For the cover, Jenny wears a full look by Self-Portrait.
Your portrayal of Tori Spring has resonated with so many Heartstopper fans. What do you think makes Tori such a relatable character for viewers?
I think many of the people watching the show resonate with her because they either have a Tori who supports them or they themselves are a Tori-like figure in someone else’s life. She has incredibly strong morals and an unwavering sense of what’s right/wrong, which I really admire and I hope is aspirational to an audience. Her loyalty, care, patience, understanding and also her quick-wit and dry sense of humour combine to make her a pretty ace human being.
Tori is known for her fierce protectiveness of Charlie and her dry wit. How do you balance showing her tough exterior with the deeper, more vulnerable sides of her personality?
Before I auditioned for the show I read Solitaire (Alice’s first book which centres around Tori) and that she’s a lot of light on the inner-workings of Tori’s mind.
One of the things I love about her is that she’s very efficient with her words; she doesn’t waste them. I knew that because she often doesn’t say as much in actual words, I would have to work on communicating the subtext much more through my physicality and minute facial expressions/eye movements. Those little signals belie what’s going on beneath her harsh exterior.
Heartstopper focuses on themes of identity and self-discovery. Has portraying Tori impacted your own perspective on navigating personal identity?
I’ve definitely been inspired by the people I was surrounded by on set, and also by the fans of the show. I grew up with a feeling of pressure to conform and probably favoured ‘fitting in’ over expressing myself truthfully. I think working on Heartstopper had helped me to break out of that way of thinking.
I’m still evolving and I’m realising/hoping that that will continue to be the case in future. I’m accepting that I don’t have to have one fixed, set-in-stone identity in any aspect of my life, and that change can be a good thing to embrace.
Among your Heartstopper castmates, who do you think is the most like their character?
Probably Nellie and Henry, because they’re just so believable as Nick’s pet dogs. They’re true method actors.
Jokes aside, I’d say Corinna stands out as someone who matches her characters energy, because she is relentlessly kind-spirited, fun and has the most infectious laugh going.
“I’ve definitely been inspired by the people I was surrounded by on set, and also by the fans of the show. I grew up with a feeling of pressure to conform and probably favoured ‘fitting in’ over expressing myself truthfully. I think working on Heartstopper had helped me to break out of that way of thinking.”
The Heartstopper cast has amazing chemistry. What’s one behind-the-scenes moment from season 3 that you’ll always remember?
There were so many special moments this season, but some of my favourite days were those spent filming the Spring family scenes with Georgina and Joseph who play our parents. They’re both phenomenal actors and just so much fun to be around, and I think some of those scenes are the strongest in all the time we’ve been working on the show.
Oh, and fans of the books finally got to see Oliver Spring brought to life by the wonderful Jensen Clayden – he was the last missing piece of the Spring family and Jensen is a total superstar.
“Stage will always be my first love and nothing will ever quite beat the rush of adrenaline it gives you, it really is like an extreme sport sometimes. I think I tend to feel more free on stage than on screen – I find it easier to become really engrossed in the action and shut the outside world out.”
In The Next Level, Zofia’s mysterious death is central to the plot. How did you approach capturing her energy and essence, knowing that her story would largely be told through flashbacks and others’ perspectives?
Zofia immediately jumped off the page as someone with real vitality and a hunger for life, so I just tried to bring a little bit of that into my thinking each day. Her time in Berlin, albeit very brief, sparks a new-found freedom within her and I must admit, I felt the exact same intoxicating energy from the city when I arrived for the beginning of filming. It was really easy, not much acting required, to understand how she could be inspired and overwhelmed by the place, and why she might feel its pull on her to stay.
With experience in both screen and stage acting, which medium do you feel allows you to shine most as a performer, and why?
Stage will always be my first love and nothing will ever quite beat the rush of adrenaline it gives you, it really is like an extreme sport sometimes. I think I tend to feel more free on stage than on screen – I find it easier to become really engrossed in the action and shut the outside world out.
Stage can also allow you to play a broader range of characters and encourages audiences to really suspend their disbelief, so I think there’s more scope to explore more varied parts of myself, as well as many different ages, physicalities etc. Also nothing quite beats the weeks of rehearsal in the lead-up to a show, the family bond you make as a cast is a magical thing.
What’s one book, film, or piece of art that has had a lasting impact on you, and why?
I became completely obsessed with Xavier Dolan’s ‘Matthias & Maxime’ during the first lockdown, so that’s something I always gravitate back to. It’s just breathtaking in so many ways.
Photographer: Jemima Marriott
Photographer’s Assistant: Kelly Guibal
Stylist: Annabel Lucey
Stylist’s Assistant: Rebecca Evans White
Hair: Tarik Bennafla at Stella Creative Artists using Olivia Garden
Makeup: Hannah Davies using Tatcha Skincare
she is so cool! I absolutely adore her!