Queen of Scream

It is a slow, breezy Saturday afternoon as I walk into Simply Coffee, a quaint little coffee shop nestled in the heart of Magnolia Park in Burbank. Jamie Bernadette is already sitting down at a small, tree-stump-like table and greets me with a warm smile as I walk through the door. She exudes an irrefutable radiance and I immediately know that she is the actress in the room. As we grab our drinks and head outside to the patio, we pass by a couple of bouncy little dogs and their owners. It is the quintessential southern California scenery, which is a bit ironic seeing that I am about to interview an actress primarily known for being a “scream queen.”

When I ask her opinion about being labeled a scream queen, she laughingly responds, “I don’t mind being called that because I love horror!”

Ms. Bernadette hails all the way from the small town of Kankakee, Illinois: population 27,000. Upon graduating high school, she took all of four days to come to the conclusion that she was ready to pursue her childhood dream of becoming an actress and move to Los Angeles. With only $600 to her name, Jamie packed up her things and headed west.

When Bernadette initially arrived in LA, she began garnering frequent modeling work, as well as semi-regular commercial gigs. It was not quite what she had in mind in terms of her acting conquest; nonetheless, it was work, and work is always a good thing here in the City of Angels. Fortunately for Bernadette, she would not have to stay in these supplemental fields long, as she soon landed her first feature film.

“I got Son of Sam, which was my first feature, and after that it all seemed to kind of snowball. I couldn’t keep up with the modeling, the commercial work, and the films I was doing, so I eventually had to decide to just zone in on film,” explains Bernadette.

After deciding to buckle down on her film career, Bernadette began to notice a trend in the work she was receiving. She found herself consistently landing roles within the horror genre, which to her was not at all problematic.

“I always wanted to do horror ever since I was a child. I would always be pretending that I was Nancy from Nightmare on Elm Street. I probably watched that movie 40 or 50 times,” jokes Bernadette.

Along with being an overall fan of the genre, Bernadette believes that horror deserves far more credit than it generally receives. She resents the notion that horror is somehow a “lesser” genre. I can feel her enthusiasm as she opens up in saying:

“People always ask me when I’m going to get out horror as if it’s something bad to be doing, and I totally don't understand that. I love the genre. It’s the toughest acting that I’ve ever done."

Bernadette’s passion for the genre is contagious. I find myself beginning to rethink my own perspective mid-conversation.

Continuing on with a potent tone, Bernadette indicates, "You have to be in constant terror and grief, and it’s extremely physical. I don’t understand why it’s not more appreciated.”

“But that’s the nature of anything, right? There’s always going to be haters.”

(Bernadette playing the role of "Scandal" in Letia Clouston's "The Demon in the Dark")

And why should she really care, anyways? Her success clearly speaks for itself. To date, Jamie has landed an astounding 67 roles, with over half existing within the horror genre. She has truly enveloped the title of “scream queen,” and has become quite the in-demand actress. Nowadays, Bernadette is tasked with new and more complex challenges, such as learning how to balance a successful acting career with a healthy personal life.

“My family has this joke that when I book a plane ticket I’m not actually going to come home,” quips Bernadette. “That’s something that I’m really hoping to get better at because family is an incredibly important thing.”

When I ask what is next for the sought-after actress, Jamie tells me of her latest venture: taking on the role of producer.

“It’s the hardest thing that I’ve ever done,” laughs Bernadette as she tells me about her terror-induced film, The 6th Friend. “I’m really, really proud of it, though. It’s currently making a festival run, which is super exciting. I’m hoping that I can do more producing in the future.”

As we wrap up our lovely Saturday afternoon coffee, a little girl glances over at our table, grinning from ear to ear. I am reminded that, much like Jamie, this little girl will carry a dream of her own someday. In response, I ask that Jamie give advice to other young female actresses looking to acquire her level of success.

“Do everything you can get your hands on. Don’t be too picky at first. Get experience before you get choosy,” shares Bernadette. “But most importantly, be the cause and don’t let others affect your outcome. You make your own future.”