Jodie Turner-Smith is a British actress and model. She is best known for her captivating role as Queen in the 2019 film Queen and Slim, where she received widespread recognition as well as critical acclaim, establishing herself as an ascending talent in the industry.

JODIE TURNER-SMITH BIOGRAPHY: AGE, EARLY LIFE, FAMILY, EDUCATION

Jodie Turner-Smith was born on September 7, 1986 (Jodie Turner-Smith’s age 36) in Peterborough, England. Her parents are both Jamaican. However, she is the only one of her siblings who wasn’t born there. She was raised in Peterborough up until she was ten years old. Following her parent’s divorce, Turner-Smith, emigrated to the United States with her mother, half-sister and brother, where they ended up in Gaithersburg, Maryland. 

Turner-Smith attended Gaithersburg High School and studied finance at the University of Pittsburgh. She graduated in 2008 before becoming employed at a nearby bank. 

JODIE TURNER-SMITH BIOGRAPHY: CAREER

In 2009, Turner-Smith was introduced by a mutual friend to record producer and musician Pharrell Williams after a N.E.R.D. concert. When Turner-Smith mentioned she was looking for work as a writer, Williams coaxed her into moving to Los Angeles and becoming a model.

Turner-Smith made her first film debut in the 2016 film The Neon Demon, and has since gone on to act in movies such as Queen and Slim (2019), After Yang (2021) and White Noise (2022). She is also well known for her roles in the TNT television series The Last Ship and the 2018 Syfy series Nightflyers. Additionally, she has portrayed Queen Anne Boleyn in the three-part Channel Five drama television series Anne Boleyn.

In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Turner-Smith revealed the experience she had that made her decide she wanted to pursue acting as a full-time career.

“Obviously, I decided, let me pivot into this because I had been modeling, and it was just something I thought was a natural progression to make,” Turner-Smith reflected. “But the thing that made me really fall in love with it was in audition that I did, actually for The Neon Demon. It was just the first time that I ever felt like I excavated something from myself that I wouldn’t necessarily show the world, and it made me realize my humanity. We all have a shadow, we all have dark things about ourselves. We all have the things that we want to hide from people and we have the things that we show them and that’s very human, but those things, those are the essence of what makes us human beings. All of that belongs to us, and when I sort of excavated mind for things inside of myself that I thought I had to be ashamed of and realize that all of that belongs to me and I actually get to use it for my work, I fell madly in love with that feeling of being so honest, of telling the truth, which is what we all strive towards, I believe, as artists.”

Turner-Smith then went on to discuss what it was like working with Irish actor Colin Farrell in the 2021 sci-fi/drama film After Yang.

“Honestly, it was really wonderful,” Turner-Smith admitted. “Colin is super kind, generous, just wonderful to work with. It was such a gentle environment that [director] Kogonada created – this just like beautiful, familial, kind, warm, open environment. He truly is a wonderful leader on set. I feel so lucky that my second leading man was Colin Ferrell. I mean, I didn’t think that anybody could top Daniel Kaluuya, but Colin is almost tied. Daniel is still in a league of his own, but Colin was just a beautiful person to work with. Beautiful.”

When asked what she thought about the message of the film, this is what Turner-Smith had to say:

“I love the future that Kogonada envisioned,” Turner-Smith said. “The way that technology has been integrated with humanity is in such a positive and amazing way. The conversations that Yang has with Nika, I mean, that tree grafting scene, it’s like, if that’s the way we move with technology, yes, please. But I think it’s interesting because when we mediate on technology, the way we use technology, in a way, it feels like humanity is getting more separate from each other. And so to then have this film that explores like, well, this is how Yang was seeing all of us and this is how technology can actually show us our humanity, I think that’s what is really special about the messaging here.”

JODIE TURNER-SMITH BIOGRAPHY: PERSONAL LIFE

Turner-Smith currently resides in Los Angeles, California with Canadian actor Joshua Jackson. The couple began their relationship in October 2018 before deciding to tie the knot just one year later in December 2019. The couple have since given birth to one daughter, Janie Jackson, in April 2020.

Her favorite hobbies include singing and listening to music, and her favorite places to travel are London and New York.

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