Sterling Sulieman, 34, is the latest hot edition to the hit ABC series by Shonda Rhimes, Station 19. Sterling plays Grant, a savvy sous chef and boyfriend to Travis (Jay Hayden) on the show. Grant is dating Travis, who is a firefighter and heart of Station 19, and Sterling EXCLUSIVELY tells HollywoodLife all about the “drama” fans can expect from the rest of the season. “Travis and Grant have definitely started to mature into a pretty stable couple,” he explained. “But there is still a lot to learn about each other. We will have to see what wrenches the writers throw into this couple’s success. What’s television romance without a little drama?”
Although Sterling has a recurring role and was a newcomer last season to the already tight-knit cast, he revealed what it was like joining the elite crew of firefighting stars. “The cast was very close, they had not only done fireman training, and filmed their pilot, but they had already started their season by the time I joined the show,” Sterling said. “But they are so welcoming, so lovely, they have invited me to play on their softball team and they’re just so fun, all of them. It’s great being part of such a close knit group.” He also dished on what it’s like for the other actors on set dealing with that extremely challenging fire gear. “The cast does a combination of shooting scenes on set and on location. They have days where they shoot on the sound stage and work with fire all day. They sometimes have to wear fire gear for hours at a time, and it’s hot and very heavy so they’re pretty exhausted by the end of the day.” We don’t blame them!
As far as Sterling representing the LGBTQ community, he couldn’t be more proud. “I’ve received nothing but absolutely positive feedback,” he explained. “I think it’s one of the more prominent love stories that’s happening on the show right now and it’s written really well. I think it’s really important to represent the LGBTQ community on television, but I also like how it’s not a big deal to the characters on the show. It’s just two people in love navigating a relationship.” While Sterling “jumped” at the chance to join a Shondaland show, this wasn’t his first run working with the Emmy Award-nominated star. “I had my first run with the Shonda team doing Still Star-Crossed, which was their Romeo and Juliet inspired period drama, and it was a dream. So I jumped at the chance to come back to Shondaland with Station 19. Everyone is so passionate about the projects and excited to be a part of it.”
Station 19 recently got a full season 2 order from ABC. The show airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on ABC!