Jasika Nicole: Reinventing Representation

Jasika Nicole has made a name for herself in the entertainment industry as a talented and versatile actress. Known for her large roles in hit drama series such as Fringe, Scandal, and Underground, she was most recently seen as Dr. Carly Lever on ABC’s The Good Doctor. Her relationship with Freddie Highmore’s character, Dr. Shaun Murphy, made history as one of the first on television to explore romance between neurotypical and neurodivergent partners.

Audiences will see Nicole next in the highly anticipated reboot of Punky Brewster, playing a pivotal role next to Soleil Moon Frye and Freddie Prinze Jr. 

Outside of acting, Nicole is a proud member of the LGBTQ community who uses her platform to help advocate for those who do not have a voice. Being queer and biracial has affected her career, but that has not stopped her from being her authentic self. 

OFM had a chance to catch up with Nicole to talk more about The Good Doctor and Punky Brewster, how she and her wife, Claire, have been handling quarantine, and how she is a fierce do-it-yourselfer who loves to create her own clothes. 

How have you and Claire been surviving these days of COVID?

It’s funny. Something that we recognized halfway through was that when you think about your regular life, Claire would go to work, and I was flying back and forth to Vancouver at the time, the actual amount of quality time we had together that was not sleeping was so much smaller compared to spending all our time together. I say that in a good way because we really do enjoy each other’s company, but we also know how to give each other space. There were a lot of ups and downs, a lot of unexpected and some expected stuff that we had to navigate, but we survived it. We are still surviving it and still together. 

Any tips on how to stay sane and not go stir crazy?
The biggest tip that I have, and this will be no surprise to anyone who is familiar with my Instagram, but I think hobbies are very important. Not just during a pandemic, but any time. It does not necessarily have to be separate from your job, but something that only fulfills you. Something that you don’t capitalize on or try to monetize. Something that just brings you joy. Adults, if possible, should try to incorporate hobbies into their lives more often. I feel like we do it with kids because we are trying to occupy them, and we don’t think about doing it as adults. Adults need that too. We need a break from anxieties and stresses. So, try to find something that brings you joy that does not necessarily involve money, or even other people if that is your vibe. Dedicate a little bit of your life to doing that periodically.

What did you enjoy the most about being Dr. Carly Lever on the show The Good Doctor?

I absolutely loved working with Freddie. I think he is a dream scene partner. When I first met him, which was in Season One because I was recurring for the first couple of seasons, he was pretty quiet and kept to himself. I appreciated that because I am an introvert, and I get energized from my alone time. I thought of him as being somebody like that, so I always gave him space and tried not to interrupt him. I wanted to be respectful. 

Then I found out, he has a great sense of humor. He exudes this quiet confidence and professionalism. The world could be falling apart around him, and he would probably stay focused. 

It is sometimes hard, particularly in episodic television, to learn a lot on the job because there are so many things happening, and the director just wants you to perform. Freddie was able to create an atmosphere where there was a chance to play around and figure stuff out together. He made me feel like I was doing theatre again.

Your relationship with Freddie’s character, Dr. Shaun Murphy, made history as one of the first on television to explore romance between neurotypical and neurodivergent partners. How significant is that?

I think it is incredibly significant. It is significant to see neurodivergent people in any kind of relationship, whether it is with somebody who is not neurodivergent, somebody who is, or somebody who is neurodivergent in a different way. Representation at this point is severely lacking and people are hungry for it.  

At one point in the show, they brought up the fact that Carly had an autistic sister, which was really cool. I was like, ‘This is great. Maybe we will see Shaun interact with somebody who is vibing with him in some way.’ I am not on the show anymore, so I unfortunately did not get to see that, but I am hoping this show is one of the starting points, that it will skyrocket from there, and we will get to see a lot more representation with that community.

Is it true that you entered the show already having a basic knowledge and understanding of autism because your actual sister is autistic?

Yes, that is correct. Her name is Sedric, and she was born my senior year in high school.  For better or worse, I learned a lot of annoying things about myself because my sister is nonverbal, so she is not able to communicate in a way that I communicate the best, so there is a lot of disconnect there. 

My family and I are always trying to fill in the blanks for what it is that she wants or needs because she is not always able to articulate it. It is certainly understandable, but when that happens, you wind up inserting so much of yourself in those spaces that you are trying to fill up. So, I have learned a lot about trying to pay attention to what she might want as opposed to what I think is best for her. 

Related article: Queer, Black Artists from 1920 to Now

How did you discover a passion for acting?
My mom was always like, you are such a good performer! You should be on stage! I didn’t even know if I wanted to, but I got such positive feedback when I performed, and I wanted more of that. Even beyond my mom supporting me, the first time I was ever on stage playing an actual role was when I was in the fourth grade. I went to a predominately white school, lived in a predominately white neighborhood, and that was the first time I felt everybody had a reason to look at me. Prior to that, people would look at me and be like, who is she? Where is she from? What is she? I was being stared at for all the wrong reasons. Onstage, you are staring at me because I’m singing! 

