Meet Jennifer Skiffington

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Skiffington and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk taking is everything when it comes to pursuing an artistic career of any kind. I think anything worth doing in life has an element of risk to it. To quote T.S. Eliot “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” Moving to Los Angeles when I was 20 was a risk. I had no connections and no clue what I was doing at first, but chose to take the leap. Time after time I find myself being challenged and inspired by each new leg of this journey. In 2016 I branched out and formed a theatre company with Giselle Fischman called Palm Tree and Pine. We started producing classic plays like Crimes of the Heart as well as new plays by local playwrights. Jumping into producing on camera projects was also a risk, of which now I have been a producer on a number. Writing my original play These Streets that we took to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019 as well. Each piece of this journey has involved pushing past the fear of “what will people think?” . “Do I have what it takes?” Will people “like” what I have to say? At the end of the day this business is a wild ride of ups and downs, good fortune and missed swings. You have to do it because you love it. Somewhere along the way I think I realized that trying to play to the crowd or find out what was going to be the most popular was a mistake. I think the real risk as an actor, producer, writer or any kind of artist is to listen to that voice inside of you, that vulnerable part of your self that is the essence of you and create from there. That’s the only way to stay fulfilled, and it will be the way you find your people, the people who your voice truly resonates with.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I was recently in the horror short film Sublet by Nathaniel Mathis where I play an unusually terrifying character. This was a my first venture into horror and was a real challenge that stretched me as an actor. Sublet is currently running the festival circuit and has already won a number of awards. In 2025 my feature film A Doll’s House will be released. Janina Vabo’s fresh adaptation of the classic Norwegian Ibsen play. I play Nora Helmer in the film, which was also a fantastic challenge as it is a very well-known role, and I wanted to bring as fresh a take as possible to it. The film also stars my late boyfriend Stephen Juhl as Torvald Helmer. Another project coming down the pipeline next year is the short film I wrote and co-directed called Desert Bloom about two girls on a roadtrip from L.A. to Las Vegas gone wrong. Taking on the challenge of directing/producing/acting was incredibly rewarding and challenging. I, of course, always try to keep my love for the theatre alive. Last year I had the good fortune to play Stella Kowalski in Collaborative Artist Ensemble’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire, a role I had actually played 13 years prior at Clark College in Vancouver. That was a great full-circle moment. As far as television, I can be seen on a couple of soap operas in the last year and have a fun little bit part on the popular new show Nobody Wants This, where I get to fan out over super dreamy Rabbi Adam Brody.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The perfect weekend itenerary with an old friend visiting L.A. would have to be the classic Runyon Hike or Fryman Hike with tacos at Hugo’s taco stand afterwards. Would definitely have to grab a casual bite at Tony’s Darts Away, and maybe a fancy night at the Smokehouse in Burbank. If there is time for it I always love to squeeze in a little get away to Joshua Tree or Ojai while friends are in town as well.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The late Stephen Juhl was a huge inspiration to me. He was my collaborator in life as well as art, and directed a number of my projects, and will forever inspire me to continue on my artistic journey, and keep that part of me and of him alive.

Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3924258/

Instagram: @jenniferskiffington

Image Credits
Cinematography – Drew Ganyer Headshots – Stephanie Girard Lifestyle – Johnny Love