Zen Jenn Rising
Jennifer Saayeng isn’t one to let other people’s preconceptions box her in. She’s steadily built an impressively eclectic resume first in musical theatre, before sidestepping into straight stage work and even TV mainstays like ‘EastEnders’, working alongside legendary talents like the late great Stephen Sondheim along the way. Now she can add Ridley Scott to that list, as she makes her debut in season two of his acclaimed sci-fi epic ‘Raised By Wolves’.
Interview Adam Mattera Photography Christian Trippe
Jennifer wears a Leopard dress by Karen Millen and Hoops by Hey Harper
In ‘Raised By Wolves’ you play a new character – Nerva – part of the growing atheist camp on Kepler-22b that followers of the show will be familiar with. What particularly attracted you to the role?
When I first read the script I immediately thought ‘she’s a bit of a bad ass’ and I loved it. She’s a strong woman, she doesn’t take much from anyone. There’s so many rules in the atheist camp that she’s quite clearly not following. So she’s a bit of rebel in that way. I could see exactly how I would play her, it was a no-brainer for me. Plus I felt there was a real connection with my own image – I’d never played a character with bald head before, and there was something in that image that I felt would really work for the character, so when I got the role I was ecstatic.
I imagine some people might assume your look is a style choice you made...
No, I have alopecia, so my hair doesn’t grow basically. It fell out about seven years ago. In a lot of the stage work I was doing I was wearing wigs, even when I had hair, so for a long time people wouldn’t have known what my real hair was anyway. So it’s been incredibly refreshing to present myself unapologetically in that way.
Jennifer wears a black feather trim dress by Goldsmith Vintage and earrings by Halo & Co
It’s an incredible world created in the show. What really impressed me about it was how it weaves in these big questions about religion and faith, morality and mortality… basically it’s about what it means to be human.
Completely. It’s brilliant writing. What I love about it as well is that there’s this androgynous quality to a lot of the characters, so you’re playing in something that isn’t directly commenting on sexuality or race but actually has an implicit nod to these things in a really intelligent way. It’s so new school in that way.
You’ve done a few things in the sci-fi/fantasy realm over the years I noticed – ‘Emerald City’ and ‘Cursed’, a few ‘Doctor Who’ video games…
I suppose I have, on and off. But this is definitely the biggest science fiction thing I’ve been in and the best. I mean it doesn’t get any bigger than Ridley Scott. They could do anything with this character, and for me that’s exciting. We could fly to another planet or encounter a brand new monster… the possibilities are endless.
“This is definitely the biggest science fiction thing I’ve been in and the best. I mean it doesn’t get any bigger than Ridley Scott.”
People who know you from your TV roles wouldn’t necessarily realise your career actually began in musical theatre. You trained at the Brit School originally, is that right?
Yes, I went when I was 16 for two years. It was incredible – individuality was something that was really encouraged there. Suddenly you were surrounded by like-minded people all into the same artsy stuff. I wanted to be a triple threat – I was always really into singing, acting and dancing from when I was a kid. I used to go to church with my mum and when they realised I could sing, they would say ‘Jenn, you’re going sing lead in mass this Sunday’. And I loved that.
“I wanted to be a triple threat – I was always really into singing, acting and dancing from when I was a kid.”
Were there any students there the same time as you that we would know?
I was on the same Musical Theatre class as Jessie J. I auditioned with her actually. And she was always the same incredible talent that we know today. And Adele - I can’t remember if she was my year or the one below. She was in the Music strand, but everyone would get to know whos-who, you would go and watch each others’ shows. There was a real sense of camaraderie in that way.
Since then you’ve built quite an impressively varied CV – not just in musical theatre, but straight dramas on stage, as well as your TV work. Was it hard to break out of the music theatre box?
I definitely felt I got pigeonholed when I was starting out. I was doing a lot of swinging as a dancer – the first one was ’Hairspray’. I learnt all the black girl dancer roles in that show, so I could cover at any moment if they were off. But I made a conscious effort to have a really eclectic CV. I never wanted to do just one thing. Doing the musical ‘City Of Angels’ at the Donmar Warehouse was good transition for me. Suddenly I was in a venue that specialised in straight theatre, so from that I had a foot in the door and was able to audition for my first non-musical role in ‘Les Liaisons Dangereuses’.
