Jurnee Smollett plays with fire in her new series, Smoke. She digs deeper than ever before, discovering what makes a person who they are from the inside out. Whether someone is deemed good or bad, never do they come without flaws and rarely, are they ever what they seem on the surface. From the mind of Dennis Lehane, Smoke provides Smollett the opportunity to showcase the years of work that has lead to her embodiment of Michelle.

Chain Printed Long Sleeve Maxi Dress by AREA
IMAGINE Angular Earrings by Nicole Amato

Dennis Lehane seems to have his own cinematic universe. You have stated previously that you grew up reading his books and have been a fan of on-screen adaptions of his work. Have you subconsciously been preparing for the day that you become a part of his world all this time?
There certainly is a Dennis Lehane cinematic universe. I have been a fan of his literary work and his cinematic adaptations for a while...Mystic River, Shutter Island, Live by Night, etc. I’d like to believe that this was part of the manifestation. I think, in general, I’m hungry to work with masterful storytellers and people that write complex characters filled with contradictions and secrets. I intentionally seek to work with people that push me to grow.

Projects you have been involved in exist in both the indie world and large-scale blockbusters. What brings you joy about both? How does it differ from shooting for a television series?
I find whenever you’re doing serialized stories like Smoke, it’s as if you’re running a marathon, not a sprint. The technique is the same foundation you always return to, but there’s a different type of stamina that you have to have if you’re shooting for eight or nine months versus shooting for two or three months. I don’t think the size of the project, or the budget or the format changes your approach or technique… it’s really about stamina.

What was nice about Smoke is that I read the first seven episodes before even filming. Dennis also told me what was happening at the end of the season, so I wasn’t in the dark about where Michelle was going and was able to really map that out from the beginning. Sometimes show runners like to keep the actors in the dark and you find out by reading the next episode where your character is going. That wasn’t the case with Smoke.

Dress by Kiki Wanjing Zuo
Shoes by Christian Louboutin at THE ARTISANALE

Instead of a simple plot device, fire is its own character in Smoke. Did it feel as though fire itself was one of your co-stars?
Absolutely, it is a character in our show. As human beings, we think we can dominate fire. We harness it to warm up our food, to warm our bodies, our homes- but the idea that we are ever more powerful than it is all an illusion. In our show, fire is a metaphor for forces in our life that we are drawn to that have the capacity of destroying us. In Michelle’s case, she’s very much so drawn to certain elements or situations that are toxic… whether it is a toxic relationship, a toxic connection to her profession, you might say she dances with fire. I remember a conversation early on, Dennis said to me, “You know we all say we want to be happy and yet we are consumed by the very things that want to destroy us.” That was my entry point into Michelle.

Rayure Embroidered Onyx Cady Alpha Gown by Bibhu
Fortitude Wrap Ring + IMAGINE Eternal Earrings by Nicole Amato

You gained 20 pounds of muscle to play Michelle. How did the training for Smoke differ from any other role you’ve done, such as that of Birds of Prey?
I had to really change my way of eating and my workout plans for Smoke. My trainer, Jeanette, and I really focused on bulking up in this role, so I increased my strength training quite a bit, lifting heavier than I ever have. My character, Michelle, is a former marine and she has learned to push her body past its limits. I wanted to make sure she had a more muscular posture than I typically have. In the past when I trained for projects like Birds of Prey, it was generally about making sure I could do the stunts without getting injured. With that project, I was needing to lose the Mommy weight from having my son and my joints were all loosey-goosy and I was nursing, so I was really depleted of certain nutrients. I was working out every other day with Jeanette and then working out with the stunt team, 87eleven, on my off days. There were a lot of mixed martial arts in Birds, and I wanted to be able to do it all; thus, it was less about bulking up and more about mobility and strength.

Have you used your newfound strength for anything in your daily life?
Well, for one, it’s helped extend my ability to lift my growing son who is like, up to my shoulders now. He’s so heavy and big and yet he’s still mommy’s baby. He will fall asleep in the car on our way home and still expect me to carry him upstairs and into his bunk bed. It’s nice to still be able to do that.

