feeling of appreciation of Ben as a human being only happens when you’ve worked on a character for five seasons. I love playing every part of Ben, he’s a great kid.
You mentioned not wanting a baby anytime soon, but what is it like on set working with a toddler (or two, since Emma is played by twins)?
Well, I love those girls! This is the problem. The reason I don’t want kids isn’t because they’re tough to work with. It’s the opposite. They’re amazing to work with and I know that raising a kid is nowhere near as easy. I don’t have to change diapers and I don’t have to put them down. I only get them when they’re happy. When they’re sad we just change them out for the next baby. It’s an unfair introduction to the parenting world. I’m a little jaded and I know that. The girls are amazing. It’s like they were created in some like chamber pod thing where they like pumped them up with a bunch of growth hormones that made them not ever cry or be fussy. They’re amazing. It’s like they’re not even human. Not even the Harris twins. We’ve been lucky from season one. We’ve had non-stop just great kids the whole time.
Are there any new and exciting guest stars appearing on this season?
Yeah, we have Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who actually just came over for dinner a couple nights ago. She is the coolest girl ever. We’ve got Daniella Monet. I think you’ve already actually met Daniella. Loni Anderson, who’s amazing. Eddie Cibrian comes back. Jackée Harry, she’s awesome. We’ve got amazing guest stars, as usual. Even the people that just come for a couple lines, they’re just always lots of fun. We’ve been very lucky to work with very talented and hardworking actors.
On “Baby Daddy,” Ben’s family is slightly eccentric. Is your family in real life anything like Ben’s? How do they compare?
Yeah definitely, my mom is probably the most sarcastic human being I’ve ever met. She’ll never let you get away with anything. You walk in the house with a new haircut and she’s going to point it out. You know what I mean? It’s like, anything. You’re wearing different color shoes then normal? She’s going to point it out. You couldn’t get away with anything. Lots of playful banter in my household. It was very very eccentric and very loud. There was only four of us and we raised the decibels pretty high in that house. We always have good times and we love each other so, it’s fun.
Do you enjoy playing a funny character? What types of roles will you pursue in the future?
I like playing comedy. I love comedy and I’d like to stay in comedy. Although, I would also like to completely reverse it and go crazy like play a murderer or something weird. I would love to just go completely the other direction. Not for too long though. Working on a character like that like on a TV show, you’re working on all that negativity for so long. I think I’d like to just stay in comedy for the majority of my career and every once in a while dabble in some deeper darker stuff. For now I’m happy where I am.
Tune-in Wednesday night at 8:30/7:30c on Freeform to watch the all-new season premiere of “Baby Daddy.” Share your thoughts below or tweet us @PopHeartsTV!
