Jaylen Barron of Starz's Blindspotting on Prison Reform, Empathy, and Being An Afro-Latinx Actor
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California native Jaylen Barron, 25, is Trish in Starz’s Blindspotting, a comedic drama series spin-off of the 2018 film of the same title.
About Blindspotting
Described as a love letter to Oakland and the Bay area’s culture and artistry, Blindspotting is not your common dramedy, incorporating spoken word, dancing, and other creative elements. The show takes place six months after the film left off, following Ashley’s life after her boyfriend, Miles, is incarcerated. Trish is Miles’ younger sister, who is a sex worker, and has the dream of owning her own strip club one day. She’s ambitious, a bold dresser with an even bolder attitude with Barron saying, “Being Trish has really taught me to dive deeper into who I am as an actress and also as a woman.”
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‘Bank Loan’ Ep. 3 Clip | Blindspotting | STARZ
Blindspotting’s Lesson on Empathy
One of the most important elements of Blindspotting is its vulnerability and what Jaylen describes as empathy for others as it shows how a family adjusts after their family member is incarcerated:
“I think that, right now Blindspotting is really big on prison reform and what people are being arrested for and I feel so strongly about it. How are you gonna have a prison where somebody was arrested in 2005 for selling weed or having a little bit of weed on them? And then, two blocks down somebody’s living in a million-dollar mansion from selling weed? I think that we’re talking about that and showing people what it’s like to be on the inside. What is it like to be the person who’s been arrested? And what’s it like for their family?”
Jaylen in Netflix’s Free Reign
Aside from her current role as Trish, Jaylen was the first Afro-Hispanic lead in an original Netflix children’s series as Zoe in the show Free Reign:
“I am so proud of playing the role of Zoe and Free Rain because it’s provided such a different view on Black equestrians because one, you don’t see them, right? Two, you didn’t see a show about them and, three, she’s in England on this little island and one of the only Black girls there riding horses.”
Free Rein | Season 1 Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix
Being An Afro-Latinx Actor
Being an Afro-Latinx woman in the industry has led Barron to appreciate the opportunities she has gained because she finally gets to be the person on screen that she wished she saw on screen growing up. When asked about how it feels to be a representative of the Afro-Latinx community, she appreciates that people may see her that way, but also understands that she has a lot of privilege. Being lighter-skinned, she is aware that the opportunities she’s given and the way she has been treated in the industry are different than darker-skinned people in the industry. Instead, she feels the most fulfilled just knowing that she’s making people happy:
“When I get letters from young Black girls saying that I inspired them to do something that they were too scared to try it makes me feel so good because it’s like, wow, this character that I had no idea would make this impact on these young girls lives is making them try things that they’ve never tried before.”
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