Jasmine Jobson Interview

Jasmine Jobson catapulted into notoriety in 2019 when she first stepped foot onto the infamous Summerhouse Estate of Netflix’s Top Boy. Contributing her no-nonsense attitude to her character Jaq, she simultaneously endeared herself to audiences over the next half a decade—delivering a sharp warning of “how dangerous the streets can be.” As she looks forward to appearing in Andrea Arnold’s first narrative feature in almost a decade, Bird, the three-time BAFTA winner continues to define herself as the newest fashionista on the block. However, this shouldn’t be a surprise. As a self-proclaimed trendsetter, she has been leading the pack since elevating the humble boxer to outwear on Edgware Road (long before Miu Miu had the idea). Although one of the newest faces of the HUGO BLUE line may be booked and busy, make no mistake…she’s only just getting started. 

Fresh back from a two-week trip to the Dominican Republic, Jasmine is chilling in bed having a “lazy day” catching us up on the “beautiful” life she has manifested for herself. It only seems fitting that she is “staring at a blue t-shirt.” She cheerfully quips, “It's been a lot of blue recently and I love it”. However, far from the melancholy tropes the colour is synonymous with, Jasmine’s recent life has been anything but blue. “It's been hectic for one, but in the same breath it has been beautiful—and I mean hectic as in busy,” she reflects of life in the two years since she last covered Rollacoaster: “Life is amazing right now.” 

From chequered denim two-pieces to “popper bottoms”, Jasmine has channelled her childhood muse of Sporty Spice in the new shoot. “I had so much fun. I absolutely love HUGO anyway, so working with them has been phenomenal. I felt really special.” The brand recently dropped its Summer 2024 campaign and additionally revealed a brand new line, HUGO BLUE. 

Denim and streetwear are at the heart of the collection, featuring a versatile range of garments to customise your way for the change-makers and trailblazers. It therefore only seems fitting that the British actor is one of the faces of the campaign. “I always wanted to work with them and I just kept pushing it and essentially just praying and asking God ‘Listen, this is what I really need and is going to help boost my career’…all I can say is when you manifest stuff you really want and believe in yourself, it will happen.” In a collaboration that feels authentically her, it is difficult to pick a favourite look, however, there may be one winner: “My customised denim bralette and denim skirt, come on now. I had customised denim boots, I have never had shoes specifically made just for me, it was insane.”

A chameleon in her wardrobe, Jasmine likes “a little bit of everything”, unafraid to dip into her “girly girl side” and contrasting this with uber comfort and the ease of a tracksuit. “It really depends on what side of the bed I wake up on. What Jasmine are we going to get today? And that will be when I decide what I am going to wear.” Fashion has always been intrinsic to the essence of Jasmine, growing up in West London: “Even when I was living on my little council estate, I was still a little trendsetter.” She has “always done her own thing and not paid attention to what other people think, because if [she] likes it and [she] feels good, it doesn’t matter.” No more was this evident than when she wore boxer shorts (“the baggy ones that wave about in the wind”): “I'd be wearing those as shorts with a little sports bra and walking around in my trainers during summer time…next thing you know everybody in Edgware Road was doing the exact same thing.” Although she may have been a trendsetter from an early age, her style has evolved to echo a shift in maturity, which is reflective of the Aaliyah phase she has been in since the age of 16. 

The now 28-year-old is notorious for “keeping things under wraps” and not giving away any spoilers. Luckily for us, we will soon see her back on the big screen, playing a mum for the first time (a role that coerced her “maternal side”) in Andrea Arnold’s hotly anticipated film Bird, set to make its global premiere at this year's Cannes Film Festival. “Working with Andrea Arnold was absolutely amazing. She is phenomenal, she works in an unorthodox way and I love it.” She notes how Arnold requires filming to take place in the script's chronological order before adding, “It's beautiful because you follow the trail of the story. I didn't get to see any of the script until about three or four days before I was filming and I was only given my scene that I was filming that day.” The benefit of working in such a way is that her mind “is fresh” and “any emotions that I bring are completely natural and it's not over-rehearsed.”

But with all the newness and trendsetting aside, Jasmine still finds herself recognised most commonly as the brash, gregarious yet loyal Jaq of the critically acclaimed Top Boy—a series that left many of us wanting answers by the dramatic close of its fifth season. The finale saw Sully [Kane Robinson] escape being shot by teen Stefan [Araloyin Oshunremi] just to be sat in the car moments later and shot on the spot by an unknown assailant. “They will not leave me alone about who killed Sully,” Jasmine confesses—unable to go out for a coffee without an interrogation.

