Connor Jessup plays a teenage boy struggling with his identity in the new season of ABC's "American Crime." It's a coming-of-age theme seen in his previous film roles such as Sean Randall in "Blackbird" and Oscar Madly in "Closet Monster," but Jessup insists that it's only a coincidence, "up to a point."
"I think if you look at most people my age, it's probably somewhat similar," the 21-year-old actor told Headlines & Global News in an exclusive interview. "I've just been fortunate that they've been so good because I could have easily ended up exploring the same themes on 'Degrassi.'"
Jessup nervously added, "Nothing against 'Degrassi.'"
A role on the Canadian teen soap wouldn't have been outside the realm of possibility for the Toronto native, and he recognizes his fortune for working with "exciting and interesting" writers, directors and actors so far in his young career.
Jessup's work on "American Crime," premiering tonight on ABC, has brought him in contact with Oscar winner John Ridley and Emmy-nominated actress Lili Taylor, who plays his mother on the show. His character, Taylor Blaine, sparks the controversy central to the second season, which tackles issues of sexual orientation and socioeconomic disparity.
Taylor is a high school student on financial aid at a prestigious private academy in Indianapolis. When lurid photos of him at a school-sanctioned party go viral on social media, he causes more problems for the school when he accuses two boys on the school's championship basketball team of drugging and assaulting him, then posting the photos online.
Taylor also has a girlfriend at a public school in the same town, but questions of sexuality still come up given the circumstances.
"That's something that's going to be explored, but these sorts of assaults, which are rampant much more so than people would think, happen to and/or are committed by people that are both straight and gay," Jessup explained. He warned against making any assumptions until viewing the entire series.
The first season of "American Crime" tested many preconceived notions about American society, and Jessup commended ABC for supporting a show that takes such risks, especially on network television. He promises more of the same in season two.
"It's not exactly a show replete with answers. There's a lot of ambiguity... That's one of my favorite parts of the show and exciting parts of the show [because] as an actor, this ability to not have your [character's] psychology drawn out in an A plus B plus C kind of way, I think it's a type of writing that respects the people watching it," he said. "The same way when you meet someone in real life, you don't know their entire backstory, but you can make your own assumptions. That's hopefully how people will feel about the characters on the show, which is a testament to John and all our writers."
Jessup started his acting career at age 11. A restless child with no interests in sports or other extracurricular activities, his parents signed him up for a drama club hoping he would burn off some energy in class.
"I think there were a couple kids there who had agents and were going out for Doritos commercials. I thought that sounded cool. I tried to convince my parents to help me get an agent, and that's kind of how it started," Jessup said.
His first two years in the business involved commercial bits and small guest appearances. Then at age 13, he auditioned for a role on the children's program "The Saddle Club." During his callback, the producers asked if he knew how to horseback ride, and Jessup told them yes despite having absolutely no horseback-riding experience.
"I don't know why. I lied so spectacularly," Jessup said, laughing. "I had never been on a horse before, and then they asked me how long I had been horseback riding, and I said three years. If I'm going to lie, why not keep it close to reality? But as soon as I got the part, I spent every day before I left [to film in Australia] at a ranch trying to get my riding legs going."
His lack of horseback riding experience actually played well into his character, who was terrified of horses but over the course of the series grew more comfortable riding them. The skill also came in handy for Jessup later while starring on the TNT show "Falling Skies," where he had to ride on horseback again.
"It all comes back around," he said.
Be sure to catch "American Crime," which premieres tonight, Jan. 6 at 10 p.m. EST on ABC. Jessup can also be seen in the film "Closet Monster," which was recently picked up for distribution in the U.S. and should premiere later this summer.
