Q & A
Local
James
Freedson-Jackson balances school , studying and sharing scenes withKevin Bacon
INTERVIEW BY LAURA ADAMS STIANSEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNE MARIE CARUSO
Q : How did you become involved with acting ?
FREEDSON-JACKSON : It actually all startedat the Paper Mill Playhouse . I did the Summer Conservatory there for three summers and that wassogreat . Then , Igot cast at Paper Mill in Oliver , as one of the orphans . So I thought , “ OK , I want to be in musical theater .” But at the same time , I started working with my wonderful acting coach , Emily Bauer , and auditioning for film and TV , which led me to booking areally good role in Jon Watts ’ thriller CopCar , opposite Kevin Bacon . We went to the Sundance Film Festivalwithitand Iwas hooked .
Q : Your most recent project is The Strange Ones . How would you describe the film , and what was your experience like filming it ?
FREEDSON-JACKSON : It wasavery intensefive weeks . We worked upstate in the Catskills , and it was pretty isolatedupthere . The story is very dark , and alot of it takes placeatnight , which means thereweremany all-night shoots . Alex Pettyfer , who plays my brother , was fantastictoplayoppositeand alwaysfun . The two of us had a great time together . The directors , ChristopherRadcliff and Lauren Wolkstein , were the best . They knew exactly what they wanted , but also gaveme the freedom to get there myself , and to explore the character in my ownway – which led to some excellent moments . At the end of the shoot , we were all totally exhausted and sad togo home .
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FROM BIG SCREEN TO SMALL SCREEN ( Top to bottom ) James Freedon-Jackson starred alongside Kevin Bacon in the thriller Cop Car and played ayoung Kilgrave , aMarvel villain , in the Netflix series Jessica Jones .
COP CAR : COURTESY OFUNIVERSAL PICTURES ; YOUNG KILLGRAVE : COURTESY OFNETFLIX
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