We recently connected with Jasmine Fontes and have shared our conversation below.
Jasmine, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
The most meaningful project I’ve worked on so far is “The Spring”. It is the first feature script I wrote, alongside my writing and producing partner Emilie Doering. It’s a female led sci-fi western action adventure. With some dystopia thrown in.
The world of “The Spring” grew out of my time with cancer, death was part of the daily, and I lost my hair. Not something I thought I’d go through in my 30’s but there I was. That experience changed me. And in a weird way, I’m grateful. I now give no fucks. It’s delightful. So, I had finished my last round of chemo and a couple of weeks later I started to get this idea – a woman coming out of the depths, alone, broken but strong and determined to survive – a role I could play, especially with the buzz cut that would start to fill in.
Over coffee on January 1st, Emilie and I talked. She’s primarily a novelist but I knew this was our story to tell. I asked her to write it with me, she said yes (huzzah!) and we spent the next 4 hours talking the story out. The question to be answered was “how would we (the real Emilie and Jasmine) survive in a world where corporate greed and overreach reshaped environmental patterns, human rights and the water supply”. We shaped our two first characters out of this and it evolved into so much more. It was meant to be a small story, self contained, set in the desert for budget. Though it is still some of those things, the story took on a life of its own. When it emerged it was a call to action, the first script in a trilogy. A script that focuses on women and other marginalized groups, our genius, our ability to survive the most violent brutalities, set against corporate dictatorship with an elite few holding all known power. (Not far off from where we find ourselves today.) By April we had a working script. A few weeks later we had a table read with our talented friends, intentionally on my diagnosis day, to mark that day in a new way, and the world of “The Spring” came to life.
This story grew in ways I never imagined. I’m forever grateful to be part of bringing it from the ether to our conscious collective. The second script is currently being revised and the final installment will be finished later this year. All three speak to social justice, equality for all beings, and the grassroots efforts that empower us to achieve the change we need to live in a healthy, supportive, peace-filled world. It’s a reminder that together we can make a difference. It is not one hero’s journey; it is the collective’s.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I started my entertainment career by stumbling into it. I mean, I did theater as a kid, sang and danced but did it less publicly as I grew. I was always a singer though, belting out Phantom in the living room at home. It was when I was copy-editing a book for an 80’s icon that she mentioned she liked my attention to detail and asked if I’d like to help produce her upcoming movie. I didn’t know what I was doing but said yes, and after my first day on set I was hooked. I started in the industry as an Associate Producer and over the years became the lead Producer on multi-million dollar independent projects. Even though I loved what I was doing as a producer, it made me realize my heart was in performing. So I started to open up and did smaller projects to cut my teeth, grew into feature films and tv series and I haven’t looked back. I’ve given performances that have likened me to Cate Blanchett, Lauren Cohan, Hannah Waddingham. (Yes, I can do a British accent. Yes, I can stage-fight and kick butt on screen. Yes, I can deliver a poignant and cutting monologue.) It has been life changing to allow myself to be seen and celebrated. It makes me a better actor, producer, writer, singer, human.
I genuinely love what I do as an artist and I think that goes a long way. I don’t shy away from things I’ve never done. I ask for help and figure it out. People are often happy to help bring a production to life. Like life, it takes a village. When tapping department heads, I love seeing their passion and knowledge. I rely heavily on their expertise because they live and breathe their department. Please never ask me to do makeup. When I’m asked to come “camera ready”, I’ll do it, but my goodness does it make me appreciate a professional.
And I’m proud of the community I’m a part of. When I look around at my friends and fellow artists, I get so giddy. They are brilliant and caring and immensely hard working. Which is why there are movies in the works, series being written, photoshoots to celebrate. I like the adage “a rising tide lifts all boats” – when one of us rises, we bring the rest with us. Success is not a solo endeavor.
I enjoy and encourage conversations with like minded artists and interested investors. Our film “The Spring” is in the process of welcoming investors that want to tell that story with us. If that’s you, let me know! We are building an arts village in a time when our industry is so shaken up. This is an open invitation, if you feel like you want to be part of that village, give me a holler.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I come from a pretty traditional patriarchal background, and I had to unlearn all of it. (I still am.) There was a point in my life where I was afraid of being seen even though I wanted desperately to be told I was valuable, worthy. There’s a photo of me at the Emmys years ago and it is an absolute low point, though I didn’t know it then. I thought my only value was to be pretty and not let my brain outshine my beauty, lest the men in charge feel threatened. I made myself small to be pleasing to others, to be safe in the world, to play by the rules. I’m literally laughing out loud! I’m an Elder Millennial, what hasn’t the world thrown at us? And I’m a woman. Also a danger in this world.
But over time I learned to question everything with an earnest interest to learn and grow, to break unhealthy paradigms programmed by my upbringing and our society. To be fearless in speaking up. At first, I spoke up for other people and animals, but eventually I learned to speak up for myself. And now that I know how to speak up for myself, I can more clearly and intentionally speak up for those who still do not have a voice. It doesn’t go unnoticed by me that I am able to do this in relative safety, because my skin color and where I was born in the world, gives me privilege. So what better way to use it than to try to dismantle it.
“All too often, when we see injustices, both great and small, we think, ‘That’s terrible’, but we do nothing. We say nothing. We let other people fight their own battles. We remain silent because silence is easier. Qui tacet consentire videtur is Latin for ‘Silence gives consent.’ When we say nothing, when we do nothing, we are consenting to these trespasses against us.” – Roxane Gay
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My mission is to imbue love in all of my life, whether it’s producing, writing, acting, singing or simply existing. From a sweet short film like “The Laundry Genie and the Lady” (by Emilie Doering) meant to bring a smile and a twinkle to the eye, or a limited series like “The Ice King’s Heart” (by Nathaniel Dolquist), that speaks of heartbreak but still holds hope, to singing jazz on stage in a dimly lit restaurant paying homage to the torch singers of old. There is passion and excitement and living in the moment. Honoring what the art is asking for. Sometimes it just wants to be goofy, and I’m here for it. Other times it wants other things, and I’m here for that too. I’m happy that art chooses me time and again to be its conduit, and in that, I get to collaborate with amazing humans, all immensely talented. And sometimes even animals, like my baby cat Lila’s cameos in my projects, which always weaves a little extra magic. All bringing to life love in its many forms.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5460105/?ref_=fn_all_nme_1
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jazzyfont
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasminefontes/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSAcl8UKDcw6kMid2LYEXCQ
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jasmine-fontes
- Other: The Spring film website: https://filmthespring.wixsite.com/the-spring-film
Image Credits
Singing photo by Emilie Doering
Desert photos by Tatjana Smith