Exclusive: Actress Kelly Jenrette On Her Emmy Nomination, Sharing A Record With Husband and Upcoming ProjectsPosted by Wilson Morales
August 23, 2018
Among the 28 African American actors who received Emmy nominations for 2018, no one was more surprised than Kelly Jenrette, who received a nod for her one episode on Hulu’s hit series, The Handmaid’s Tale.
Nominated as “Outstanding Guest Actress, Drama” for her role as “Annie,” Jenrette is up against some familiar faces and previous Emmys winner in the likes of Cicely Tyson, Viola Davis, Diana Rigg, Samira Wiley and Cherry Davis.
The nomination was the only surprised that came along that day. Her real life husband, Melvin Jackson Jr., also received an Emmy nomination this year in the category of “Outstanding Actor, Short Form” for his original series, “This Eddie Murphy Role is Mine not Yours,” making them the first African American couple in history to both earn Emmy nods the same year.
2018 seems to be turning out to be great year so far for the Atlanta, GA native. Besides the nomination, Jenrette will next be seen on the big screen in Nijla Mu’min directorial debut, “Jinn,” which stars Zoe Renee and Luke Cage’s Simone Missick. She was also cast to play Jeffrey Wright’s wife and Ashton Sanders’ young mother in the urban drama, “A Day and a Night,” currently shooting on location in Northern California.
Blackfilm.com recently caught up with Jenrette to discuss her historic nomination and upcoming projects.
When the nominations came out, was it a surprise to you or did you have an idea you may get nominated?
Kelly Jenrette: No, I did not have an idea that I would get nominated, so it was very much a surprise. Of course, I talked to my team about submitting for the nod. I knew that my name was on the ballot, but it was still very surprising on July 12th to go to the website and see my name on the list of individuals who were nominated.
How did you find out? Who told you first?
Kelly Jenrette: I found out myself, actually. I was watching the streaming broadcast online and then they directed the viewers to go to emmys.com to see the complete list of nominees. And so I was at home, and I was like, well, let me just go and see who else is nominated. And went over the actress category and saw my name under Cicely Tyson and Viola Davis, Diana Rigg, Cherry Jones, Samira Wiley, and proceeded to scream and cry and call my mom.
You know, it’s a good feeling, obviously for a lot of people, we certainly had a lot of African Americans get nominated. Especially in the acting category. I think this is the most ever, by my calculations. So, when you see that and then you get your nomination, it’s a good feeling. But take us back, for people who don’t watch The Handmaid’s Tale, talk to me about the character that you’re playing.
Kelly Jenrette: So, my character is the first wife of Luke, June’s current husband. My character’s name is Annie and the character is briefly mentioned in season one when June and Luke kind of first meet and they’re at the beginning of their little affair. So then in the second season, my character is revealed as his first wife.
How much of a good feeling is it that you’re part of a whole team where everybody’s getting rewarded?
Kelly Jenrette: Yeah, it feels amazing to be a part of the team. I mean, the first season they were rewarded in an amazing way, and I think this year they have received even more nominations than they did last year. So to be part of that is a great experience.
What’s this attraction to watching a Handmaid’s Tale?
Kelly Jenrette: I will admit when I saw the very first episode of season one, I said to myself, I don’t know if this is something that I can watch because it was such a heavy and dark show, but it is so well written and acted so extremely well that it just draws you in. So once you kind of trek through that initial shock, and you continue to watch, it’s difficult for you to stop watching it because it is surreal and also could be very real, and I think that just kind of keeps you coming back for more.
Besides getting the nomination for yourself, you also made history when your husband got nominated. Was he with you when you saw it?
Kelly Jenrette: No, he was actually at work and so I had seen that I was nominated and then he called me from work and he was saying, “You’re an Emmy-nominated actress.” And I said, “I know, I can’t believe it. Do you know if you were nominated in your category?” And he didn’t. And I went back to my computer and looked up his category and saw his name and started screaming again, like, “Oh my god, you are nominated too. We’re both nominated.”
You’re the first black married couple to be nominated!
Kelly Jenrette: Right. Yep.
Were you aware that it was a record?
Kelly Jenrette: Initially we were not aware, but I think through research, and honestly, I can’t remember who told us, or how we found out that we were the first African American married couple to be nominated, but it’s an honor for sure to be the first of anything, really, and this is no exception to be the first black married couple to be nominated.
One of the films you’ve worked on, “Jinn,” has been traveling through the festival circuit and winning awards for the director and for the film itself. It was recently announced that it will hit theaters in the Fall. Were you able to go to South by Southwest when it premiered in April?
Kelly Jenrette: I was. I was able to go to South by Southwest and it was a wonderful experience to be with all of my castmates. To be with Nijla and Avril, the producer, to really share in that moment of winning the narrative feature and just celebrating Nijla, in particular, with this being her first feature film, and kind of a story that is very close to her heart. It was an honor to be a part of that, and just to be there to witness it with all of the cast and some of the crew.
I just saw you just signed up for another film, “All Day and a Night.” Can you talk about that a little bit?
Kelly Jenrette: So I was cast in a film written and directed by Joel Robert Cole, who is the co-writer of Black Panther, and starring Jeffrey Wright, who is one of my favorite actors of all time, and has been for a very long time, and Ashton Sanders from Moonlight and Equalizer 2. We started shooting that back in July in Oakland, so I’m back and forth between LA and Oakland working on that project.
You’ve got a lot going on. Would you say the star is brightening up right now for you?
Kelly Jenrette: Yes, so here’s the thing. I’ve been in LA for almost 12 years and the first half of 2018 was desert land and it was just very difficult personally and career-wise, but things began to pick up right around July. So I found out about All Day and a Night first, and then a week later found out about the Emmy nomination, and so things have absolutely started to pick up. I think the thing that kept me grounded and out of the insane asylum was just prayer and meditation and understanding that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord, and just remaining steadfast in knowing that that timing is always perfect.
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