We’ve already established Jasmine likes to keep her cards close to her chest, yet I couldn’t help speculating whether Jaq played any part in Sully’s demise. She takes a bated breath. “I do not know. I will say it till I am blue in the face. They took the last 10 pages out of the final scene so none of us know what it is. So it was a shock for all of us. Shout out to Will [William Stefan Smith, director of the final two episodes of season five] for absolutely smashing that scene. It was epic the way he left it. People were saying it's a cliffhanger, I'm just like, ‘It is what it is.’” Jasmine’s nonchalant response is reflective of her perception of the show and the parallels held with real-life events: “You never really know what's going to happen. Life in those situations does tend to land on a cliffhanger, so that's why it had to end like that.”

Though it’s now a role synonymous with Jasmine’s own identity, the actor – who identifies as straight – was initially “a little bit concerned” to take on Jaq—an out-and-proud lesbian. “I didn’t know if I was going to get it right, so I had to sit down and speak to quite a few of my gay and lesbian friends and pick their brains and ask them some of the wrong and some of the right questions.” Critical to bringing the character to life was infusing her own “no nonsense” attitude and “tough cookie” approach. “I've never taken any nonsense. I've always stuck up for myself and I feel that for the LGBTQ+ community, it's even more important for them to have that confidence and to stand up for themselves.” She recalls the impact of the character before stating, “I am just happy that everybody loves Jaq just as much as I do. I feel like she's the sister that everybody wants.” 

Re-watching the series, in the early seasons you see characters calling each other “gay” in a derogatory way. Whereas by the last season, Jaq receives the utmost respect for her LGBTQ+ identity. “I would have to say when she and her partner got attacked, by a group of boys that were being very homophobic, that would have to be a big moment for me.” Another notable plot line in the series was covering the death of her sister, Lauryn (Saffron Hocking). “That was crazy and I've seen a lot of people go through some terrible drug experiences and that was one of the worst cases.” These scenes alongside the vast social issues covered in storylines, act as a deterrent for “a lesson they (the audience) never have to go through. I hope it's an eye opener and a wake-up call in regards to how dangerous the streets can be and that kind of gangster lifestyle isn't necessarily something to be attracted to or something to play about with.”

This was a considered and deliberate choice taken by all those involved in the production “to not glamorise this and instead make it real and authentic.” Jasmine adds, “It's a very dangerous lifestyle, you lose a lot of people and it's very scary. No parent deserves to bury their child, it's as simple as that. Nobody should be walking through life looking over their shoulder and fearing for their lives 24/7. That's not how it should be. It's as simple as that and it is unfortunate that in life people get dealt some horrible cards, that they end up being parents to their younger siblings at a very young age, that they end up forced into a lifestyle they never would have gone into if they had a choice. I just hope that people take from it that they don't do it, just don't do it.” I wonder what the impact of such a role has on a person? “I found comfortability in places I wasn't comfortable before,” and the importance to “love thy self.” 

It’s unsurprising that the role translated so well on-screen, when the Platform 7 actor has a refreshingly candid history of using her formative years as fuel to her craft. “I want to change perceptions because the way that I think is completely different. I had to mature at a very young age and start looking after myself, so naturally my mind is a lot older and I am wiser than my years.” As a young person, she made the decision to place herself into foster care. Crucial to the nurturing and shaping of Jasmine is the positive influence of her foster parent Valerie, who she credits for “changing her life”. “She was my backbone man. I can still hear her in the back of my mind whenever I am not sure about something saying ‘Stop it, do it, there is no such thing as I can't, it's I can and I will and I will try.’” Reflecting on that period of her life, she considers Valerie’s influence: “She gave me stability and structure. She is absolutely amazing. I don't know where I would be if I didn't move in with her, so I am very grateful to Westminster Social Services for making that big, big jump with me, because they did take a risk and it paid off.”

Jasmine has always been articulate about her career having the capacity to “change a life.” And I can’t help but be curious how this influences her future motivation. “I've never been asked that before.” After a moment to reflect on my question, she shares: “I've gone through so much as a young teenager, that I would be an absolute fool if I wasn't to take this career that God has given me and do the best that I can do and help somebody else.” It is clear that the rising star is on course to doing just that, with her career a testament to the art of manifestation and hard work. The only thing left to do now is to sit back and watch the ascension.