Jolene Purdy has sold her soul to her creative practice

Mixed Asian Media has had the pleasure of following Jolene Purdy’s career over the years. The Bondsman on Amazon Prime marks her newest project, in which she stars alongside Kevin Bacon, who plays a murdered bounty hunter resurrected back from the dead by the Devil to trap and send back demons who have escaped from Hell. Purdy plays Midge, one of the Devil’s employees whose reasons for choosing her career path are far more tragic than what initially meets the eye. 

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Bri Ng Schwartz:  In one sentence, what is The Bondsman about?
Jolene Purdy: Kevin Bacon humorously fighting demons.

BNS: Tell us more about your character, Midge.
JP: Midge Kutu is fierce. She's strong. She's so smart in how she utilizes manipulation to get her job done. I think she’s a strong mom. Love roots everything that she does.

BNS: Midge is a mother and so are you. How has your own experience being a mother informed this side of your character?
JP: I think when you have a kid, you realize how fiercely you can love something and how sacrificial that is. Your body, your time, your sleep. If I were faced with that decision, I would 100 percent give myself up for my child. No questions. 

BNS: What has it been like working with Kevin Bacon?
JP: He's the coolest person I've ever met. We were shooting one very long, hot day in the sun doing stunts. The crew was hot, everyone was hot…and all of a sudden you see an ice cream truck roll up. Kevin made sure that we all had something sweet and enjoyable on that hot day when everyone was working so hard.

BNS: In a recent interview you did with Screen Rant, you mentioned how Kevin was a leader on the show set. What role do you see yourself playing in your on-set communities?
JP: I have been lucky enough to welcome in other actors that are newer. That fills my heart so much—just to create a safe environment for us to play, to show them everything that they can do without the nerves, without trying to hit the marks, to be the thing that everyone wants them to be.

Just play. You’re talented. You made it here for a reason. I love encouraging newer actors and younger actors. It's my heart and my passion.

BNS: In addition to The Bondsman, The White Lotus is also having a huge moment right now. You were on the first season of that show. At the time of filming, did you have any idea it was going to be big?
JP: I had a little bit of a hunch, but we were also in Maui during a pandemic with a shutdown. We were at the Four Seasons, swimming with sea turtles with the funniest people alive, we all knew that it was a time that we could never relive again. We savored every sunset together, every laugh, every dinner, and every experience. The work itself was wonderful, but the community that it brought together was great as well.

BNS: You've been in the industry for almost 30 years. So many actors strive for that type of longevity. For mixed Asian actresses who are up and coming, what advice would you give them for establishing longevity in their careers?
JP: Get ready. It's a fight. Find your community, find yourself, your authenticity, and don't give it away for anyone else. 

In the show they wanted me to put flowers onto these cookies that I'm baking with tweezers in the script. I went to Erik (Oleson), our showrunner, and I said, “You know, in my house we have this cup full of chopsticks and we use it for everything. Midge would use chopsticks to put the flowers on the cookies.” And he said, “Brilliant. I love it.”

That's my authenticity. That's me and my family and my upbringing. He let me bring that. I think it is so important to these characters to really ground them in who we are.