In a lot of ways, it was a coping mechanism with the fact that I felt very different growing up. At some point, I was like, I guess I am good enough at this to keep going, but it took me a long time to think I would ever have a career in this. I was really into illustration and writing, and I thought I may go down a completely different path.

You are playing a large and pivotal role in the new Punky Brewster reboot. What can you tell us about that?

I play Lauren, who is dating Cherie Johnson! I don’t remember exactly how many years later we are picking up with Punky Brewster, but it is a few decades later than where you left off. In that period, a lot had happened. Punky got married, started a family, adopted these really cool kids, and Cherie is still her best friend. Cherie has come out as either queer or lesbian, but she is dating me. You get to meet Lauren’s character about halfway through the season, and it is very lovely and sweet.

What I appreciate a lot about the show is that it’s easy to stick a queer character or queer love story into a TV show with adults. You don’t as often see queer people in relationships with kids in a family dynamic, which is incredibly important for us to see. I really appreciate how Cherie is Punky’s kids’ auntie; Cherie has this girlfriend who she is really into, and they start inviting Lauren into the fold. Kids are getting to experience Cherie, her girlfriend, and their relationship, and it is normalized for them. It is not weird or anything like that, which I think is supposed to be a testament to how well Punky has raised her kids to be super forward-thinkers and really compassionate, empathetic, thoughtful, and caring about all different kinds of people. 

As a queer entertainer, you use your platform to advocate for those who do not have a voice. Why is this important to you?

I hope I am using my platform to amplify other people’s voices. Marginalized communities are usually shouting and yelling saying, “This is what we need. This is how we want to be treated.’ The powers that be like to squash, dismiss, and ignore those voices. Act like they are not that big. I am trying hard to not speak over those. I want to give them a platform to say, listen to us. This is what we are talking about. Obviously, I can speak on things about queerness, sexuality, being a person of color, but when we talk about ableism and fatphobia, although I support those communities, I do not want to speak over them. 

How has being queer and biracial affected your career?

I was out pretty much from the very beginning of my career, so I do not have anything to compare it to.  

One huge thing that I noticed was, when I played Astrid Farnsworth on Fringe, she ended up kind of being a babysitter to this older, white character played by John Noble, who I love. He was not always lucid, so she kind of babysat him to make sure he was taken care of. People loved Astrid. She was a fan favorite at Comic Con; I never read anything bad about Astrid. Fast forward to me playing Dr. Carly Lever, who is a very smart, very capable Black woman dating this very smart, lovely doctor, and people lost their minds. They hated this character so much. Like, how could you hate her? The writers took such great lengths to make sure that she is a warm, likable character, and it took me a while to realize they did not like her because she spoke up for herself. She was in command and in control. People like seeing, particularly Black women, in subservient positions rather than positions where they have opinions and say no to people.

I am constantly learning about the way I look and the different aspects of who I am, and how they end up intersecting with my career in both positive and negative ways. Obviously, I am excited to be part of the Punky Brewster cast as a queer woman, and that is actually the first queer role that I have ever had on network television. This is a huge deal for me, but it is like I can never relax because I am always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I understand that I am a privileged person to be able to work in this industry, and I know that any, single thing that I get cast in is a big deal because I am who I am. I will always be queer and Black.

Related article: Celebrating Blackness- Community Education Series

Outside of acting, you are an accomplished seamstress who likes to design and make your own clothes. How did that begin?
Again, I was not sure if I wanted to have a career as a performer. When I was in college, I minored in both dance and studio art, and majored in theatre in hopes that I would figure out something but have enough of a foundation in any of those things to be able to work in them. I had to take a design class for my studio art minor, so I took costume design. I really was not good at it [laughs]. I did not really enjoy it, but I loved the construction of the garments. The design and color palettes, telling a story through symbolism – save that for the other people! I think I took that class sophomore year, and I would go into the costume shop on weekends. Everybody else is out drinking and partying, and I am in the costume shop by myself at the machines trying to learn how to thread a bobbin properly. That is where I learned, and I just kept at it. My mom bought me a sewing machine because I liked it so much. I have always been someone who likes to make with my hands. It has always been a big part of me. 

People can see some creations on your blog, Try Curious?
Yes, I blog on my website, and I usually talk about specific patterns that I made. I also make shoes, so I will talk about shoemaking. There are posts about upholstery because I upholstered a bunch of furniture in our home, and I built a lot of furniture out of wood. I like to be busy with my hands, and I do not want to spend money on something that is not well made. I have been told to figure out how to do it myself, which has served me very well!

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?
An audio book that I narrated just came out. It is so good! It is called What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo, and it is a dark, creepy story about a family of monsters. It is beautifully written, and I had a lot of fun reading that book. It just came out on Audible, so people can check that out!

To stay up-to-date with Nicole’s latest news and DIY projects, follow her on Instagram, or visit her official website, jasikanicole.com.

*Photos by Claire J. Savage