Dress by Laquan Smith
Bioplastic Caterpillar Dress by Caroline Zimbalist
Corset by Stylist Own
Shoes by STUART WEITZMAN

Is there anything you did as a sort of acting regime that coincided with the physicality of the role?
Well, I always go back to my process working with my team of coaches, etc. I also spoke to a therapist about Michelle’s inner life and her childhood trauma and her attachment styles. She’s very much what experts would call an avoidant. Due to the childhood trauma she’s experienced, she doesn’t let people in easily. She’s a loner. She’s a workaholic and intimacy is the thing that scares her the most.

What excited you the most about Michelle?
I loved how flawed she was- how she means well but she keeps tripping and stumbling… finding herself in dangerous and toxic situations and wondering how she got there. I love the idea that being demoted and assigned to this new case, investigating these arsonists, forces her to confront a past she’s been running away from. It becomes personal for her. She has this mask up. She’s created a way of presenting herself to the world, but deep down inside Michelle is this terrified little girl who’s trapped in a closet. I think the opportunity to play someone who’s so richly complex, vulnerable, and filled with secrets and lies was a gift for me. These lies she tells herself was truly thrilling for me because I personally want to inspect these inner struggles, the contradictions within these multifaceted layers.

The saying, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire” alludes to suspicion and guilt. Can audience expect that this is a show where not everything is as it seems?
It’s certainly not the show you think it’s going to be coming into it. Especially after the first two episodes you realize you are going on a totally different path. I think if you know Dennis Lehane’s writing, you know he writes characters that are quite flawed in our show Smoke. No one is who they seem to be and by the end of the first season, everyone has gone through absolute change. Michelle, my character, thinks of herself as being very righteous and fighting for justice, but will find herself in precarious situations that test her morals and values. We will see Michelle do things that you might think are morally ambiguous, but to her, the ends justify the means.

**Left:**
Dress by Kiki Wanjing Zuo
Shoes by Christian Louboutin at THE ARTISANALE
**Right:**
Dress by Laquan Smith
Bioplastic Caterpillar Dress by Caroline Zimbalist
Corset by Stylist Own
Shoes by STUART WEITZMAN

Your son has taken an interest in fitness and training while watching you prepare to step on set. What else do you hope your son draws from your life?
I think kids watch and learn way more from our actions and behavior than our words. I really try to model a level of integrity and work ethic in front of my son. I want him to know the importance of contributing to the world and sharing the gifts we were all born with… that we are all born here with a higher purpose that the higher power wants to use us for. Hunter, he’s such a kind and compassionate little boy. Children are naturally so gifted and innocent, and I believe it’s my job as his mother to protect that innocence and that purity and help guide him to his purpose.

Gold metal faux fur vest & black shorts by Dian Jin @layla_ovo718
Shoes by STUART WEITZMAN
IMAGINE Mod Earrings + Rapture Wrap Bracelet by Nicole Amato
Bracelet by Alexis Bittar

Along with Chrissy Teigen, the character of Denise on Full House was my favorite. We found out that you played Denise when you posted a throw-back of the character on your Instagram. Your acting career is spanning over generations. Where do you want the next generation of your career to go?
My goal is to leave a catalog of cinematic masterpieces. I look at the greats throughout history… generations before me, and I aspire to push myself beyond my own comfort zones like they did. Work with storytellers that want to help expand the gaze of what kind of stories we tell and who gets to tell them. I look at this industry and how much it’s changed just in my lifetime. I’m grateful that just in the past few years I’ve been able to play a variety of different characters from different backgrounds and different professions, whether it was an attorney in the burial, special agent in The Order, a detective here in Smoke, a superhero in Birds, or a woman in the 1950s fighting within the magical realm. I’ve been really blessed to play in various playgrounds. I feel like I’ve only just scratched the surface. We have a lot of work to do, and I want to be a part of the solution. I see myself moving more behind the camera in the next few years, producing, directing and turning the lens on folks that I want to see in front of the camera.

Dress by PROCODE_DRESS
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CREW CREDITS:
Talent: Jurnee Smollett
PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director + Photographer + Producer: Mike Ruiz
Fashion Stylist: Alison Hernon at Exclusive Artists
Hair: Clay Nielsen at Tracey Mattingly Agency
Makeup: Keita Moore at The Only Agency
Photography Assistant: Dani Sax
Fashion Stylist Intern: Aisling Forbes
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview by Seana Watson, Associate Fashion Editor, PhotoBook Magazine

Jurnee Smollett is on Fire