During SXSW, I sat down with Jessica Parker Kennedy, who is one of the stars of Black Sails and is showcasing a few projects of hers during the festival. Check out the full interview below.
Have you been to Austin before?
No, this is the first time. I’m from Calgary, Alberta so its a very similar vibe in the air. We always say Calgary is the Texas of Canada. So I sort of feel like I’m home when I’m here which is nice.
What do you think of the weather down here compared to home?
Well the weather is miserable right now unfortunately. I live in LA, so this is really crappy. I’m bummed out.
It’s not normally like this.
Yeah, I heard the day before I came it was really beautiful then the day I got here it started to rain and it’s been miserable.
So tell us about Gemini.
So Gemini is a film I got involved with, when I finished the last season of Black Sails actually. It’s directed and written by Aaron Katz, It stars Lola Kirke and Zoe Kravitz. It’s kind of a strange thriller. It sort it’s own thing in terms of it’s genre. It’s this interesting cool, bizarre, thriller film.
What kind of preparations were taken in order to prepare for the role?
Well I talked to Aaron early on in the process. Zoe plays a movie star, celebrity in the film and I play an obsessed fan girl. He didn’t want it to feel over-the-top fan girl. He wanted my character to have this sensation where she just thinks she is a regular girl and she can sit down with Zoe’s character and can be just best friends. The scenes I have with the two of them is deeply uncomfortable because she doesnt see herself doing anything wrong. She doesnt see herself as a threat in any way.
Maybe not necessary on your characters level, but do you have actors in mind that you still get star struck from?
The only person I would go nuts over, well I go nuts over the whole Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast. Just because that was a really big part of my early teen years. It’s funny because I met Sarah Michelle Geller and I totally fan-geeked in such a hard way. I meet celebrities all the time just being in the industry but when I met her I sorta lost my cool. It’s funny because the webseries we have out here called I love Bekka and Lucy. Wesley’s character from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alexis Denisof stars in it. So working with him too, I geeked out on him so hard. Working with him has been really cool.
I was a bit disappointed to hear in a recent interview, David Boreanaz, who plays Angel said there was basically no chance of a reunion.
Yeah, I think there is no reunion’s as far as I know. It would have been cool to see. I think it’s the 20th anniversary this year.
Tell us about Bekka and Lucy.
It’s a web-series. The first web-series of it’s kind at SXSW, which is cool. We are making history. It is completely created by really talented writer, producer, Rachael Holder. It’s losely based on her and her best friend.It’s about two girls who are in their late 20’s and they live in Eagle Rock in this isolated area. They are best friends and inseparable and hilarious and strange and really love each other unconditionally. The character of Lucy, her boyfriend ends up proposing to her because it was her birthday and he forgot to get her a birthday present so he proposes to her because he doesn’t know what else to do. He is kind of this jerk of a guy, and Bekka doesn’t really like him much. It’s about two women trying to find their place in the world.
I have a few buds who have talked about Black Sails non-stop. I finally started watching the show, unfortunately I’m not caught up yet. It’s a great show, I may have gotten on-board a little too late.
Yeah, we finished our last season. My character goes through a tremendous arc from season 1 to season 4. That show was such a great experience for me. We wrapped up in May. The last season is airing right now. It’s one of those shows where every season definitely gets better. It gets stronger each season for sure.
What else do you have coming up?
I just finished an independent film called Someone Else’s Wedding with Francis Fisher and Wallace Shawn. It’s really fun, we shot it in Montreal, and as a Canadian I was really excited about. So be sure to check that out when it’s out soon.