Actress Jaimie Alexander plays Jessi XX on the hit ABC Family show, "Kyle XY."
11/28/2007 - Jaimie Alexander - The 9th Annual Family Television Awards - Arrivals - The Beverly Hilton Hotel - Beverly Hills, California USA © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos
The show debuted earlier this week, and Monsters and Critics got to speak with Alexander the day after the premiere.
My son is a big fan of the show. He’s 16 and he’s a JV wrestler for Calabasas High School, "the Coyotes" - and he wanted to know if it was true that you were a high school wrestler?
"Yes. I actually did wrestle in my high school. My weight class was 128 and I did pretty well. The training was brutal, but my little brother actually wrestles at Oklahoma University. So he got into it after I got into it.
It kind of started off as a bet, a joking bet like, 'Hey, are you actually going to do this?' Once I got the team started, I realized I had to be on the team and I was like, 'Great.' So yes, I ended up doing it, but I’ve got to tell you, it gave me a really good background to learn stunts, fighting and all the stunts that I have to do as Jessi. So it’s a bonus."
How involved are you going to be in the rest of the season. Are you going to be in most of the shows or have a fairly big part going forward?
"Actually, yes. Jessi is, if I can remember correctly, in every episode in season 2.5. She plays a big role and definitely stirs up things a lot more than she did last season. Still while trying to be a good person, but things don’t always go her way."
What is your favorite episode or storyline been to film this far?
"My favorite storyline is Jessi’s quest to find her mother, her parents, who those people were in the picture. Just her quest to find where she belongs, which is very broad, I guess. My favorite episode so far is 13."
Describe the connection between Kyle and Jessi, that mental connection that they have.
"The connection between Kyle and Jessi, it’s a lot different than a normal human being to a normal human being. They are pretty much made of the same mold. They’re the only two that understand each other completely and, even still, they have difficulties.
They’re pretty much each others guardians. I think Kyle would be okay if Jessi wasn’t around. In a sense, he could manage. But I don’t think Jessi would be okay without Kyle because she doesn’t have anybody else. To be honest in the episodes that are coming up, their connection is questioned and it is explored heavily throughout the next nine episodes."
Is the relationship between Jessi and Kyle going to evolve in the next few episodes?
"Just like with any relationship, you have to go through certain highs and lows to see how strong the relationship is and where it’s going to take you. And Jessi and Kyle—I’m trying to think how to word this. Jessi and Kyle kind of duke it out throughout the next few episodes, though not intentially.
Jessi will try and do something that she thinks is beneficial or good for somebody else but, in reality, is a bad thing. Eventually, a heavy strain gets put on their relationship because of the things that Jessi is doing where it makes Kyle kind of shy away from her a little bit because he has so many other things going on. So their relationship becomes very strained, like very heavily strained, throughout the next few episodes."
What’s your favorite "thing" about Jessi to play?
"There are so many things. I like the fact that she represents—this is going to sound really odd to all you guys. But she represents a normal person in the sense that she has two sides that kind of battle against each other. And that’s fun because I’m telling you, one moment, I’ll be good and sweet and kind and doing the right thing, and then the next few minutes, I’ll be doing something that’s horrendous. And I love that.
I could never get bored. I honestly feel that I have some of the best material on the show and I’m so blessed to play this character because it’s exciting each day. We’ll get the new scripts and I’ll be like, “Whoa, what am I doing in this one?” And it’s always a surprise. I guess my favorite part of her is her dual personalities in a sense."
Could talk a little bit about the current writer’s strike?
"This could last for awhile. Let’s just narrow it down to I believe it’s something that needed to happen. It’s definitely taking its toll on everyone, but again, it wouldn’t be an effective strike, had it not taken its toll on everyone.
So it’s tough but, again, being on Kyle XY, we’re in a position to have this happen at the moment it did. We got through season 2.5 and whatever’s going to happen in the future is going to happen. I think it’ll be okay for Kyle XY, but I have lots of friends that are in some heavy positions and bad positions with their families. This is really taking a toll on them. But again, it wouldn’t be a strike if that wasn’t happening. It needs to happen, yes."
How do you prepare for such a part as Jessi?
"That is just so loaded, because I’m probably one of the worst actors as far as prepartion goes, because I actually don’t prepare. I find it easier to read the script and whatever hits me in my stomach, like deep down, I just go with it. And the director kind of molds me whether to go right or left with it.
So there is really no preparing, because the thing is, she’s so unpredictable that if I kind of, in my head, make up my own story for her, it’s never the same. It’s never the same as what the writers had planned. So I just kind of fly by the seat of my pants and whatever happens, happens. And I’ve been lucky so far."
Before Kyle XY, were you a SciFi fan at all or did you enjoyed the genre?
"Yes, actually I got most of my start in SciFi/horror films. And I’ve always liked it because it’s kind of like reality, but with a little spice. There’s always things that you’re like, “Man, sometimes that could happen, but I’m not sure,” and it makes you think. I love the genre. I’m a huge fan of SciFi."
Can Jessi actually trust what Brian told her and does she know if she can trust him or not?
