Jasmine Burke – Saints & Sinners

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) “Saints & Sinners” just premiered to wonderful reviews and we broke records for Bounce TV. That has been the most exciting news to receive. I’m looking forward to people continue to tuning in so we can shatter those ratings.

Q) How was your character originally described to you?

A) The interesting thing is that Ty Scott (who created “Saints & Sinners”) kept everything pretty secretive. We didn’t get a ton of information because she wanted every week (while we were actually filming) to even be a surprise to us because “Saints & Sinners” has a murder-mystery to its backdrop. So, she wanted to have it unfold for us just like it did for the audience. It was a very interesting filming experience really allowing us to be in the moment of everything that we were doing. That was great!

Q) Was there instant cast chemistry when everyone began working together?

A) We didn’t get a lot of time at all to bond. We met at the table-read, some of us that were there. Not everyone was at the table-read. I remember the first time I met Christian Keyes (who plays Levi) was when we were filming. So, we had to build chemistry very fast. Luckily, everyone are professionals and really came to do the work, which made the process pretty seamless.

Q) Was there anything you added to the role that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) Honestly, my personality (as Jasmine Burke) has won me a lot of opportunities. People fall in love with who I am as a person and they want me to interject a lot of Jasmine into the characters that I play. With this, I had a very specific vision for Christie Johnson. So, I didn’t put a lot of extra thoughts into her because Ty had created a very dynamic character, which was a great exercise for me as an actor. It was really drowning myself into a character. It was a learning process that I am grateful for. I’m a better actor it.

Q) What are some moments fans should be looking forward to this season?

A) “Saints & Sinners,” like I said, is a murder-mystery at the backdrop. There is a lot of deceit, scandal and juiciness going on. Everyone is already shocked! Episode one, people were tweeting me and we were trending up to the next day. So, Monday morning we were still trending right up there with AMC’s “The Walking Dead” and Bravo’s “Real Housewives.” So, the reaction to the drama going on was that people really got into it. I just have to tell people, if you thought episode one was a trending topic then you have no idea! I swear that the series gets better and better and better. So, I encourage people to keep tuning in, set your DVR and keep talking with us on social media with the hashtag #SaintsandSinners because there is so much more to come. That was just a warm up!

Q) What do you hope viewers take away from watching the show?

A) I hope that they take away when you support a show like “Saints & Sinners” you are really supporting a movement of great television, dynamic characters and groundbreaking entertainment. “Saints & Sinners” is Bounce TV’s first original drama. And for them to take a chance on such a meaty and enormous project and it be successful is all owed to the fans and viewers of the show. So, I want you to take away with you looking at what you can do when you tune in and support great programing. We look forward to giving people more.

Q) You are a part of social media. Have you been enjoying the instant fan feedback you have been receiving?

A) Oh my goodness! I love it! It’s my new favorite thing! I wake up in the morning and get right on Twitter like, “Oo! What are people saying?” I can’t wait to see my notifications and people just talking to me like they know me. I think that that is the coolest part of social media. To be able to star on a show like “Saints & Sinners” gives people something to talk to me about. It feels really cool and I’m super enjoying the entire fan communication experience. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at @TheJasmineBurke.

Q) Is there anything else you want to be sure fans know about your character?

A) Dr. Christie Johnson is very ambitious and is very unassuming. I just want people to know that as you watch her, pay close attention. As Ty told me while we were filming, “You think you know your character, Jasmine, but she is about to take some interesting turns.” So, I want people to know that Dr. Christie Johnson is not who you think she is and don’t judge her. She is just trying to work through it all. Just take the ride with her!

Watch “Saints & Sinners” on Bounce TV every Sunday at 9pm/ET