Jaz Sinclair on The Feminist Power Of Sabrina And Her Harry Potter Obsession

Once Jaz Sinclair came across a breakdown for the character of Rosalind Walker on a pilot called Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, it was an easy "hell yes." Right considering that, it's not day-to-day that you come across a character who's an outspoken teen feminist and a supernatural bridge to the other side.


MTV News chatted with the 24-year-old actor about the bold feminism of Sabrina, harnessing anger into power, and why a childhood fascination with witches — particularly the brightest witch of her age — cosmically led her to Greendale.


MTV News: Where were you while you first heard about the role?


Jaz Sinclair: I was in Los Angeles. I went to Columbia at the end of last year, and then I came back to LA for a very short period of time before going to Vietnam with my best friend. I was in town for a week and just got this audition. I read the breakdown for the role, and the scene and was like, "This is a really fun character. I'll fully go in for it." It happened in two days. I went in, then the next day I went in again and tested, then the next morning at 8 a.M. I noticed out I got the role. So it was a really quick process for this one.


MTV News: Were you awake any time while you got the call?


Sinclair: No, I wasn't [up]. Netflix called my boss and was like, "She's been approved!"


MTV News: I'm sure you visualize a lot of scripts for a lot of young characters, nevertheless what was it about Roz that made you desire to pursue this character?


Sinclair: One of the audition scenes that I had was the scene where I'm talking about wanting to begin a Daughters of the Black Panther club at school. I just loved the feminist characteristic of her and why enthusiastic she is as a 17-year-old girl — to really know who she is and what she stands for. To play a character who is so unapologetically herself is a really cool possibility. I'm also into all things witches. So I get to be a feminist and be on a show about magic? I'm going to certainly audition for that.


MTV News: Who is your preference fictional witch?


Sinclair: Hermione Granger, naturally! I'm a big Harry Potter fan. I watch them routinely. I listen to the audio books on tape and go on walks for hours. I love it so much.


MTV News: So it began as a childhood fascination with witches?


Sinclair: It must have because I began watching Harry Potter any time If I was young. I grew up with those movies. Because the characters got older, I got older also. Something about that magical world is woven into the fabric of who I am. Also, we as folks are powerful, magical people. Call yourself a witch or not, although there's so much that we can tap into within our own personalized power.


MTV News: It's all about the energy that we put out into the universe.


Sinclair: I've spent a lot of time thinking about the energy that I've put out and watching it be reflected back to me almost immediately. The way you feel really does inform the way that the world is around you. For me, finding excitement and empowerment in that has made me a lot more present.


MTV News: I'm an enormous fan of the comics, written by [creator] Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. He's got an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Archie Comics horror, and also you visualize a lot of references to that in the show. Did he give you guys a syllabus of horror movies to watch before you began filming?


Sinclair: Any time we first got out to Vancouver, we had a cast screening where we watched clips from horror movies that Sabrina took inspiration from. I'm a big ol' baby, so I don't really watch a lot of horror, however it was really informative to watch those scenes. Actually, working on this project made me aspire to watch those movies that I was also scared to watch before.


MTV News: Did you have any nightmares?


Sinclair: Maybe it was due to the material, yet I had more nightmares in Vancouver than I've ever had. Some of those were about the occult, and then some of these were more subtle. Those things sneak into your subconscious.


MTV News: One of the things I love about the show is that it's so unabashedly feminist. That was naturally something that discussed to you as well.


Sinclair: It's so long overdue for a show to be so boldly feminist. The idea of being a feminist is currently accepted, and for our show to take liberties in that realm is exhilarating. It's key. The things that we talk about are key, and the timeless aspect of our show really speaks to it as well. It is irrelevant when it takes place, all ladies can relate to these specific issues. I would have loved to have grown up with a show that taught me a little more about feminism.


MTV News: Not only do Susie, Roz, and Sabrina talk about feminism and form WICCA [Women's Intersectional Cultural and Creative Association] as a result, yet the show also gives us a brilliant example of a man ally in Harvey.


Sinclair: He never shuts them down. I feel like as soon as you talk about feminist issues with males, they sort of take things personally. Like, "Not all boys or "I wouldn't do that." I hear you and that's awesome, yet you have to hear me also because this isn't about you. Harvey is a good example of just listening in regards to a topic that he can't really relate to. It's about understanding as gentlemen, as feminist boys, that there really are things you just need to listen to.


MTV News: The show also streams female rage in really overt ways.


Sinclair: Anger is powerful, and as girls, we're taught not to be furious [and] to bite our tongues. And any time we do that, the energy manifests in other ways. A lot of the time it's self-destructive. Anger transforms, and using your anger in a powerful way is a cute thing. I don't think there's anything wrong with anger.


MTV News: How excited were while you noticed out that Roz gets magical abilities of her own?


Sinclair: Dude. I was so excited. I noticed out because my boss sent me the breakdown of the character who was going to be my grandma, who is psychic. As soon as I saw that, I was like, "Fuck yes!" I also really like the way that they determined to do it because As soon as I have a vision, I get to go back to the scene, so for me as an actor, it lets me bridge the two worlds in a nice way.


MTV News: How would you define Sabrina and Roz's friendship?


Sinclair: Any time as soon as you visualize them with each other, it just feels like there's history. There's a understanding and also a mutual respect between them that's really lovely. They've been companions for a while, and I really love that they can lean on each other. And Roz is accommodating of Sabrina's identity as a witch because certainly she could be.


MTV News: Sabrina has been compared a lot to Riverdale because of its tone and the fact that they're both are set inside the world of Archie Comics. Riverdale really blew up right after its first season, and that cast can barely go anywhere without being recognized. Is that something you think about? How to adjust to that level of fame?


Sinclair: For me, the idea of fame has routinely made me really uncomfortable. So I don't honestly spend also much time thinking about it because my thinking turns into worrying real quick. As an alternative, I'm of the mind that I'm going to take it one day at a time and I'm just going to be really present. I can't know what's going to happen up until it happens. So if this show is going to take off in really big ways like some people think, I'll navigate that as casually as I can.