The world is full of dangerous things. They lurk beneath the shadows and hide amongst our surroundings. In a world of demons and the subtleties of evil manipulation, love prevails. For Jolene Purdy, there’s nothing stronger than a mother’s love for her child.
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From Glee to Breaking Bad and The White Lotus, Jolene Purdy is an actor who seems to have done it all. She grew up doing theatre and did her first musical back in 1994. Since then, she has honed her craft with Shakespeare classes, singing competitions, starring in cult classic films like Donnie Darko, and winning a SAG Award for Orange is the New Black. Such is the rollercoaster that is her career. But it hasn’t always been an easy ride.
Plus-sized and multi-ethnic, it was hard for her then to find a place within the industry. Before roles like Anne Boleyn could be played by someone like Andrea Macasaet or Eva Noblezada became the standard for Daisy Buchanan, Asian representation on the theatre and stage was scarce and often stereotypical. Purdy built her career in this environment, and against all odds, she survived and made a mark like no other.
A SPACE FOR HER
Purdy remembers being young and pointing at the TV during The Wizard of Oz and telling her mom, “I want to do that!” On screen was Judy Garland, a triple threat of a talent with her acting, singing, and dancing. But there never seemed to be an accurate space for Purdy in this fantastic world she wanted to be a part of. One where she could just be herself. “It’s funny. Growing up, I did musical theatre, and it was hard for them to place me because I’m half-Asian and half-White. I was too Asian to do Sound of Music and too white to do The King and I. But I found my place just right in Evita playing Hispanic, which is so far from [what I am].”
Amy Hill and Kathy Deitch were individuals who sparked several realizations within Purdy. She saw Hill in All-American Girl, which opened for her the possibility of what someone multi-ethnic like herself could do on-screen. Then there was Deitch. Now friends with the actress, Purdy recalls a time when she was at the Pantages and she opened a program for Footloose the Musical. There, she found a girl who didn’t fit the typical Hollywood stereotype; someone plus-sized yet still stood her ground on that stage. As always, everything comes full circle. Nowadays, she and Deitch laugh and talk about it, going out for the same auditions.
The path to fair representation is not easy. Even after years of being in the industry and watching the progress in diversity in roles and casting opportunities, certain notions and stereotypes prevail. Purdy talks about an interview, one where she discussed her musical theatre background. It was then that the interviewer made the snap call and asked her if she ever did The King and I. It’s this notion of there only being a small space for a certain type of person. That there’s nothing beyond that small space for people of color to penetrate and break out of. To be something more than just this image built for them. It’s these very walls that Purdy wants to knock down.
“When I was younger, I would be intimidated. I would go in for auditions, and everyone was like 5’8, very thin, blonde, white women. I’d be like, ‘How am I going in for this role?’ I remember flipping that train of thought and going, ‘I don’t have to do anything. I’m going to stand out, and I’m going to bring a flavor that they’re not. I don’t have to try.’ And I still—every time I approach something, it is from a personal place of what stamp I can put on it. To look at a character not just by the physical definition but also the words and the character development that I can bring to it. My stamp of being multi-ethnic, being plus-sized, and finding humor in demon-slaying.”
THE WORLD OF DEMONS AND MANIPULATION
Purdy’s latest project sees her bossing around Kevin Bacon and slaying demons in The Bondsman. The story follows Hub, a bounty hunter whose life takes a turn when he literally dies. Brought back from hell and now working for the devil, his mission is to slay the demons who have escaped hell. This second chance at life also provides him another chance at love and fixing his broken family.
As for Purdy, she stars as Hub’s handler, Midge. Essentially the backbone of the lore for the show, Midge indulges in the manipulative game of the devil. She’s a nuanced character with strength and love at the center of her motivations. This is why Purdy finds herself drawn to Midge.
Courtesy of Prime Video © Amazon Content Service LLC
“I’m a character enthusiast; I want to build a character. I saw the strength of who Midge was, and I was immediately drawn to that strength. She’s stronger than I am, and she knows how strong she is. But the stamp that I could put on it myself is seeing how she’s going to do her job well. I’ve been given more of a backstory and a stage to work on as Midge, and more care and the ability to drive the story through Midge. I talk about doing expository dialogue a lot in shows. That’s kind of what I love to do because I find a way to connect to the humanity of it.”
Part of the allure of the show is this focus on manipulation. They explore it through the presentation of the devil’s work and its parallels with the world of multi-level marketing. With references to Mary Kay and double-speak within the recruitment aspect of this demon-slaying system, the show highlights manipulation not just through fear and charisma but also through compassion and focusing on people’s weaknesses: the love they have for their family, their insecurities, and their financial needs.
“We’ve all experienced it, right? These multi-level marketing campaigns eke their way in somehow through social media. They’re just so prevalent that we can now spot them faster. Because there’s more of them and we’ve been exposed to them. I think what’s so charming about the way our show does it is we incorporate the devil’s tactic to make the multi-level just a little bit more painful.”
Courtesy of Prime Video © Amazon Content Service LLC
Beyond demon slaying and exploring themes of manipulation, what makes The Bondsman special to Purdy is the friendship she has built with the rest of her cast members. “I think this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a cast,” she confesses.
According to her, Bacon sets the tone with welcome brunches at his house, flying bagels from New York to Atlanta, and toasting fake beers when Purdy misses a line. But everyone, in general, is kind and passionate. “When you get a group of humble and talented people together, I think that is the combination that you need for a great project. We all felt safe. Not only personally with each other, but also on-set to develop a character, make mistakes, and figure things out.”
A MOTHER’S LOVE
As the saying goes, behind every great man is a woman – pulling the strings, making the calls. For The Bondsman, Hub may be front and center, doing all the dangerous acts of protecting and slaying. But behind him are these incredible women telling him what to do, where to go, and leading him to do the work. “The theme is strong women in the show,” Purdy asserts. “There is not a damsel in distress on The Bondsman.” Furthermore, there’s a heavy focus on motherhood – especially that link between mother and son. It’s seen through Kitty and Hub, Maryanne and Cade, and, of course, Midge and her son, Benji.
“She’s a mother, and I am a mother, and our kids are about the same age. There’s something about a mother’s love that is so strong and sacrificial that you get when you have a child. You can try and comprehend it, but once you’ve had a kid, you’d understand you would sacrifice everything.”
All three women represent three very different maternal archetypes. For Beth Grant, she’s protective of Hub and doesn’t want him to go back to hell. So, she follows him in his silly misadventures, making sure he doesn’t do anything stupid, helping along with her own experiences and expertise. Maryanne, on the other hand, is concerned for her son’s exposure to the wickedness of this world. She also wants him to follow his dreams regardless of Hub’s opinion.
Still, beyond all of that, she knows that family always comes first, fears and dreams aside. As for Midge, all she wants is to protect Benji at all costs. There’s nothing she won’t do to ensure he stays happy and healthy. Even if she has to sell her soul for it. These themes of love and maternal strength all resonate with Purdy.
“My life word is love; I want to love well. For love to be the basis of a show about slaying demons—it’s brilliant. Because that is the core root of everything. If you’re afraid, it’s because there’s something that you love that’s being threatened, right?”
Photography by Storm Santos
Hair by Esther Vasquez (@vtgesther)
Makeup by Marla Vazquez (@marlavazquez)
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