Gilles Marini and Vanessa Marano Discuss Switched at Birth

Season 2 of Switched at Birth, starring Vanessa Marano and Gilles Marini, premieres tonight on ABC Family. On the series Vanessa plays Bay Kennish, a teenage girl who discovers she was accidentally sent home from the hospital with the wrong family after she was born. She and the other girl, Daphne Paloma Vasquez — who went deaf at the age of 3 — have been raised in loving, yet very different homes. When they uncover the mistake, both families merge into one unusual unit. Gilles plays Angelo, the biological father of Bay who comes back to meet her after the switch is revealed.

When we last left the Kennish and Vasquez families at the end of Season 1, Angelo had just been awarded $5 million from the hospital in the baby switching case and had discovered one of his ex-girlfriends is pregnant. All this while trying to do a better job at being a father to Bay. In a recent exclusive interview Gilles told us, "The fans are not going to be bored at all for a tiny second because there's a lot going on."

The show incorporates the storyline of Daphne's hearing issues and Vanessa said she hoped people watching the show take away "a newfound knowledge and awareness of sign language and deaf culture." She continued that the show in general "shines a light on knowledge and that people have a thirst for knowledge whether it's about deaf people or family in general."

In Season 2, the relationship between Angelo and Bay will blossom. Gilles noted, "She makes him grow. She makes him understand how to be a father or what she knows what a father should be."

The actor, who's a familiar face to viewers from Brothers and Sisters and Dancing with the Stars, feels the show is successful because people see themselves in the characters. He stated, "This is important when you do a show. If you can make people feel and relate, it's golden."

Watch all of our interview with Gilles and Vanessa on our YouTube channel. And tune into the season premiere of Switched at Birth tonight at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. Central on ABC Family.