Jennifer wears a coat by Goldsmith Vintage, gold boots by Misspap, earrings by Soru and a belt by Boohoo
I wanted to talk to you about your working relationship with Marianne Elliott. It must have been thrilling to work with a Tony-winning director like her on those very progressive productions of ‘Company’ and ‘Death Of A Salesman’.
It was a real privilege. I met Marianne in my very first audition for ‘Company’ and was lucky enough to get a job on this massive musical. I was always looking for more interesting material than the kind of diva roles I’d had before – the chorus of three women singing in three-part harmony – for me that was getting tiring. So ‘Company’ was playing a three-dimensional human being with great dialogue, as well as having to sing and dance.
And of course there was the gender-switch element to that production…
I think that’s what Marianne is so brilliant at – getting you to think outside every box. ‘Okay so there’s this gender reversal switch, but what next?’ My character became the female breadwinner in her couple, and the man was the stay-at-home partner, so there were all these implications for their power dynamic which was really interesting.
I read you had to step in as the lead role of Bobbie in one of the very first performances when Rosalie Craig got ill.
Oh my god, yes. That might well be my biggest achievement in my career to date. It was our ninth preview – I got a call after the Friday show – ‘hey Jenn, I think we might need you to go on tomorrow, Rosalie’s not well’ – and obviously I was beside myself. I knew I could do it – although I was terrified. All I’d been praying for was to play a lead role on a West End stage and now I’ve got this opportunity, regardless of the circumstances, so I felt like I just had to rise to the occasion. All I had was one day really to rehearse the part in full. That’s when I got the nickname ‘Zen Jenn’ because I just went into a zone and became laser-focused. I knew flapping wasn’t going to help me. I think I really managed to pull it off – not just pull it off, but really quite smash it!
Earrings by Halo and Co
It would be remiss not to discuss the late, legendary Stephen Sondheim. I mean in terms of musical theatre, you don’t get any better than that.
I know. He was in and out of rehearsals with us. It’s mind-boggling to have worked with him – and for him to be that age and still open to us messing around with his show in that way. Just amazing. The thing I had from Stephen that I treasure is that night that I was rushed on to play Bobbie he had a friend jet over from New York to watch the show and report back. And that night in my inbox I see an email that says ‘from Stephen Sondheim’. It said ‘bask in the glory of tonight – you’re a triumph. These moments don’t come around often in life, so revel in it’. I still haven't framed it, but I will!
And of course, you worked with Patti LuPone – one of the grande dames of musical theatre – on that production.
Patti’s glorious. She was a bit arm’s length to begin with, you had to kind of ‘crack her’ in a way, but she was very easy to crack. We all became quite tight knit as a cast. She’s just very generous – with her time, with her stories… she would open up her apartment and have us over for drinks. She’s very normal and very Hollywood at the same time. Incredible lady.
Is there anyone you look to as a role model for your career?
Viola Davis is my inspiration at the moment, she has been for a long time. There’s something about her being an older actress, and a dark-skinned black lady as well – she’s a trail-blazer. Let her alone her talent! Everything I see her in I’m blown away by. That quote of hers – “the only thing that separates women of colour from anyone else is opportunity” – that really resonates with me. I feel like I’ve been lucky so far to be a small cog in a lot of amazing productions, but what I want now is the opportunity to have that lead role, to be absolutely integral to a plot, to really show off everything I can do.
"Viola Davis is my inspiration at the moment... There’s something about her being an older actress, and a dark-skinned black lady as well – she’s a trail-blazer."
Is there any particular dream role you have in mind?
Not specifically… I’d love something in film like ‘La La Land’ or ‘The Greatest Showman’ – a role where you’re doing everything to its fullest. That would be incredible. But I don’t want to say ‘dream’ because I think that makes it feel that little bit more unreachable.
Jennifer appears in season two of the series ‘Raised By Wolves’, available in the US on HBO Max from 3rd February. Season two is coming to the UK this Spring on Sky Atlantic/NOWTV. Watch the trailer here.
Jennifer wears jumpsuit by Mint Velvet and necklace by Soru
Credits
Photography Christian Trippe Styling Kate Barbour Make Up Claudine Blythman Photography Assistant Tom Beck
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