Actor Jazzy De Lisser is not yet another example of the current wave of the young Britpack taking London, with their glinty eyes set on Hollywood – there is more to her than mere ambition. She is also keen to dispel the notion that she is just an “it” girl, as well. A description she, quite rightly, bridles at.
The 22 year old has recently appeared in independent films such as to.get.her, the upcoming Primal/Ethereal and also as Tansy in the leading fantasy series Game of Thrones, roles which have shaped her alluring screen personality. However De Lisser has also drawn a unique strength from her early challenges, which brings a depth and maturity to her acting which is beyond her years. De Lisser has a lot to open up about, namely, the kind of life stories that have led her to lend a hand to charity organisations that have allowed her to channel her lifelong battle with Hepatitis C into raising awareness of and destigmatising the condition and in doing so, helping many others.
Since her debut in to.get.her, a film that garnered awards at both the Sundance Film Festival and RiverRun International Film Festival the spotlight firmly lit upon Jazzy. The future is now looking very bright for her, with the US firmly on the horizon and leading roles that will no doubt lead to a career of longevity, for all of which, we wish her the best.
So Jazzy, being one of London’s prime “it” girls and also one of its most up-and-coming acting talents must keep you busy?
It does keep me rather busy, but I would’t say I am too much of an “it” girl, more actress.
Which one is the most fun?
Acting! I don’t really know what being an “it” girl is …
Aside from all of that though it’s clear that academia is also important to you though, much of your passion for film can be traced back to the New York Film Academy, when did you enrol there?
I started a directing course there when I was 18 and once I saw that through I moved on to The William Esper Studio, again in New York, to undertake theatre-based training, which I did for two years in total and loved every second of it.
On enrolling there am I right in saying you became something of a polymath, in front as well as behind the camera? What role did you take on behind-the-scenes?
My time at the New York Film Academy made me realise how much I love film, though it’s always been something that I knew I wanted to be involved in, but I never really thought about acting beforehand. I then made a short documentary, which made me feel more comfortable in front of the camera; in fact, it also actually took the directing course to make me fall more in love with the story I was making rather than the directing side. I also took every opportunity to act in everyone’s short films, which again, I absolutely loved.
What different perspective of film did this give you?
Mostly, it taught me how many different elements there are to film and second to that, the importance of pulling your weight in a team.
Was it was around this point that you creatively directed your first short film, My Story of C, a personal and deeply moving look at your lifelong trials with being born with Hepatitis C?
I actually completed My Story of C when I was 16, I always had a video camera handy when I was younger and I was talking to a friend of mine about the treatments I was going through at the time and I suppose the idea for making a biographical film about it came from just talking about everything that goes into having Hepatitis C. So I just started filming, just to see how it went. From that point on, it just got bigger and bigger, so eventually I ended filming the whole treatment itself. That was my Story of C.
What did this lead on to?
It resulted in the train of thought that lead me onto taking acting seriously. In that way, it really taught me a lot.
Does living with Hepatitis C give you some kind of inner-strength day to day, as I imagine it certainly calls for that?
I’d say it does, it’s one of those things that’s a double-edged sword. When I started the treatments that My Story of C documented I really thought I was going to cure it and I was so positive in that respect. Making a film out of it was almost something to keep me distracted, but when the treatments didn’t work, it kind of proved my point a little more. Although, I was then certain that I didn’t want to release the film on a wide scale, but then it dawned on me how alone I felt during the treatments, being 17 at the time and never meeting anyone who was my age going through the same thing was a real eye-opener. It wasn’t until I started meeting other people going through it as well and hearing from even more people all around the world, that I thought, I can do this.
Thanks for opening up to us Jazzy. Now, let’s move back onto your acting career a little bit. Your debut was in the 2011 American drama film To Get Her, how was that for a first foray into acting?
It was really amazing because on a personal level I had known the director for a very long time, she then asked me to audition for it and along with five other girls within two weeks we had filmed it. We didn’t want to wait around. It was a really great learning experience all in all because we were working on such a low budget and even one really put their all into it. Doing something with someone I trusted so much made for a great first experience.
You followed this up with a role in a little TV series that just happens to be known the world over, Game of Thrones, tell us a little more about what happened between To Get Her and Game of Thrones to lead to such a breakthrough turn?
After To Get Her when I began my studies into film it wasn’t until 2 years that I started auditioning for roles the Summer I finished. That’s when Game of Thrones came long.
Could you tell us a little bit about the after-effects of a role that gave you so much exposure?
It was an amazing thing to be a part of, but it taught me that you’ve just gotta work.
Your next big role is in Primal/Ethereal, currently in post-production, tell us a little more about that?
It is about being on a teenager on the cusp of adulthood, which incorporates a number of other themes that range from friendship to relationships as you turn into an adult, learning about yourself more than anything in the process.
Do you see yourself going for the high echelons of superstardom in front of the camera?
Right now I’m concentrating on my big love, acting, but that’s not to say that somewhere down the line I wouldn’t want to go down a directing route.
As your stardom does escalate, do you ever feel like, to some extent, you have done all of this against all odds considering some of your previous ordeals that possibly make you an exception from other young actresses?
I think everyone has their story and everyone’s gone through their own things. I suppose what I’ve been through is a part of me, it’s my story and it’s made me who I am today.
At this point in your life, where are your ambitions taking you?
I think I’ll probably be spending a lot more time in America, for now though, I really want to work, just work, keep on going and giving as much as I can.
by Liam Feltham
Photographs by Justin van Vliet