Jayden Elijah
stars in
HULU series
SAINT X
Photography Hadley Rosenbaum
Fashion Editor Deborah Ferguson
Interview Sophie Lin
Jayden Elijah stars in the Hulu drama series “Saint X” alongside West Duchovny and Josh Bonzi. His character Edwin is complicated and a bit perplexing, to say the least. After watching just the first episode I was completely engrossed. I needed to know more about this character… Nobody can seriously be this charming, right? What does he want, why is he so friendly? Feels like he’s playing the long game but to what end? This tantalizing series tells a rich story of different perspectives of privilege, the duplicitous personalities of vacationers and those who work at the resort, and getting behind the psychology of what and why people want what they want.
Jayden Elijah is best known for appearances in movies such as “School’s Out Forever” and “The Last Tree”. His breakout role as Edwin in “Saint X” can be described as an exciting entanglement. Each episode created more questions that begged for subsequent episodes to answer. Needless to say, I was completely absorbed and ate up this intricate tale of intrigue and conspiracy like I would the most delicious devil’s food cake with buttercream frosting. And let me tell you, it was dangerously satisfying.
Kaftan & Shorts: ETRO
Tell us a little bit about who you are, what do you want us to know about you? What are your interests, and what’s important to you?
What do I want you to know about me? I don’t know… I’m interested in the arts, and acting is a section of that. I also love writing and music, theatre, and movies… YouTube video essays. Many more. What’s important to me is that stories in media are accurately represented by ensuring people with the lived experience of these stories are at the helm of their creation.
How did you get into acting, how did you get discovered, and what was your first role?
I got into acting when I was 6. My mum sent me to a Saturday school where you spend the day training [in] acting, singing, and dancing every week. I had been interested in acting and the arts from as early as I could remember; often writing and performing musical sketches for my family that I made the soundtrack to in GarageBand with my cousin. The Saturday school I went to, Anna Fiorentini in East London wanted to bring me on to their agency when I was about 8 and from then I did a few small jobs, but my first notable role was playing Young Simba in the West End production of “The Lion King”. I remember I went to see “The Lion King” when I was about 6 and my Mum said I wouldn’t stop saying during the performance that I wanted to be Young Simba up on that stage to my Mum. And at 8 I was!
You have a musical theater background, what would your dream role in musical theater be?
The last time I did musical theatre was in my youth, at around 8 years old. Since then, I studied musical theatre and acting in college but have yet to revisit performing it. One day, I’d love to, but for now, I’m focusing on the theatre part rather than the musical.
Because of your musical theater background, am I safe in assuming that you also have an interest in music? To what extent would your interest be? Do you make any music, or do you just enjoy it?
You are safe in that assumption! I am incredibly interested in music. Music is, at the moment, the lion’s share of my acting process. I also make music, I am a producer. One day I’ll be an artist where I release stuff, but for now, I just make it for fun and to express myself.
How far of a departure is the small screen from the theater? What do you like about it?
Yeah, it’s very different. On-screen, you don’t do scenes in chronological order. You don’t have an audience that you’re performing to and feeding off of. There is a large camera a foot away from you etcetera, all things that can be disorientating. But what I love about the small screen is the intense boundaries. Those types of boundaries force me to be more creative. Yes, I have to hit this mark, I need to match continuity and if I look a couple of feet too far to the right, I’ll be blinded by a beaming light, but because of all of these guidelines, I have to be really present, connected and be in the moment. There’s also something so beautiful about the ephemeral nature of theatre. If you were in the theatre that night, you experienced it. If you weren’t, you would never know what happened there. But the screen, it’s there forever. And that’s both thrilling and terrifying.
Your recent role as Edwin in “Saint X” was riveting. Edwin was a very complex character, how did you prepare for this role?
Thank you very much for that. Edwin is a very complex man, and I approached him in many ways; taking inspiration through music, from people I know, from my own experiences and more. I can’t say all I did to discover him, but one significant section I’d love to touch on now is how I approached him through his clothing. I spent a lot of time with our Head of Costume, the incredible, Rita McGhee, developing Edwin’s wardrobe. I came in on my days off equipped with pictures we used to reference what Edwin would wear for a specific scene, and we’d have fittings that would span hours. Rita was so helpful and went into depth with me in this process. I couldn’t have done it without her. I’d sometimes come into a scene taking inspiration on how I’d navigate it from what Edwin was wearing. What someone chooses to clothe themselves in is so telling to who they are. So it was essential for me to understand what Edwin would choose to wear.
Jacket, Shirt, & Shorts: Valentino
Did you empathize with Edwin? How so?
Did I? I currently still do! I love Edwin because I understand where he’s coming from. He’s left with no option but to feel how he feels. It’s the only way that he can have, in his mind, some autonomy and dignity. Even though I can’t entirely cosign all of the ways he goes about this of course. I can’t speak too much on the details, but I can touch on how his island has been affected by these people who come and look down on anything that isn’t the resort or how the guests think that he’s just a disposable body that has no feelings, dreams or aspirations. Or how the girls on the resort think of him [as] an ‘exotic’ guy that will be reduced to a fetishized Black man in their stories to tell all her middle-class friends. Edwin is a product of his environment. With so many things stacked against him and he has a fair bit of righteous indignation because of it.
Did you ever feel limited in the roles that you were offered?
I mean, yeah, there was a long time when many of my peers who looked like me were going up for the same three stereotypical roles that had no nuance; gangster boy, drug dealer boy, or boy who is good…but needs to provide so turns into a gangster drug dealer hybrid. While these stories do happen, we also have other stories to tell. However, since the 2020 murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by the police and our subsequent protests, things have changed in the industry. People are making more projects that allow Black people to escape media stereotypes. It’s sad that it took such an event for Black people to be allowed to show their humanity and complexity on screen.
Are there any upcoming projects that we can look forward to from you?
Nothing that I can speak on right now, but maybe sooner than you think…
Kaftan & Shorts: ETRO
What do you see for yourself in your career 5 years from now? Where would you like to take it?
That’s a great question, where would I like to take it? I miss comedy so I would like to do something like that… something “Peep Show”, “Abbot Elementary”, etcetera. I also want to do a drama. Would love to do theatre too. That’d be fun.
Kaftan & Shorts: ETRO
Photography
Creative Director & Fashion Editor
Web layout
Hair
Thank You