CelebMix Exclusive Interview: Jennifer Cheon
Half Korean and half Mexican, the Vancouver born actress Jennifer Cheon is back as “Ivory” in Syfy’s hit series “Van Helsing”. The series’ third season premiered Oct. 5.
Starting an early career of modeling and advertisement, Cheon landed her first feature film “Eve and the Firehorse” and has been acting ever since.
Some of Cheon’s work includes: “The Drive,” “Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce,” “Zoo,” “Arrow,” “Supernatural,” and “Travelers,” among many others.
What has been your biggest challenge as Ivory on “Van Helsing” that is different from your work on previous shows?
I think the most challenging thing about Ivory’s character was the fact that she is a vampire. We have seen so many different interpretations of vampires on screen, and on our show, so for me I really wanted to bring a fresh take on being a vampire. For example, in this season’s premiere we saw the “recovery time” which we never really see happen with vampires. You got to see that she can feel pain and feel defeated. I wanted to bring some human emotion to her so people can relate to her and see the commonality between human and vampire.
Can you tell your fans any hints about some of the content for this new third season of “Van Helsing”?
I can tell all you beautiful people that your wish was granted! You will see more of her, and if you are on team human.. she will steal your heart.
Is there anyone that you try to channel when shooting your role of Ivory?
I’m trying to keep her as original as possible, but I can’t help but feel a little bit of Aaliyah’s character Akasha in Anne Rice’s “Queen of the Damned” vibes.
What are you most excited for fans of “Van Helsing” to see this season?
First of all, I’m excited that they took to Ivory so well.. the amount of love Ivory has received has been the best part of this whole experience! So thank you everyone for that ! I’m just excited to give you guys more
Cheon has a history of strong female roles and continues to be a valuable face of representation.
Do you think it’s important that we have strong, multifaceted characters like the ones you have played in media?
Absolutely ! I think our planet is so diverse, so it only makes sense that the characters we see in the shows or movies we love show that as well. Cinderella doesn’t have to have fair skin anymore–she can be anyone. We need to let the stories and the characters we play reflect all the different people watching and relating to them.
Cheon is also an advocate for equality of many forms, particularly gender equality and LGBT+ rights.
You use your platform to promote equality among gender and LGBT+ rights, do you think it’s important for celebrities to do this?
I think it’s important for everyone, not just celebrities to talk about it. We’ve been on this planet for far too long to be letting things like gender and sexual preferences get in the way of us coexisting. As we can see now in politics that separation has lead us nowhere. And it’s generally lead by ignorant people who are just reacting to what they don’t understand. It needs to stop. If people want to listen I do have something to say.
Do you have any other projects or advocacy work coming up that you are excited for?
Winter is almost here and there are many people who are out on the streets. So right now, I am trying to encourage people to get into the closets and let go of some of their winter coats & blankets and donate to local shelters.
“Van Helsing” is currently streaming on Syfy in the U.S. and on Netflix in the U.K. and Ireland. How are you liking the new season? Tweet us your thoughts at @CelebMix.
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