Jesse James Keitel
Jesse James Keitel has barely had a chance to move into the 100-year-old home they purchased in December. But they consider this a “great problem to have.” It’s simply a sign that the actor, known for their role as Jerrie in David E. Kelly’s gripping crime drama “Big Sky,” which begins its second season on ABC on September 30th, is in the midst of a career boom. One of the first non-binary series regulars on primetime TV, Jesse will also be appearing in the upcoming reboot of the U.K. version of “Queer as Folk.” Fortunately, they were able to step away from the set for a little while to talk to us about their accomplishments, upcoming projects — and why drag is so much more than hair and makeup.
The Bare Magazine: What can you tell us about Jerrie’s story arc on “Big Sky” this season?
Jesse James Keitel: Jerrie gets what she deserves. I feel like I’ve played six characters playing Jerrie. She’s gone from aspiring musician to truck-stop sex worker, to captured, to survivor, to working to take down the man who kidnapped her. Season two finds her in a shiny new position. But she’s still on a mission.
Bare: Is there anything you can share about the reboot of “Queer as Folk”?
JJK: It follows a group of friends in New Orleans in the wake of a tragedy, and how they all cope with the aftermath. It’s definitely a different take on the original “Queer as Folk,” which focused heavily on hookup culture. This version has graduated from that to some real-world shit. I often think queer characters are put in two boxes: the villain or the saint. What I’m excited for is that this remake has real people, who make good and bad choices and face obstacles that are not rooted in their queerness.
Bare: You are also a drag artist who performs under the name Peroxide of the Haus of Femanon. How close is Peroxide to you?
JJK: Coming out of university, me and my best friends hated the acting industry and didn’t even know what it meant to be an artist anymore. We rediscovered ourselves through makeup and costumes. It gave us an artistic outlet that we were 100-percent in control of and that taught us so much about ourselves. When you have to go so far outside of your comfort zone in public, it makes you carry yourself differently in your everyday life. I embraced myself through drag. Many times I think people look at drag as a mask you put on. I disagree, I think it is a megaphone from the soul. It’s the purest form of self-expression.
Bare: It sounds like you miss it…
JJK: I do feel like I’ve lost a bit of coolness by not doing it anymore. But I enjoy waking up at a normal hour and going to bed before 6 am. A lot of “Queer as Folk” takes place at a nightclub. It feels a bit like coming home.
Bare: Who has inspired you most as an actor?
JJK: I got a small taste for what it may have been like for Laverne Cox to be a trailblazer. I don’t know that I consider myself to be one, but people have called me one. The blatant transphobia I went through—I can’t imagine what she went through ten years ago. I think it’s so badass to be the only person in the room that is like you. I long for the day that that’s not the case.
Bare: What are the biggest opportunities for the trans community in Hollywood?
JJK: Behind the camera. We need to hire more trans producers and trans writers, not just when there’s a trans character—though especially when there is. And more trans directors.
Bare: What’s a role you’d love to play?
JJK: I think I’d like to do a historical romance. I want to break someone’s heart and have my heart broken. I want to do something I haven’t done that would make me uncomfortable.
Bare: What is the best career advice you’ve ever been given?
JJK: If people are mean, it’s because you have something that scares them.
Bare: Between advocacy and acting, you have so little downtime. What do you do to destress? [In addition to the aforementioned shows, Jesse is working on a project that highlights trans people in professions that aren’t as glamorous as Hollywood.]
JJK: Baths upon baths!
Bare: And finally, what are your Bare Essentials?
JJK: My dog. FaceTime. Old-home Instagram feeds, like @circahouses, @buyingupstate, and @escape_brooklyn, and whiskey old fashioneds.
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