Rising star Jaidyn Triplett is having a great year in 2024. Not only did the iCarly star release her bangin’ debut album, Young Girl With a Big Dream, earlier this summer, but the multi-hyphenate talent can next be seen leading Gravitas Ventures’ new horror/thriller Hauntology.
PopWire recently connected with the young starlet where she previewed the anthology film, the importance of representation, and more.
When it comes to horror movies in general, it is very rare that a young Black woman is seen in a leading role. The Afro-Latina actress says that it’s a “huge” deal for representation and visibility for her community.
“Growing up I didn’t see a lot of people that look like me on the screen,” Triplett tells us. “Nowadays, shows and movies and music and pretty much all the industries you can see lots of diversity. I’m glad that for at least some of my fans, I can be the one that they look up to as the Afro-Latina role model, and I want to continue being that for people.”
The story of Hauntology follows Venus Price (Triplett) who flees their family home looking to start over. Along the way, they run into their sister, Jazmin (Samantha Russell), where she tries to convince them to stay.
“I think that for Venus, their relationship with their family is very rocky,” she says. “I can tell based off of how I created the character and how it was written, that they really truly love their sister and the bond between them, you can’t miss it on screen. They have a trust.
“Me and Samantha definitely wanted to create that bond together off screen, that way it would appear more natural in the movie,” Triplett continues. “I’m really glad that it did show through for the parts that we were in. I really tried to paint the character when I was on screen so that people could get insight into why she is the way she is.”
During the course of Hauntology, Jazmin shares spooky, but “true” tales to her younger sibling. These short stories that make up the anthology include “Witchcraft Becomes Her,” “Paint & Black Lace,” and “The Old Dark Cashel House.” Out of all five stories, there was one that stood out for the actress that turned out to be her favorite.
“I think ‘The Day Mabel Came Out of the Grave’ [would be my favorite]. That one actually freaked me out. When I was in the theater watching it for the first time at the premiere — you know before I went to the first premiere, all I had ever seen was my parts when I was filming — I think that in the theaters, I was like, oh, this is actually scary. what’s going on?'”
Out of all the stories, however, it is the main one in between the shorts, the one with Venus and their sister, that had us most invested in and wanting to see more of their relationship and dynamic. For Jaidyn, hair is her crown, and something she is infinitely proud of when it comes to self-expression. That crown did go through a lot, though, when it came to an unexpected scene with the two siblings, which finds them completely drenched in blood.
“It’s a really funny story,” Triplett says of filming the bloodbath. “At the time I had these long braids the entire movie. I had braids and a weave. It’s not all my real hair and the problem with weave is it holds moisture and water like crazy. Anything that goes into your hair will be there until you take the braids out. It’s like 2-3 in the morning and we’re being just sprayed down with this red stuff and then they’re like, alright, CUT — you can go to sleep now.
“I go upstairs and I’m beat; I’m so exhausted,” she adds. “So then I go to try and wash out in the shower and I turn my head and my braids swaying against the side of the shower, and you just see red splattered across. I was like, oh no! So then I’m trying desperately to get all the blood out within 15 minutes because I’m so tired. I wrap my hair up in a towel, a WHITE TOWEL, and my hoodie, and I go to sleep on this white mattress and white bedsheets and I wake up and there’s blood all over my bed. It was a nightmare because there was no way to get this out and it didn’t come out until I got my braids out.”
After it all, Jaidyn Triplett is proud of the project that is Hauntology and encourages everyone to check it out.
“It had me on the edge of my seat, and I’m not just saying that because I’m in it and I want you to see it,” she says. “I’m saying that because it was truly a passion project from all of us and we definitely all put our heart into it and the final product was incredible. I’ve become close friends with everyone and I think that you can truly see that bond on screen.
“Honestly, it’s just a great thriller overall. I love horror movies and I love thriller movies and I think that it would be one that I would definitely watch again even if I wasn’t in it. I think that it’s a great experience.”
Jaidyn Triplett’s debut album Young Girl With a Big Dream is now available where ever you buy or stream your music, and Hauntology will be available on select cable and streaming-on-demand platforms in the US and Canada on September 17th.
