The Power That Comes from Within: Milauna Jemai Jackson’s Inner Artistry

AP: It seems that you have an inside out approach to your life and your career. Some people, will do things hoping that is going to give them the skills or the ability to be who they want to be or do what they want to do, and they work from the outside and hope that affects who they are inside, but as you're talking, what's in here is propelling you to do what's out there. How have you come to that approach?

MJJ: It took me some time, Ashley, because they say, if you are doing something and you're not seeing the results, maybe you should alter what you're doing, right? I did start from an external perspective. I did think that I could figure this thing out-the climb to success externally, and that means external validation-your appearance. It's like, "I'm only going to work on how I how I present myself to the world," and my mother was not about that. My mother was about who you are as a human being, if you are beautiful within, it'll always radiate. It will always be reflected in the eyes of other people who see you. That's my programming, so to speak, or my foundation. I just make a concerted effort to remind myself of how I can do that as an adult woman. As a kid, you are trying to figure it out. In high school, my mom was volunteering in my school one day, and she said she saw me coming down some stairs in the hallway, and she was like, 'I didn't even recognize you. All I saw was this glow, and I was like, "Oh my God, who was that?" Then it hit her. She was like, "That's my daughter." I didn't know my mom was going to be there. I had no idea. The last thing that I expected, was that she was going to tell me that, and I didn't even know what that meant. I spent years of my life hiding that-dimming my light, and thinking that I could shine externally. Again, that comes usually with awards, or with some sort of benchmark that you see as a marker for success, and none of that matters. If you're working externally then that's what you're focusing on, but if you're working from an internal perspective, there's depth. It'll stick with people, and it'll also make you feel good, no matter what the outcome is, no matter what people say. It's like planting a seed. You just know that if you're planting a seed, you have the faith that growth is possible. The people in my life-my elders, my nuclear family, my extended family-they planted these seeds in me. What you see are the results of those seeds. This is those seeds coming into fruition. I like how I feel working internally first and then showcasing it externally. As opposed to the other way-I feel like that led to a lot of darkness and depression and doubt, because I'm looking outside of myself as opposed to living inside of myself.

AP: You wrote in a post on Instagram: "In remembrance of Captain Abbie Noel Campbell. Portraying you taught me stellar resilience and reminded me to cherish my sensitivity. It's worth a king's ransom, always honoring you and your divine contributions." How did you prepare for your role as Abbie in "The Six Triple Eight"-what was it like portraying a real-life figure?

MJJ: It's a dream come true to play a real-life heroine. That's what these women were. That's how I see Abbie. She is a trailblazer. She is also a Hall of Famer. How cool is it, for a woman to be able to play a Hall of Famer? Usually, men get that opportunity to play a Hall of Famer because [they're] playing a sports hero. This was not that at all, and I appreciated that I prepared for her very intentionally. I didn't think that I was going to get this role because I auditioned for another role in the film, and when I didn't hear anything back about that role, I assumed that it was done. It was over, and I found out I gotten the offer for the role of Abbie, and the first thing that I wanted to do was not just apply the information that helped me audition for the original role, because any role that I get, any project that I have, I read a the script as if it's available, because it's not always available. This script was available for me, so I read the script, but I also wanted to read Charity Adam's [Earley] book, [who] was Abbie's best friend. Abbie didn't tell her story. She wasn't able to get out what her experience was like in the US Army, but her best friend wrote a book, and she spoke about how instrumental she was to helping her through this journey. I know what that's like. I have been very honest when it comes to my love for the craft, but also honest about not knowing anything about the women of the Six Triple Eight. So, I would watch documentaries. I would see photos. I would add a story to the photo that I could find of Abbie and her brother. They both were commissioned officers. I'll give you an exclusive-I forget to mention this to people, but I also prepared through music. One of the things I love about what I do as an artist is that it's not just confined to the film and the television world. I get inspiration from museums. I like to create playlists for each project. That's been this ongoing thing for me to help keep me in the mindset of what I'm doing and remind me on hard, long, exhaustive days, what can motivate me to go back. I would watch war films. I would watch a lot of period pieces-films that were set during the 40s, not just modern-day films that they make in the 40s, but films that would come out in the 60s, that were set during World War II. I just love the research part. Because I already done that, when I had the original audition for the very first character that I went out for, I applied that to Abbie, and then I would do the work that I learned along the way, and that is honoring that person and seeing her as a multi-dimensional character, and not just a woman here with a mission, which is to help her best friend, but to be a supportive best friend, but also a brilliant soldier-a standing officer. My character was almost a hybrid. There was another woman. Her name is Mary [Francis] Kearney. She's in a few of the pictures that are now infamous with the Six Triple Eight. She would follow Charity. Whenever Charity was addressing the soldiers [in] the front line, Mary was behind Charity-Abbie was doing something else. I needed to be sure that I could also follow Charity in that way, although it's not the same exact thing that Abbie would have done in the real story, but the beauty of cinema is where creative license comes in. You can alter things to support the story that you want to tell, to be able to play Abbie, but also be able to showcase the skillset of this woman, Mary. I prepared for that by asking for help. Honestly, one of my cast members, Jeante [Godlock], is the only person in the main cast who actually served in the military. I asked her to help me with the commands-to help me figure out why I'm saying what I'm saying. Debbie Allen, and, Quay, who was our military advisor, were instrumental in getting our lines together and helping us march. I would rehearse on my off time, on the weekends, in my hotel room, in a conference room, on my balcony, wherever I could, and practice the things that did not come natural to me, because I'm a girly-girl. The military [was] trying to recruit me, and at the time, I was like, 'I'm going to be an actress and a doctor,' because I like to help people. I love helping other people, so the only way I thought that you could do that was by being a medical doctor. I was like, 'I'm not interested in joining the military.' You're committing for life, and I just didn't want that kind of commitment, but I needed to portray someone who did believe in that commitment. All of those things are what helped prepare me for it.