With the Conversations Series, we create a positive image for Black girls to refer to, by having conversations with different business owners, entrepreneurs and creators. Here, we are catching up with Jordan Seamon. The Philadelphia-born rising star launched into the film spotlight in her critically revered, breakthrough role in Luca Guadagnino’s HBO series We Are Who We Are. The story is about a group of American teenagers, including Jordan’s character Caitlin, living on a US army base in northern Italy. Jordan is currently shooting the new tornado movie, Supercell, which is expected to release in 2021.
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Hello, Jordan. Tell us a little about yourself.
Hello, thank you for having me! My name is Jordan. I’m an 18-year-old actor, singer-songwriter, and also a budding visual artist. I manage with my parents our entertainment company and arts foundation. Born and raised in Philadelphia, but have been living and going to school in Georgia for 5 years. I’ve been singing all my life and recently released my first album, “Identity Crisis”. I’ve been acting professionally for about 5 years. My first and most notable project was a television show called We Are Who We Are, directed by Luca Guadagnino.
We Are Who We Are was your first TV debut. What was that journey like?
It was definitely an interesting one! As fun as it was, it was definitely a lot of hard work. I auditioned multiple times before I even got the role… and I really had to put my best foot forward when I was on set, and we shot it in Italy for 6 months. Learning lines, staying in good shape, and making sure that I was being a good team player, which was really important. After filming, I came back home and had even more to do, like ADR (audio digital recording), lots of interviews, and photoshoots. It’s a lot of hard work that goes into creating a TV show, but the entire experience was worth it. I learned a lot, and the experience helped me navigate future projects.
When did you decide you want to become an actor?
Really don’t know. I remember always telling my parents that I wanted to be an entertainer, but I mainly wanted to be a musician. When I moved to Georgia, I took part in small acting roles just to bring in some extra revenue for myself and then, out of nowhere, WAWWA! From that point on, I’ve just been continuing that acting journey. We’ll see how far it goes.
How do you get inspired when you're creating music? How would you describe your music in words?
While filming in Italy and middle school, those experiences inspire my music. So far, I love writing about things I’ve experienced. Life is one of the biggest inspirations for me. I would describe my music as therapeutic. Not only for myself but for others as well, I try to make music that allows people to listen to the experiences that I’ve had that might relate to them personally while it is also healing for me.
Who is your music idol, and why?
You know, I don’t know. There are plenty of people that I’ve always admired, but none musically that I’ve considered an idol. I think I still need to find one. My nana, Christine Dukes (who has passed on now, was my first musical inspiration. She sang all the time, at home, in church.
We feature some of your artwork in our Birthday Issue. How do you find inspiration for your creative projects?
Just like my music, I’m inspired by my life experiences. The artwork featured in the birthday issue is a drawing of my doggie, Nova.
Are you working on any new projects?
As of right now, I’m not working on anything new, but I have some things in the works. I’m in a new movie called Supercell! And I was just recently featured in a Nike and USA Olympics Women’s basketball team commercial (my very first!).
Quick Fire Questions
What is your most-used emoji?
♥️
If someone were to play you in a movie, who would you want it to be?
Amandla Stenberg, who played Starr Carter in The Hate You Give. She is awesome!
What was something you’ve done that made you feel extreme happiness?
I would have to say, We Are Who We Are. Seeing all the positive feedback from it made me feel really proud to be a part of that. And it took me a while to recognize that I was actually a part of the creation of that.
Where is your happy place?
In reality, and you’re the first person I’m publicly sharing this with, “it’s my bathroom”…