Why Alisha Boe Felt Empowered To Play Jessica Davis In 13 Reasons Why Season 3

Much like the initial two seasons of 13 Reasons Why, Season 3 of the Netflix show has people everywhere talking. And while a lot of the chatter is because of the overt humanization of Bryce Walker — a known rapist whose death is at the center of Season 3's whodunit plotline — there really is one particular character whose evolution since the begin of the series feels like a undeniable win: Jessica Davis.


Jessica, played by actress Alisha Boe, began out as a popular cheerleader at Liberty High. Nevertheless her journey has been particularly hard to watch, as it took us by way of the emotional trauma she was left with right after being raped by Bryce if she was unconscious. In this new season, although, Jessica has become an outspoken activist for sexual assault survivors — something Boe told Glamour she felt empowered by in the midst of the #MeToo and Time's Up movements.


"Yeah, I think it's absolutely inevitable," she mentioned of having her mind on those movements while filming the show. "It has to be. It's interesting because while in the second season, we were filming the court scene where Jessica finally goes against her abuser. I think a week before we filmed it is as soon as Ronan Farrow released that article [in The New Yorker about Harvey Weinstein]. Each and every day, I would wake up and visualize new articles. Another news article, a headline of another woman speaking up against her attacker. I remember going in on that day to film that scene, and I felt very empowered."


When she went in to film the third season, Boe noticed that the feeling of empowerment had multiplied — especially because there was a noticeable increase in the quantity of survivors who finally felt like their voices could be heard."More and more, we're given collectively, as ladies, a platform because folks are listening," she instructed them magazine. "Because we aren't afraid speak. Due to the woman who came before us who discussed out. They opened all these endless doors. As a woman, it's on your mind almost every day."


far because the rest of the season, and particularly the way Bryce has been portrayed while in the show, Boe understands there's been a mixed bag of reactions — from sad and confused to downright upset. And while several fans of the show are rightfully furious that this season feels sympathetic toward a character who definitely doesn't deserve it, Boe believes that they're supposed to feel... Exactly yet they choose.


"I could be irritated, also she mentioned. "You're just seeing layers of his story, and how he is the way he is. It does not excuse any of his actions whatsoever. It doesn't make it OK because we visualize a human side of him. At all. It's just painting a more complex picture. I think you're supposed to be irritated and confused."


But while The world wide web is flooded with suggestions, Boe is hoping that fans can at least look to Jessica as a potential source for inspiration. "I hope they feel empowered," she mentioned as soon as asked about how she hopes people feel about Jessica's journey. "I surely felt empowered playing and reading the words she had to mention. I hope they realize they're not defined—no one is defined by their trauma. They can be whoever they desire to be. They can be as powerful as they wish to be."