Jasmin Savoy Brown on ‘For the People’ Season 2 and Truthful Female Roles [Exclusive Interview]

From Stitchers to The Leftovers and Will, Jasmin Savoy Brown has given us many memorable female characters that we all know and love. 

Her most important role to date is on the newest installment to Shondaland, For The People. On this show, Brown plays the passionate public defender, Allison. It’s a role that stands out and speaks volumes to many viewers, which is saying something considering how honest and real and current the entire show is. 

With the start of Season 2 upon us, Brown chatted with me about all we can expect from both Allison and the rest of the characters as well as some of her more memorable moments with the show so far. 

First and foremost, Brown said that For The People Season 2 is “even more intense. Even more powerful.”

“I think that you see different characters hit breaking points that they didn’t know they had. They realize even more that this job is a lot harder than they thought it would be,” she noted.

As fans of the show already know, if they’ve seen the premiere that aired last week, the show isn’t holding anything back — a politician gets shot and dies right out of the gate. If that isn’t more intense and powerful, I don’t know what is.

Brown was also more than happy to dive in and discuss just what makes her character tick. “Going into Season 2, Allison is more aware of who she is. She knows herself better. She knows the role she serves and how she displays herself with her cases and her clients.”

This is compared to who Allison was in Season 1, where she “was very passionate about her work, very dedicated, [but] she wasn’t completely honest with herself about how much her privilege impacted the way she viewed her clients and handled her cases.”

One of the great things about all the characters on For The People, especially Allison, is that they all have a complex journey to take alongside their careers. No character is two dimensional.  

Brown especially likes the honesty that is put forth with her character. “Just the friend that she is [in] her friendship with Britt Robertson’s character, Sandra, is one of the things that drew me to the show. I feel like that relationship is a very accurate depiction of female friendship,” Brown said.

“So often I turn on the TV and these two girls that are best friends are stabbing each other in the back or sleeping with each other’s boyfriends. It’s so unrealistic. It’s entertainment and that’s fine but, it’s false. I would never do any of that stuff with my best friend.”

In fact, this honesty is just a small part of what makes Brown feel like she really is Allison onscreen and off. The two women share many similarities. “[There’s] her commitment to her work and even her naïveté about it. When I’m very passionate and dedicated towards something I get a little blind in my love for it. I have to take a step back and re-evaluate myself in that situation. Also, she loves wine and I love wine.”

After fully discussing who Allison is and how she operates, our conversation turned to the subject matter of the show itself. For The People takes a unique look at the legal/justice system and approaches each case from both a public defenders and prosecutors viewpoint. The cases are all real and timely.

Brown delved into which of Allison’s cases she loved the most.

“From Season 1, my favorite case was Arturo Marquez, the man accused of piracy. Just as an actor I really enjoyed that because it had challenging emotional stuff [I had] to dig into. Also, it provided me great research. I didn’t know anything about piracy or any of that stuff,” Brown explained. “I think it was an important case because it forced her to grow the most.“

However, on a show overflowing with interesting cases, Brown found it hard to choose just one case to love overall. Her top two choices give a look into both Season 1 and Season 2.

“I really enjoyed the case Sandra had where she defended the guy who thought he was a superhero. That was just really funny. [Then on] the second season, it’s not really a case. Well, it becomes a case. It actually airs Thursday night, it deals with immigration and ICE enforcement dealing with an immigrant family.”

In a time where stories of minorities and the under-represented are screaming to be heard, Shondaland is breaking down barriers and insisting on telling these pivotally important stories. 

Brown agreed that there is no better time than now to take part in and share these stories. “With it being on ABC on Shondaland at 10 pm, a lot of people are watching and it might cause people to think about things in a way they haven’t before.” 

Most importantly Brown hopes that her role as Allison tells young people of color, especially women, “that you’re not to limit yourself. That you can do anything. Yes, as you know already it is harder. It’s harder to be a woman in the workforce. It’s harder to be black in the workforce. You already know that, but don’t limit yourself because of that.”

Limiting herself is something that Brown doesn’t know the meaning of. When asked about what kind of roles she hopes to someday do, one word stood out: challenging.

Brown, who has a musical theatre background, sited specific ideas for future roles. “I want to do either a musical movie or a musical on stage. I’d love to do adventure or try horror. I want to tell a story of a woman who is struggling. I don’t even know what that means; it could take any shape.”

“But I feel like I’ve been very fortunate to play many different types of roles. I want to have one that is just very challenging and hard for me,” Brown continued.

Another side to acting and taking on roles is the beginning step of auditioning, something Brown was very candid about.

“I’m looking for female characters that are not stereotypical. Strong women who aren’t just serving the purpose in the script of supporting the man. [Women] that are layered and complex, well-written and that are breaking boundaries by doing things that are new or different.”

Ultimately, Brown wants to play a female character who is “truly written” and “[not] a stereotypical sexy role.” She wants a character who is real. 

Currently, roles such as the ones Brown is seeking are hard to find, but not impossible. The availability of them is growing every day — something that Brown is a strong advocate for. 

—

Be sure to catch Jasmin Savoy Brown on For The People, airing Thursdays at 10/9c on ABC.

 Follow us on Twitter! 

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!