INTERVIEW: Jodie Turner-Smith on ‘Without Remorse,’ Working With Michael B. Jordan, Inclusivity, Motherhood, and Her Amazing New Projects

Jodie Turner-Smith is turning up the big screen once again as Karen Greer alongside Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, and Lauren London for Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse; the origin story of action hero John Clark from Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan universe, streaming on Amazon Prime Video now.

Michael B. Jordan stars as John Clark, an elite Navy SEAL who uncovers an international conspiracy as Russian soldiers kill his team and wife in retaliation for his role in a top-secret operation. Sr. Chief John Kelly is on a mission to avenge and seek justice for the murder of his pregnant wife Pam, played by London and he finds himself in the middle of unknowingly spoiling a plot to have the US and Russia at war.

Jodie’s fellow Navy SEAL role was originally written for a man; no female has ever made it into the SEALs nor has a Black woman made it to the role of commanding officer in history. Despite that, Turner-Smith nails the role as Lieutenant Commander Greer in a stoic performance putting ethics before protocol as we see her stepping up and in, as things begin to unfold badly for John. Jodie did extensive research and relied on past commanders’ emotional and physical experiences all while pregnant in real-time. That’s right, she was a badass performing the same stunts as her male costars. This also isn’t your typical action film, as director Stefano Sollima brings not just extreme stunts and suspense, but also pulls human and emotional qualities from the actors, telling a 360-degree story of love, loyalty, rage, betrayal, ethics, and survival.

Turner-Smith is also appearing in a sci-fi drama film After Yang, which also stars Justin H. Min, Colin Farrell, and Haley Lu Richardson as well as a historical psychological thriller mini-series Anne Boelyn, where she appears as lead and set during Anne’s final months prior to her execution in 1536.

We spoke with Jodie about how’s she’s grown as an actress since Queen & Slim, the challenges of filming while pregnant, an in-depth look at how she prepared to play Karen Greer, and all about paving the way for others as a Black female actress in Hollywood. Read on for more and be sure to listen to the full conversation on Glitter Magazine’s YouTube below.

GLITTER: We’ve seen you in strong roles before, and now you play this really powerful lieutenant commander for the Navy SEALs. How did you prepare for the role to really embrace Karen Greer?
JODIE: I think the most important part of my preparation, other than some physical training was that I worked with the military advisers that we had with us on set to make sure that we were using our weapons in the correct way. We were moving in and out of rooms in the correct way, and we were speaking to each other in the correct way. But beyond that, I think the most important thing for me was that I had to talk to men who do what Karen does in real life. Men that worked in Special Forces around the globe and also a man who does the exact job that Karen Greer does in the US Navy. That was really enlightening for me to see what their personalities were like, their ways of being, their demeanor, the way that they interact with other people, the way they interact with people that they love. All of that stuff was really informative for me, and I kind of used that to build Karen.

GLITTER: What originally attracted you to Without Remorse, and what was the audition process like for you?
JODIE: I’m familiar with the Tom Clancy universe, and so it was emotionally very cool to think about the opportunity to enter into that universe. I love any and every opportunity to play a strong Black woman on screen. So that attracted me to the project. Then, of course, when the project came in front of me, I was like, “I would love to work with Michael B. Jordan.” 

GLITTER: The film has some amazing action scenes. Were there any scenes that were challenging to film?
JODIE: Well, all of the action scenes were challenging because I was pregnant, so that added a unique dimension to it all. I had to think about things differently than my male costars. I needed to take certain precautions that my male costars didn’t, and obviously, even though I was the only one of us that was growing a life inside of me, I was doing the same thing as my male costars. So, it was definitely challenging, very, very challenging. I learned a lot about myself and what I was capable of.

GLITTER: What were some of the lessons that your character Karen learns throughout the film? We see her struggling with ethics versus protocol.
JODIE: Yes. I definitely think it was a moment. I think there are always times in our life when we have to say to ourselves when we’re speaking up for what we believe in and what’s right. Should we do it, even in the case of where it’s going to go up against something that somebody we love is saying? I think that was a lesson for Karen because it was like, she loves and is so loyal to John Kelly and yet he was very much kind of on his own agenda in a way that was worrying to her, and she very much had to make a choice like, “You know what? This is not about me being a person. This is about me telling you what I’ve seen to be happening. I see that you’re grieving, and I want you to be your best self, and this isn’t it.”

GLITTER: You’ve personally gone from model to actress effortlessly with some outstanding roles and showcasing your amazing talent; how have you grown from Queen & Slim to Without Remorse, even though it wasn’t that long ago?
JODIE: Well, so much of my life changed between Queen & Slim and Without Remorse, so there’s that. I think I learned so much from Daniel Kaluuya and Melina Matsoukas in doing that film. Daniel was really the first person who modeled what a leading man can be like, and that taught me so much about not necessarily what to expect because obviously, not everyone is going to be the same, not every man is the same, but just in what’s possible. What’s possible to create when you’re in an environment with somebody who you just trust completely. He taught me in his ways of being, how to be somebody that someone else can trust in a scene, you know, and I took that with me. Working with Guymon and Melina and seeing how focused they are and how their vision is so direct and measured and carefully thought through. Seeing that kind of experience is definitely something that I learned from. 

GLITTER: It’s amazing and wonderful to see you playing this role; very, very different from the characters I saw growing up. What impact do you hope your presence has on young women around the world, especially Black women?
JODIE: I think that if anything, I just hope they feel seen in some way. You know, I think there is something so beautiful about seeing someone who resonates with you on-screen and how fortifying that can be, and I just hope to create that feeling in someone watching.

GLITTER: Glitter Magazine actually has a celebrity Self-Love Campaign, we started back in 2015, and as a new mom, a wife, model, and actress, you’re navigating the industry. What does self-love mean to you?
JODIE: Loving yourself means honoring your boundaries. I think it’s one of the most important lessons that I’m learning as a woman, as a mother, as an actress. When you have clear boundaries, then people know how to show up within them. They know where they stand with you, and you don’t demean yourself when you honor your own boundaries.  

GLITTER:  Is there anyone that you would love to collaborate with or a genre that you’d like to explore?
JODIE: I would love to do comedy.

GLITTER: What’s next for you?
JODIE: So I have a series coming out in the UK on Channel 5 called Anne Boleyn, a three-part series that I’m really looking forward to, and I did a film as well the same year that I did Queen & Slim and Without Remorse, called After Yang with Colin Farrell, directed by Kogonada, and that’s coming out soon too. So, yeah, those two projects.

GLITTER: Nice, a lot to look forward to. Well, Jodie, thank you so much for taking time out, and I wish you the best in your future career.
JODIE: Thank you.

Listen to the full interview below and make sure to stream Without Remorse here.