Jessica Sutton on the ‘magic’ of acting and the consequences of sacrifice

Jessica Sutton

We have another treat for fans of the TV series “Motherland: Fort Salem,” who made their strong presence felt on social media soon after our one-on-one interview with Ashley Nicole Williams, who plays Abigail, came out in Inquirer Entertainment last week.

The series, seen Tuesdays on Freeform (freeform.com) at 10 p.m. ET/PT and Thursdays on Blue Ant Entertainment at 9:45 p.m. in the Philippines, is now on its second season.

Witches and war

For the uninitiated, the show follows a trio of witches—Raelle Collar (Taylor Hickson), Tally Craven (Jessica Sutton) and Abigail Bellweather (Ashley Nicole Williams)—trained to become weapons for the US military against terrorists.

While they fought against the Spree, a terrorist organization run by witches who are against military conscription, for much of Season 1, another group, the witch-hunting Camarilla, emerges by the end of it. It certainly looks like Raelle, Tally and Abigail have got their work cut out for them.

Our quick but insightful Zoom chat this week is with Jessica, the lovely and eloquent South African actress who just turned 28 on June 2.

Other than her role as sensitive and enthusiastic Tally in “Motherland,” Jesicca is best remembered by viewers in the Philippines for playing mean girl extraordinaire Mia in Netflix’s “The Kissing Booth.” How versatile can you get?

Excerpts from our interview with Jessica:

What are the biggest challenges for Tally in Season 2?

In Season 1, Tally came in as she was written—as a living exclamation mark filled with innocence and love and passion and duty and camaraderie. She wanted to make a difference and become part of something bigger. Then, she started realizing there’s so much more to what she thinks she knows—that war is war!

She came from such a protected background. It was like she walked through the door when she went through a conscription to Fort Salem, and all that innocence and blindness were suddenly exposed to the real world in that Season 1 ending, with her making that ultimate sacrifice. She saw her unit dying in front of her very eyes and her whole reality and circumstance changed in the blink of an eye, having now become General Alder’s biddy.

Season 2 just rolls right into that and picks up as we left it off. This time, that living exclamation mark has become a question mark. And she is now finding the answers to her questions—on what her purpose is outside of the unit, because the unit was everything and now its members are gone.

And what does being a biddy entail? This wasn’t standard procedure—she wasn’t picked, and the whole process of being a biddy is quite mysterious. You’ll see that fleshed out and explored through Season 2.

I do think that if Season 1 had Tally rooted in enthusiasm, Season 2 has her rooted in curiosity. She needs to know more. She becomes this detective… this bloodhound of truth. She wants answers, but she’s loving the questions (laughs)!

In “Motherland,” you play the most gentle of the three witches—a stark departure from your nasty role in “The Kissing Booth.” Is a “nice” character more fun to play than a baddie?

Every role has its challenges. But when I’m stepping into a character, I always find myself meeting the same fear and excitement. It’s this fear of “Will I do this part justice? Can I find her in me,” while at the same time thinking of how to serve the story, because you know actors are just part of the crew. We’re just another piece of the puzzle.

So, for me, both Mia and Tally were challenges, although I would say that, in some ways, Mia was easier to play. She was further away from me and my core. But a character’s clothes or her wardrobe always helps me—it makes me start walking and talking differently. Just having jewelry or rings or nails or even a pushup bra, they somehow help establish my character’s posture, and I can instantly feel a different energy.

I remember distinctly with Mia the entire way through shooting, just feeling so insecure. And I was thinking, “Come on, this character needs to be confident!” And it dawned on me that it’s kind of the perfect counterpoint—having that insecurity and not wanting to be seen as insecure. To be seen as the girl who has it all, who’s popular and cool.

But I have to find something in that character that resonates with me, because I have to make her real, right? So, Mia was a big part of my insecurity. Also, I don’t walk in heels, so that alone was like, “Oh my gosh, I don’t know how I’m going to do this (laughs)!”

With Tally, when I read her character description for the first time and being described as “a living exclamation mark,” I thought, “What a coincidence that we should have something in common!” Because I really resonate with her love for life and her passion. She takes her purpose very seriously, and I do that, too.

It’s sometimes harder to fake a character who’s closer to you on a core level, but I’m always giving bits of myself to it. Acting is like a trade. While you’re playing a character, you’re discovering a part of you that you didn’t think was in you, but in playing the character, you’re learning something that you never would have known about yourself. It’s magical.

Each witch has a special power. If you could have any power you want, what would it be?

It would be healing. I’d love to have the power to heal at a time like this, to ease people’s pain or suffering. There’s nothing more useful than that these days. INQ