(Photo courtesy of Jamie Bernadette)
Written by Colleen Bement, Editor
Jamie Bernadette fights for her life against zombies in The Asylum’s latest movie “End Times.”
Bernadette found her passion for show biz as a kid, acting out scenes from “Nightmare on Elm Street.” Now she’s an award-winning actress/producer/director who is known for her roles in is “I Spit on Your Grave: Déjà Vu,” Lifetime’s “Keeping Up with the Joneses,” a guest role on “NCIS: New Orleans”, another guest spot on “Midnight Texas”, and a series regular role in the TV Pilot “Ember”. Her films have been coming out right and left with “Sebastian,” “Cop vs Killer,” “Colonials,” and “Homestead,” and horror and sci-fi fans are loving them. Now Jamie’s in a horror film about zombies called “End Times” and her fans are going to love it! Get up close and personal with Jamie in our interview.
Check out the trailer for “End Times” and get to know this super talent!
Colleen Bement: Congratulations on your new film “End Times.” You had me at zombies! What was your experience like on the set? Was it grueling?
Jamie Bernadette: It was great because we had a great team. Great cast. Great crew. It was a lot of fun. I was also filmed during the hot months in Southern California, and it did get very, very hot. Especially Craig Stark who plays Freddie, he was in head to toe covered in a long sleeve shirt. It did get really hot, that was one of the tough parts about it. It was very physically demanding with a lot of walking and running. I would say that was one of the biggest challenges.
CB: Did you have to train for the role?
JB: I’m normally very athletic anyway. I’ve done a lot of my own stunts. I run. I was already regularly exercising, so was already prepared.
CB: I watched some of your spots in films and tv and you look pretty badass, so I can see how you stay in shape.
JB: I play this tough character a lot. I play vulnerable too, but tough quite a bit. I didn’t know I would fit into that category so well when I came out to Los Angeles so long ago. If I had, I would have been in to martial arts formal training. My training just came from working with different site choreographers. I was a dancer too, and that helps to be able to do fight choreography. I picked up really quickly. But you don’t always know where you’re going to fit in.
CB: By watching the trailer your character appears to transition from helpless to badass. What are you allowed to share about your character, Claire? Do you happen to have any characteristics in common with her?
JB: I started out very weak and not trained to live in this hostile environment. Then I meet Freddie played by Craig Stark. He was in the military in the past and went to war. He trained me and taught me how to fight and to fend for myself in case he’s not there one day to do so. It’s kind of got this Karate Kid aspect to it. I end up very tough by the end, for sure. I’m still being tricked by people, though, but I learn in the end, the hard way. It’s something that the character Freddie saw coming and I didn’t believe him. I definitely learn the hard way by the end of the film to be careful who you trust. I think there’s a lot of me in this character. When I came to Los Angeles from the Mid-West, I came from a very small town, I was very vulnerable. Very trusting of everyone. I definitely toughened up. Hollywood can be a very tough–very cut-throat kind of place, so I toughened up over the years. I’m definitely different.
CB: Are there other projects in the works that you’re allowed to tell us about?
JB: Yeah, I have “Deinfluencer: Clickbait” which is coming out. It was just recently announced, I believe it was November 1st of this year. The sequel to “Deinfluencer” and Simon Phillips is in it. He’s a phenomenal actor/producer. We worked together before and I got to work with him again this year in Canada filming that. I’ve already seen the trailer–it’s not out yet, but it looks incredible. I can’t wait ’til he releases it. The film is about social media and how social media can be so addictive and damaging, and how so many people on there are wearing a facade in front of the public. That’s not really who they are. It’s a horror film, but it has a very powerful message. I’m really excited about that one.
CB: Are you a big fan of horror and zombies and sci-fi?
JB: I grew up with my mom watching a lot of Alfred Hitchcock like “Psycho” and “The Birds.” I’ve probably seen each film probably 15 times or more. We watch the old “Halloween”– the first one. Love that film. My brother would put the sheet over his head and glasses on and walk around the house. Horror was always like a fan in my family. We all enjoyed it. I really grew up with it. I always wanted to be in it. I would watch horror and say I wish I could have had that role when I was little. My friend and I used to act out scenes from “Nightmare on Elm Street” and I would play Nancy and she would be Tina. It was one of the films I was obsessed with. I love doing the genre. I do a lot of other things too. I’ve been in 10 Lifetime films, I’ve done some faith-based films, so I enjoy it. I haven’t pigeon-hold myself into just horror, but I do absolutely enjoy it and love it. It does really well. People love it and it sells. I watch The Walking Dead, I’ve seen every season, I saw the latest “Scream,” so I love it.
CB: What was the very moment that you decided you wanted to be an actor?
JB: I think I knew when I was five because I watched things, and wished I’d been in that, how could I get in that. I distinctly remember thinking how did she get in that and not me. I just knew I was meant to do this and it was my innate purpose.
CB: Were your parents supportive? My mom was always supportive. My father passed away when I was 4 months old, so my mom raised the 9 of us on her own. She’s always been supportive. She tends to like the cleaner films better. She’s very traditional, so I won’t send her something of mine to watch if there’s like nudity in it. She’s not on the Internet, so she watches what I send her. She’s very, very supportive. My whole family is.
Speed Round:
- When it’s time to kick back and relax, what are you wearing?: A nightgown
- Favorite Gas Station Snack: Coconut sprinkled donuts
- Latest TV Show you’ve binge-watched: Wednesday
- Movie you watch over and over: The Descent
- Favorite book: The Giver
- Marvel or DC: Marvel
- Favorite country you’ve visited: South Africa
- Dawn or Dusk? Dawn
- Pie or cake? Cake
- What’s your dream car? Convertible Rolls Royce
- Camping: Tent or camper? Camper
- Who inspires you? It’s probably my brother. He’s inspired me more than anyone. He recently passed, he was the most influential person in my life. Still today, he influences so much of my thinking. I think I notice it even more that he’s passed. It’s him.
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