Shimmering Star Spotlight: Talia Jackson

Each month YAYOMG! chooses a Shimmering Star to spotlight. Follow along as we shine a light on girls who represent kindness, positivity, empowerment, philanthropy, drive, and confidence. They’re sure to inspire you!

In this month’s Shimmering Star Spotlight, we are shining a light on actress Talia Jackson.

Talia can be seen in her breakout role as Jade in the new Netflix Original Series, Family Reunion. The series hits the streaming service on July 10th and is a great choice for families to watch together. Similar to One Day at a Time and No Good Nick, Family Reunion is filled with lots of laughs while also touching on real-world issues affecting families today.

In addition to showing off her acting talents, Talia is currently working on her first original song! Here’s what Talia shared with YAYOMG! about her upcoming music. “I am working on my first original song to be released on all music platforms before the release of the show. I have 3 cover songs on my YouTube and Instagram and now I am working with a music team to release my first original song that I think girls will relate to.”

Ready to get to know Talia Jackson? Read on as she chats about how she hopes Family Reunion will inspire its viewers, the causes she is most passionate about, and her biggest dreams!

Get to Know Talia Jackson:

Tell us a little bit about YOU!

TALIA JACKSON: Some of my favorite things to do when I’m not busy with acting include horseback riding, looking for another horse to buy, and trying lots of different restaurants, especially ones with Vegan or Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free menus. I also love hanging out in LA and Madison, WI with my closest friends.

It’s really important for me to get time with my friends to just laugh and hang out and not have the stressors of work. We have a pretty demanding schedule and I try hard to balance it with doing things that are healthy for me.

I have Lyme Disease, so I have an integrative doctor that does various IV’s for me when we are on hiatus. I also visit salt spas with infrared saunas and get massages that help both my physical and mental health. It’s important to bring good energy to work and to my role!

You star in the upcoming Netflix Original Series, Family Reunion. Tell us a little about the show!

TALIA: Family Reunion is about an upper class new school family who struggles with moving from their home in Seattle to living with Moz’s parents in the deep south in Columbus, Georgia. It’s hilarious and sometimes a real struggle! It’s truly a show for all ages and I hope you really enjoy it!

What do you love most about playing Jade? How are you hoping that the McKellan family and Jade inspire others?

TALIA JACKSON: What I love most about playing Jade is that she can be funny and sarcastic but also deals with real-life issues that I deal with on a daily basis. I love that the show has touched on many issues with colorism for Jade and how she is lighter than her family and friends and how that affects her.

It is something I have always struggled with not only in my personal life, but in my acting career. It was hard for me to be cast in roles as a child actor because I was too light for an African American family, I certainly couldn’t be cast in a Caucasian family, and I was too light-skinned when they wanted a mixed child.

I love that the show also touches on the struggles that teen girls have with boys and being accepted for who we like, regardless of their race. I really hope that the McKellan family and Jade will inspire kids and adults to look at colorism differently. I hope that children who struggle with their identity as a mixed-race child will identify with Jade and the issues she deals with on the show in regards to her skin color.

I also truly hope the McKellan family will inspire kids to enjoy spending time with their extended family and listening to the wisdom the older generations can give them.

Who are your favorite fictional characters and why?

ANAIS: My favorite fictional characters are Lydia Martin (Teen Wolf), Allison Argent (Teen Wolf), Meredith Grey (Grey’s Anatomy), Sabrina Spellman (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Maggie Pierce (Grey’s Anatomy), Nicholas Scratch (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), and Harry Bingham (The Society). I love characters that have a strong character development and they are all from my favorite shows.

How do you shine bright?

TALIA JACKSON: I try to shine bright in a world where many people are hurting and masking their feelings by being compassionate and trying to put myself in their shoes if I haven’t been there already.

I try to be very transparent in my own struggles which I think is very important. I don’t try to act like I have it all together because I don’t. I struggle with teen issues on the daily. I would like to use my platform to support girls who struggle with self-esteem like body image and colorism issues.

I’m very passionate about nonprofit rescue animals for dogs, wildlife animals, and marine mammals and I’m very passionate about Lyme Disease Awareness. I am going to be aligning myself with a few nonprofit groups soon. I’m really looking forward to getting involved again with some of these nonprofit groups now that we have some time off from the show.

The women who inspire me are…

ANAIS: Shonda Rhimes, Sarah Schechter, Diablo Cody, Tia Mowry, Yara Shahidi, my best friends and of course, my mother.

I am most passionate about…

TALIA JACKSON: I am most passionate about treating everyone equally, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, or race. I am passionate about women owning their bodies and what they do with them, I am passionate about girls and women speaking out about sexual assault and molestation, and I’m passionate about horses and animals that are suffering and in a shelter.

I feel most confident when…

ANAIS: I feel most confident when I’m in comfortable clothes with my natural hair and surrounded by the people who love me the most!

My biggest dream is…

TALIA JACKSON: My biggest dream is to be able to use my platform to help and support young people in their daily struggles whether physical, mental, or economical by aligning myself with causes to help spread awareness of the issues that are important to me.

The advice I want to share with other girls…

ANAIS: The advice I want to share with other girls is to ALWAYS be true to yourself and not try to conform to how others think you should be. Don’t be afraid to stand alone as your authentic self because it will draw the right people to you who will love you for being you.

Then, PLEASE watch Will Smith’s motivational speech about those that “fan your flames” because I couldn’t say it better. He says every person you hang with should nourish you and inspire you, and to look at the people around you. The people that you spend time with are going to either make or break your dreams and to defend your light. I encourage you to listen to that speech every morning!

Looking for even more brilliant girls to inspire and empower you? Check out our previous Shimmering Stars here!