"I think, at this point, anything could happen. But, right now, I’ve got to tell you, Jessi’s so desperate to find somebody that loves her – a piece of her past so to speak – that I think it makes her more willing to trust people that maybe she shouldn’t trust. But, as of right now, she has her guard up. If it’s one thing she’s learned, she can’t trust everybody."
What effect will Emily have on Nicole or Jessi in their effort to help Jessi adjust?
"As far as Emily goes—I’m not quite sure how to answer this question without giving away too much, but I’ll do my best. I think Emily doesn’t play as big of a role as most people think. She kind of takes a backseat to the storyline this season. That is pretty broad, but I can’t really say much else or I might get in trouble."
As an actress, is it kind of a guilty pleasure playing to your evil side? Is it kind of exciting?
"Yes. I’m still very new to the acting world, but I’ve always played the hero and the good person, even though she’s an ass kicker, pardon my French. But, with Jessi, I kind of get to indulge in that little bit of—for a lack of a better phrase, a bitch. It’s great because you get to indulge in what it would be like to really stand up to somebody in that sense.
But, then, when the director says, 'Cut,' you’re like, 'Okay, I’ll go get you a cookie,' or you know whatever. But yes, it’s fun. After work a lot of days, I would go home and I wanted to watch comedies. It almost made me happier in my life because I was getting all the drama and all the craziness at work. I was like, 'Man, I don’t need any extra of this.'
I thought it was going to be kind of weird or kind of difficult to do and then I realized I was actually good at it. Then I was like, 'Oh, geez, what does that say about me?' But I like it. I do like it and it does have a slight effect on my real life in a positive way."
Do you have any upcoming movie projects or is that something you’d like to do in the future?
"Right now, I’m in talks for a few things I can’t mention yet because they haven’t gone through all the way. But yes, I love movies—there’s a certain magic that goes into filmmaking that you can’t necessarily find on a television set. Yes, I would love that. Of course, the right parts would have to come along. I wouldn’t take just anything, but that’s something I definitely want to pursue in the future."
What is the atmosphere was like on the set. Are there any funny moments or inside jokes that you can share?
"It feels like a huge dorm or something on our set. No matter what age you are, everybody gets along pretty well and, at the same time, we all help each other. If somebody has something going on in their life, we talk about it or we joke about it or whatever it may be.
One time, aside from the goosings, which is a whole other story, I was on set and I went to this really great place in Vancouver to live because that’s where we shoot and I didn’t realize in their summer months, they have a mice infestation problem.
So I get home one day after being in L.A. for some press thing and there’s a bunch of mice in my apartment and I freak out because I have a huge phobia of mice, which is kind of strange because I’m not scared of snakes or anything.
I had told Matt about it—and I get to set and I walk in my trailer and there’s a bunch of mouse traps with cheese. And I was like, 'That’s not funny.' And I found out April and Bruce did it and I was like, 'You guys stink.'
So we kind of make bad situations funny, I guess. But that was a good one because everybody was kind of waiting to see what I would do and they all know I hate mice and I have a phobia of mice. So witty they are."
Is Jessi going to get her own family or is she going to get people that love her that you mentioned earlier, and are we going to see that?
"I can’t answer that like completely, because that would give away a lot of what ends up happening throughout the season. I guess with Brian Taylor coming into the picture last night, there is a little bit of this, 'Hey, I’m your father. What can everybody else do about it? If we match blood tests and everything, you’re going to have to be with me.'
Jessi’s so desperate to have a family that she does end up sort of going with the wrong people. She just wants the label “family.” She’s just wants somebody to love her, so it doesn’t matter if they’re good or bad. She wouldn’t know.
In a way, she does have a family. She ends up having a family, but it’s not what you think and it’s not who you think either. That’s the best I can do on this one because—you know."
Is there a love interest friend for Jessi for the future?
"They’ve kind of toyed with the notion of that and nothing has really come full force. As of right now, I can say like there are some moments she has with certain people that it could take off in a certain direction, but it doesn’t necessarily go there this season.
Trust me, I’m like, 'I need a make-out scene. Let’s do this.' But nobody listens to me. I’m just teasing. It’s kind of weird to make a joke and not hear any of you laugh because you’re all in the silent thing."
How can fans contact you through MySpace Web site or mailing address? Or how can fans get a hold of you if they just want to tell you thank you for doing what you do?
"It’s www.myspace.combatinthesungirl.com . I know that sounds really weird. And don’t ask me how I came up with that one."
Do we get to see Jessi kind of experience some of the typical or normal teenage life in the last half of the season?
"That is something that they explore a lot more. When we would get the scripts, we were like, 'Wow, I didn’t know they were going to go this route.' So it was actually kind of a pleasant surprise.
You’ll get to see that she gets to experience a lot of what like high school is like. For the viewers, its going to be like watching these kids go through high school. They have the same issues as most of the kids that are in high school right now. And that’s what I think I like the most about it and they don’t sugarcoat anything.
But Jessi is an outcast and she will go through certain things like normal kids go through everyday in high school, but you’ll get to see how she deals with it. There’s a lot of shows that are so Afterschool Special and they’ll show, 'Oh, this is how you get away from this.' No, not with her. You see the worst of it and the best of it. But yes, she gets to experience high school life and what it’s like to be a high school kid and a normal teenager. I like that they did that this season."
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