Jodie Turner-Smith Worried About Passing On Generational Trauma While Breastfeeding
While first-time parents Jodie Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson were welcoming the arrival of their daughter, the country was dealt yet another racial reckoning after the murder of George Floyd. In a cover story interview with Net-a-Porter's Porter, the Queen & Slim actress reflected on that dual period of personal bliss and national tumult.
“We decided to live in West Hollywood for the birth [to be closer to a hospital in case of an emergency], so I was hearing the sirens and the marches,” Turner-Smith told the outlet. “I could hear all the unrest outside the door, and it actually took me a while before I could watch the video of George Floyd because I was nursing my daughter and you think about the generational trauma that we already carry and deal with and pass on. I was trying really hard not to pass on that fear, sadness and anxiety through my breast to my child. I had to shut a lot of it down and just stay insular and inside my family for a bit.”
The actress also spoke to what this moment might mean for people attempting to confront the country’s racist legacy. “There was a moment where it felt really hopeful, when everyone was in this conversation about anti-racism,” she said, “but it goes away and it gets quiet again.”
A post shared by Jodie Turner-Smith (@jodiesmith) on Apr 3, 2020 at 12:36pm PDT
No matter what, Turner-Smith and Jackson have prioritized their daughter’s well-being. “You just want to create a better life—not that I had a bad life by any means—but the heartbreaks I had in my own life, ideally I want to save my daughter from having them,” she said.
As she does often, Turner-Smith again took the opportunity to gush over her husband and their relationship. “I’m really in love with my husband. That might be weird for people, but I’m doing a pretty good job of not shouting that from the rooftops as much as I would like to,” she said. “He’s a really amazing dude. Today’s actually our two-year anniversary. It’s only gotten better and I feel so grateful for that. That’s why I share it sometimes, because I love him, I think he’s hot, I think he’s smart and he’s incredibly talented. I feel so lucky to be in a relationship with somebody who feels the same about me, who is not shy about telling me that or uplifting me.”
Whether or not the two will ever work together on-screen, though? She’s hopeful. “I would love to work with him on stage. I’m excited for what else he’s going to do in his career,” she added. “This is kind of a new wave for him. He’s now a man in his forties who’s been acting since he was a child. He’s become a new man, a husband and father.”
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