[Interview] Actress Jordan Alexander for SACRED LIES: THE SINGING BONES

As an actress and a singer, Jordan Alexander is steadily making a name for herself in the industry. In what is considered to be her first lead role as 17-year-old Elsie in the Facebook Watch series SACRED LIES: THE SINGING BONES, Jordan Alexander embodies a character that is equal parts strong and vulnerable as she deals with the adversities and negligence of the foster care system while simultaneously trying to uncover the truth surrounding her parents.

For the release of the series, we had the chance to chat with Jordan Alexander about her role as Elsie. During our conversation, we discussed everything from her passion for music, the importance of representation, and what she hopes people take away from the themes of the show.

Jordan Alexander in SACRED LIES: THE SINGING BONES

You’ve been acting since 2008, with SACRED LIES being essentially your first big lead role. What was it about the character of Elsie that drew you to her?

Jordan Alexander: I thought it was super fascinating that I was given the opportunity to audition for a role like this because I think generally, or at least usually, this role doesn’t go to someone who looks like me, someone who is quite alternative and mixed race. I felt like that was a really interesting direction to take this narrative in that I’m not that perfect lost little princess looking type of person. I was really compelled by their willingness for that. As well as, honestly, just incredible writing. As I was auditioning for it, when I was working with the coaches, we were all just like, “Oh my gosh, the writing is so good!”.

I appreciated how the cast was diverse and included so much representation. With Elsie, she experiences a lot of trauma from when she was young to where we see her now. How was it getting into that headspace?

Jordan Alexander: It was really interesting. I definitely had to do a lot of work and research as well as just doing that research internally in myself and finding what that would do to me as an individual and then channeling that through Elsie. It was really interesting to go into that psychological dig to understand what kind of repercussions these events have on young people especially in regards to having traumatic life events early on.

Jordan Alexander and Ryan Kwanten in SACRED LIES: THE SINGING BONES

What was your experience like working with creator Raelle Tucker as well as the rest of the cast?

Jordan Alexander: It was, honestly, like a fever dream. I don’t think I could have dreamed up or patched together a better experience. Raelle is just like, she’s just otherwordly, honestly. Her creativity and her magnetism and just the wonders brewing inside of her – you can just feel it, it’s palpable. Being around the other creatives – Juliette [Lewis], Ryan [Kwanten], Kristin [Bauer van Straten], all of my other castmates – I really connected with everyone. I couldn’t believe it was such a large cast and crew. I genuinely felt like everyone there was just a fantastic person. I think that comes down from the top. I think that started with Raelle and she makes conscious decisions to build a cast and crew in a set environment like that. She’s just amazing.

Having done research on the show, I saw that it was not only based on true crime but also The Brothers Grimm tale, “The Singing Bones.” Were you familiar with the story?

Jordan Alexander: It’s really interesting because Raelle definitely takes her own spin on things and she adds those elements into her own story. Sometimes very blatantly but also as an undercurrent throughout the whole season. I was vaguely familiar with The Brothers Grimm tale “The Singing Bones”. I found that really super fascinating so I definitely looked more into that and just made myself more aware of that storyline as well as the meaning of it and the implications of that story. I also made sure to listen to some true crime podcasts. I feel like it was good just to get a vibe of what’s going on and try and delve a little bit into that world and understand what it’s like to be fascinated by something like that [true-crime] or involved in trying to figure out something like that.

Other than acting in this series, you also play the guitar and perform the main song. How was that experience?

Jordan Alexander: That was incredible. I’ve been doing music for about nine years now and that’s my true heart’s passion, that’s what I do as a human. It was really fun to be able to bridge those worlds and also have an “in” with Elsie to kind of relate to her and really embody who she was as well.

I love that the series has this fantasy element to it but also deals with heavy themes such as cold cases and the foster care system. Is there anything you’re hoping people will take away from this series or your character in particular?

Jordan Alexander: I think overall, and I think that was probably Raelle’s intention, is that there are depth and darkness within all of us but also the possibility for redemption. I think in casting me and giving me the face of someone…you feel compassionate towards Elsie. You know she’s had this really tough life and I feel like it’s really important for that to be depicted in a diverse way. I think the takeaway would be no matter what the face looks like, no matter what happened, there’s always a space for redemption. Also, not assuming, like in the case of Peter, my dad, that someone who seems to be all good can’t also have that darkness. So just keep in mind the balance of people.

For more on SACRED LIES: THE SINGING BONES, check out our review here and make sure to catch the series now available to stream on Facebook Watch.

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Shannon McGrew

Founder/Co-Owner at Nightmarish Conjurings

Shannon is the Founder of Nightmarish Conjurings and a lover of all things horror and haunt related. When she's not obsessively collecting all things "Trick 'R Treat" related, or trying to convince everyone that "Hereditary" is one of the greatest horror films ever made, you can find her designing interiors for commercial restaurants. An avid haunt fan, Shannon spends the entire year visiting haunts and immersive experiences throughout the Southern California area and hopes to one day design her own haunted attraction.

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