In the film, “I’ll Be There,” Jasmine Batchelor takes on a breathtaking role that delves into themes of family and self-discovery. In this interview, she discusses her part in bringing this emotional story to life.
What drew you to the role of Grace, and how did you prepare to portray her complex family dynamics?
My team sent me the audition, and as I read parts of the script, I empathized with a character who seemed to be going through a difficult period. She is a little bit estranged from some people she loves because of some childhood stuff, and she’s just trying to learn how to be not only a better sibling but a better person to herself. And although I don’t have any kids, and my brother in real life is like 10 years younger than me, I do know what it’s like to feel like to be the one who’s away from everyone trying to make something happen. And I really identified with that.
When I got into the callback with Ryan, it was over Zoom, so if you can imagine us doing some of those scenes over the computer, which is super wild. But when I got into the Zoom room with Ryan, it just kind of clicked. I just felt like this was my brother; this was someone that I could hang out with. And we had really instant sibling chemistry. And I’m just glad that it all worked out so we could actually do the movie together. Now, how did I prepare is a whole other thing, because that’s like a whole interview in itself.
How did you connect with Grace’s journey of finding peace and healing within herself?
I feel like that’s an eternal journey. Peace is a beautiful thing. And it is sometimes a fleeting thing because life is, to me, change. It’s always changing, always evolving thing. The only thing constant in our life is change. So personally, I always strive for peace. But of course, there are going to be moments where there is conflict or moments where that peace is challenged, and you have to go back to that. I like to think of peace as the desired homeostasis. It’s like where you want to be, not always where you are all the time. It’s something that you can strive for and hope for. And so I think that Grace is also going through that too. Except she’s not really as conscious about wanting peace or what peace looks like. It’s something that she’s discovering throughout the film.
How did Michael Jackson’s death as a cultural moment influence your performance and dynamics on the screen?
Well, you’re not the first person to ask this, and I still haven’t come up with a really, really great, succinct answer for that because I often think about how it impacted my own life because in acting, we use our own experiences in our own lives sometimes to reflect what’s happening on screen. You know, you draw from your life in these given circumstances. And I remember that was such a huge moment for me when it happened. I still remember where I was. I remember who I was with. I remember the room we were sitting in. I remember how it made me feel.
Grace has a great deal of tolerance throughout the film. Were there any moments where you might’ve felt conflicted with Grace’s choices?
You can see someone’s behavior, and you may think I see why you’re doing that, but I would do this very differently though. That’s how I felt about a lot of her stuff looking back now. When you’re acting, you’re not judging the person or the character you’re playing. You can fully understand why they’re doing it. And, you know, my job as an actor is to justify everything that my character does. So, in the middle of it, it made sense for her to be doing stuff, but I also deeply feel personally conflicted with some of the ways that she handles stuff because I like to communicate. I like to embrace aspects of conflict because I think that if you don’t tell people how you feel, you can’t love them, and they don’t get the opportunity to love you.
While the film highlights these complicated relationships within the blended family, what was it like working with the cast to bring these intricate family dynamics to life?
What you see on screen is just a mirror of what behind the scenes felt like, because when you get on set and you spend a lot of time with people, you ultimately do have a family dynamic. And thankfully that also works out for the movie. Dorian still calls me and Ryan his kids, which is adorable.
You have played a variety of roles, including dramas and procedurals like Law & Order SVU. How did working on this intimate film compare?
I think we shot this in the summer of 2022, in Texas. So, it was mad hot. I gotta say; I love any time I get to act. Anytime I get to tell a story, I’m really grateful. My favorite thing to do, though, I’m discovering, is movies. The experience of shooting a movie is always going to be top-tier for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love shooting television. It’s like a long-form version of acting because you get to play one character over an arc of episodes. But doing a movie is closer to doing a play. And I come from theater. Plays have a special place in my heart. And when you’re shooting a movie, you’re just really deep diving into maybe an hour and a half or two hours of one character. You probably have more takes on a movie than you do in television, for sure. Projects like Law & Order are fast-paced shows.
The director mentioned the film’s grim, surreal moments. How did you approach performing in those scenes where reality and memory blurred together for Grace?
Oh, you know what? That’s such a good question. Thank you for that. I think maybe that is more of the director’s job to blur those lines because Grace is just living and experiencing it… Everything is real to her, you know? And so, if she’s in a waiting room and this random janitor starts talking to her about Tito and Latoya Jackson, she’s like, this is happening. And then if that janitor disappears, she’s like, okay, the janitor’s gone. You just react to what’s happening in the moment. Of course, that’s like weird in the grand journey that she’s having, but in the moment, she’s just trying to figure things out piece by piece. Everything is very real for her until maybe it’s not. And I love that in the movie. She doesn’t really get to decide if it’s real or not but only takes what’s useful from it.
Well, the movie has earned critical acclaim, including your Best Actress award at the Santa Clarita International Film Festival. How does it feel to receive such recognition for a project that deals with personal and universal themes?
It’s lovely. I guess I’m super weird about receiving praise for doing what I love. I know that has to sound strange. I am glad that people are watching. I’m glad if they like it. I’m even glad if they dislike it or if they engage with it. My goal is for people to have some kind of opinion and conversation. And so anytime that a conversation comes up because of something I’ve done, I’m grateful for it. I’m just really, really thankful that people like something that we’re doing, and they want to talk about it. I’m grateful and super glad.
Be’n Original
