Brandy plays "Jess Hamlin" on Palmetto

1) What was the attraction of doing this series?
It was a fluke really. My mom and I had seen the postings before for this series but originally I had wanted to audition for Amy. However, the second time I saw the posting, I read the side notes for Jess Hamlin and I just needed to get under her skin. She's an original villain, she knows that most people see what she's doing and she doesn't care because that's the point-Jess wants people to see that she's a force to be reckoned with, she doesn't give up until she gets what she wants.


2) What makes PALMETTO different from any other teen drama you've seen?
Unlike other teen dramas out right now, Palmetto takes a realistic look at high school. Yes, sophomores aren't as naïve as they were 10 years, most teens do lose their virginity at a young age, and yes, there are alcohol pressures. I believe that teens will connect more with this series because they will be able to say, "wow, I know a Mallory!" or "my boyfriend's ex is Jess Hamlin…!"


3) What are the challenges of playing a character coming from a small town?
Consistency. You've always got to remember that the mannerisms cannot change, and under the same situations we may not have acted in the same way as these characters did. There's a whole other mindset that needs to be taken into account-all of these characters have known each other all of their lives. Every word that comes out of your mouth, they've "heard" it before 10 times over and when you get into these characters you've got to remember that.


4) Without giving too much away, can you talk about your character?
I play Jess Hamlin and in one word she's vindictive. She lives in her sister's shadow and that's always gotten under her skin. Jess gets irritated when things don't go her way and then it's time to cause some trouble; do some rearranging, maybe tell a little white lie here and there, and oh wait-things are back in her favor! She is a very determined young lady with her own agenda so please, stay out of her way-for your own sake.


5) How do you prepare for your scenes? What do you do to get "into character?"
Everyone knows who Jessica Hamlin is-she's that little voice in your head that you try so hard to ignore in nail-biting situations. She's very quick to make you believe the worst thing possible about every situation and she prepares for the worst. I know I have a Jess. So before getting into a scene, I just have to read between every line and put myself in that position and listen to that voice that we try so hard to ignore. I have to become that voice.

6) Without giving too much away, what has been your favorite scene to shoot?
We've shot a fight scene and it was interesting to get all of that anger out on someone. I really saw how Jess was feeling in this situation and I really became angry at the other person in the scene. It was a lot of fun- Screaming and getting rough, even when the camera's weren't rolling! The situation was tough because for the first times in the series, even the crew was taking sides on who was right and who was wrong and that's when we began to see these characters as real people and it was very easy to see why each was angry at the other.


7) Is there any advice, wisdom, or comments your character would like to give the fans?
If you know what you want, take it because you will never know when another chance will arise. It's not about fate-you're in control of your own destiny, and if you try hard enough, even those around you. Work things in your favor to reach your goal. Go after what you want and don't give up until you have it.

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