First Impressions: Jordan Kristine Seamon
Jordan Kristine Seamon from Atlanta, Georgia has literally been discovered and sent away overseas to Italy to begin production on a very anticipated project.
This sounds like the plot to a gen-z movie, but it’s Seamon’s real life. Weeks after the finale of very her first and buzzy gig as an actress, she reflects on her young life for The Record.
AMERICAN STUDIES: What’s a regular day like for you? You being Jordan at 17.
JORDAN KRISTINE SEAMON: Every day it really differs but to keep myself sane, I try to keep somewhat of routine. I try to wake up early, walk my dog and work out. Then I go through our emails and calendar to figure out what I have to do that day, like what interviews, or photoshoots I have, or auditions, or whatever. I work on our things to do list, (the interviews…auditions…photoshoots) and then I try to find time to relax with some tv, or painting, or writing. My bedtime varies but I try to actually try to be in my bed by 12am, and then start it all over again.
AMERICAN STUDIES: There are a lot of big themes of family in the show. What’s your relationship with your own family?
JKS: Beautiful. Heavenly. I have the best parents in the world. I couldn’t ask for a more supportive pair. They have stuck by me and each other for 19 years. We have such fun times together, and I can’t express how thankful I am.
AMERICAN STUDIES: I think the best roles are deep life-altering experiences. How has your view of life and the world shifted after taking on this role?
JKS: I definitely have a very different outlook of more of the little things. I’ve always been scared to grow up and I’m still absolutely terrified, but after playing Caitlin I have really come to just appreciate all of the opportunities I have had during my childhood. I like to believe that I really came into myself in Italy. Like, seriously. I changed so much…in a good way. I was able to recognize that change in me because it is all documented. I’m amazed at what my life has become. I now look at life with a YOLO mentality. Stupid, maybe, but you truly only live once, and Im gonna do all the things that make me happy and I don’t really care that much what other people think. If COVID has not let us all know that we don’t have a lot of control over almost anything, I’m not sure what else have to happen to make us believe otherwise.
AMERICAN STUDIES: It being your first Screen-role–what was the biggest challenge for you?
JKS: Having enough confidence and believing that I was meant to be there. I have my moments of confidence but not all the time, and I have plenty of times where I feel more insecure. Being on set, I was nervous a lot that I was not going to meet the mark, or disappoint and not live up to other’s expectations. And now with the show actually out, I still find myself sometimes feeling that way. People can be really critical, and the world isn’t going to sugarcoat things for you. People’s opinions and comments can really make you doubt yourself. Even coming from someone who’s opinion truly has no value…it can hurt. Really badly. I’m working on this, but it is a slow process especially because I have always had the most positive attention. This is not something that they teach you in school or you can learn in a book. It is something that I have to work on and will probably have to continue working on for a long time.
AMERICAN STUDIES: It’s fascinating watching a show about young experiences, created by older people. The ability to tap into those moments. What was the relation between creator and Subject with you and Luca? Or even with the rest of the actors you played closely with?
JKS: Very close and very open. That was one thing I really loved about working with all of these amazing people. Everyone was really open to having conversations about all of the topics and we all really bonded, so every friendships came as really authentic. With Luca, he’s really amazing and I can’t express enough how awesome it was to have him as my first tv director. Francesca, Paolo and Luca are all so artistically inclined and Im so honored to be able to have learned from them. I am a young person that has a great deal of respect for for my elders and I understand that we are experiencing many things that they have already experienced during different times…and to be able to tell your story that can help so many others, no matter what time period it may be.
AMERICAN STUDIES: I read a really good interview with the costume designer about how she approached your character’s fashion sense. The way young people have access to different types of clothing is unmatched. How do you approach your dress?
JKS: I really like to experiment with fashion. Before WAWWA, I didn’t really like to stray from the basics. I didn’t like to experiment with patterns or fabrics. After having such an interesting style on set, as well as just being in Italy, being able to visit Paris, Rome and other places and seeing so much fashion, I’ve taken a little bit of an interest in it. I enjoy buying items that people might not normally like and attempting to make them look good. I just like having fun, but I also like to be very comfortable. I try to do a little bit of everything in my fashion, because I feel like that best represents me.
AMERICAN STUDIES: I read an interview with Luca, where he corrected a reporter who drew similarities to Call Me By Your Name, because WAWWA is a show about the youth today and how it is different to those of the past. In what ways do you feel this is true?
JKS: I can’t easily answer that question because my mind may change after I watch something for the second or third time. My perspective is always changing based on what lense I am using to look at something that day. So I understand what Luca meant. I also think that my experience is so different because I was actually in the show. I have so many different feelings and thoughts about WAWWA and all of the topics and issues that it touched on, and because I am younger, I think I recognized so many of those topics. I think it’s ok to have different perspectives about things that happened at different times because it helps us realize that some things are staying the same, but some are constantly changing and that we need to be prepared to change or adapt.
AMERICAN STUDIES: What’s it like growing up in Atlanta?
JKS: I really had to mature fast here in Atlanta, because I wasn’t always being looked after by family (the first few years I was here, I lived at a private-boarding school where I had received a scholarship to study). Having to basically attend “college” at 13, really taught me a lot in what life has the potential to be like…Living in Georgia for the past 6 years has definitely made the growing process an interesting one…I really started my music career here and was able to learn a lot about music as well as artist development. I truly got a crash course on the music industry and met and worked with many of the best in the business, before the acting started to take on a life of its own.
AMERICAN STUDIES: Can we talk about the last episode? I loved the tug-of-war with Caitlin and Jack in this episode. Ending in them, embracing each other with this big and abstract love. What were the conversations with Luca and Jack about this episode about?
JKS: To be honest, I didn’t have many conversations with Jack about it. Mainly because I felt really awkward (more nervous actually), because we had began to become friends and for me it just seemed a little scary to share such a big moment like that with a new friend of mine. I did have a few conversations with Luca on the day leading up to the scene. We mainly talked about what he wanted to happen and how we were going to execute it, as well as the meaning of it all. That way Jack and I could understand the importance of the last scene. I also think that because I only have a friend or two, that I could imagine and act like it would be if I had to choose between friends that I am around because of proximity versus a friend who really understands me. I tell my Mom all the time, I am interested in seeing how I have new relationships with people and how they will develop, especially post-covid.
AMERICAN STUDIES: Caitlin and Fraser have this big love life love kind of thing. Do you feel like you're making those friendships in your life now?
JKS: I don’t think so…I think if our world wasn’t in it current state I probably would. I think about this all the time actually. How different my life would be right now if we weren’t in a pandemic. It scares me a little, not gonna lie. I think eventually I will get to point where I am able to make those kind of relationships/friendships. But for right now, no…That’s not to say that I’m not happy with the relationships that I have. That’s just to say, “No. Not right now. But soon…”.
Photographed by Chinedu Nwakudu