What I found interesting was how long they’ve known each other. Love stories don’t always start with romance. You can know each other for a long time before that spark ignites or before you realize the spark is already there.
Me and Ruby had talked this to death when we were filming. Obviously [our characters] have spent our entire lives together, and so we wanted to make sure that it felt real. And there were so many different scenarios and avenues that we could have gone down. I think, for Jade, it was probably always there and she just didn’t want to cross that line. And Kit, her attention is being pulled in 500 different ways all of the time.
I think this is why it’s so confusing for them, because they’ve been raised together since they were about two years old. So it’s kind of like, oh, when has it become that they’ve starting to see each other in a different way?
Is there anything else about this relationship that you think is noteworthy or meaningful in terms of representation, to have a queer love story in a mainstream Disney fantasy show?
Yeah, massively. When I got the character description, it said that she was queer in it too. And I immediately was like: ‘A queer person in Disney? Absolutely, I’ll do it! Where do I sign?’ That’s exciting. I think it’s important for kids to be able to see that. I think if I had a show like this when I was 13, I would’ve felt a lot less alienated and a lot less alone. And so I think it’s really important.
Did you bring part of your own life or your own experience to playing Jade?
I feel very similar to Jade, and I think the only thing that separates us is our environment. I think if I grew up in that environment, I think I’d be exactly the same, or very similar to Jade. I think a lot of people can relate to having a crush on somebody or liking somebody and being like, ‘Oh, I can’t overstep, or I don’t want to shoot my shot and have it be turned down.; But yeah, there’s that added thing of Kit being royalty, which Jade takes very seriously. But Kit would be like, ‘What the hell are you talking about? You’re my best friend.’
Jade’s been conditioned to think this way. And it was so great to have Ruby to talk all of this through with. We were able to have a lot of time to create backstories and memories that we would’ve had together, and really go over it and solidify it. And I think also being queer and playing a queer character, there’s always more that you can bring because you feel comfortable. I felt very comfortable in my sexuality in this role. And so things that weren’t scripted, we could just add because it’s what felt natural.
Does the representation aspect of it put any extra pressure on you?
I don’t think I’ve really been thinking about the pressure too much. I’ve just been kind of enjoying this opportunity to be able to bring a queer character to life and to be able to have some more representation in the industry. Yeah, I’ve just been enjoying it, I think.