• Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Power 40
    • Money & Career
    • SOKO MRKT
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
    • Essence Holiday Gift Guide 2023
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS MEET

Sign up for ESSENCE Newsletters the keep the Black women at the forefront of conversation.

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
Select the newsletters you'd like to receive:
Please select at least one option.
By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
      • Hair News
      • Natural
      • Relaxed
      • Transitioning
      • Weave
      • 4C
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Power 40
    • Money & Career
    • SOKO MRKT
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
    • Essence Holiday Gift Guide 2023
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United
‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ Star Jaz Sinclair Is A Complex Open Book
Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Netflix
By Sydney Scott · Updated April 12, 2019
Home • Pretty Dope

'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' Star Jaz Sinclair Is A Complex Open Book

By Sydney Scott·Updated April 12, 2019
The actress talks being raised by the White half of her family and why she's glad she never had "the talk" that Black parents are forced to give.

You’d think that Jaz Sinclair would be instantly recognizable to fans of Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, but apparently, she’s not.

Sinclair plays Rosalind Walker on the series, one of Sabrina’s best friends and a teenager, who has the ability to see into the future thanks to a curse placed on the women in her family.

“People don’t recognize me on the street as Roz,” the actress told ESSENCE during a chat at PUBLIC Hotel. “Sometimes I’ll be with my castmates and [people] can’t tell [it’s me] because I’m not wearing glasses and my hair isn’t as poofy. It’s the craziest sh-t. It’s like some Clark Kent sh-t.”

‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ Star Jaz Sinclair Is A Complex Open Book
CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA

The 24-year-old actress finds herself relating to her character in many ways—both are outspoken about issues close to them. While Roz fights alongside her friends to start a feminist book club, Sinclair uses her platform to start honest conversations about the realities of social media, which she said can blind people to life’s “ups and downs.”

“Sometimes you’re at a hotel in a beautiful place and you’re on the floor crying because life hurts. To project just the [happy] image when people are in low moments, they feel like they’re the only ones going through that,” she continued. “That’s the scariest thing is when people feel like they’re alone. I definitely want to use my platform to not perpetuate that idea.”

Sinclair is an open book. For instance, she doesn’t hesitate to talk about her identity, briefly delving into her own upbringing.

As a Black woman you do have to work harder for everything. The world is not going to hand you things.

Jaz Sinclair

“I grew up with the White half of my family. My grandpa, a couple of years ago, was like, ‘So, my Black friends told me that I f-cked up.’ I was like, ‘Really, what’d they say?’ He was like, ‘They told me I was supposed to have the talk with you and I didn’t have the talk with you. And ‘the talk’ is about how the world is going to be different to you because of the color of your skin.'”

“I’m kind of glad that I didn’t know that, but at the same time, my naivete has slapped me in the face. The world is going to let me know how it feels one way or another,” Sinclair added.

It’s true that Sinclair has had to adapt quickly, but it’s also pushed her to find and uplift complex stories.

“I had a complicated upbringing, so I had to rely on myself and figure out what that meant and rely on my good friends,” she explained. “I had to have a strong sense of self to get through.”

“As a Black woman you do have to work harder for everything. The world is not going to hand you things. [People] will question whether or not you deserve things all the time,” Sinclair continued. “You’ll get less than your non-Black female counterparts and your attitude has to stay, ‘Oh, I’m just so grateful to be here. Oh, thank you. Oh, lucky me,’ even though you shouldn’t have to.”

‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ Star Jaz Sinclair Is A Complex Open Book
Photo by Adeline Sumney

But Sinclair isn’t just grateful, she’s already looking to expand her platform through music. It’s likely going to be an extension of who she is and the message she wants to share.

“I don’t feel a lot of pressure in regards to music, which is really cool,” she told ESSENCE. “I’m not [worried about] how I’m going to feed myself. It gives me more room to be authentic artistically so when and if I do come out with something, it’s going to be really authentic.”

But until she has the time—the actress spends 11 months in Vancouver filming Chilling Adventures of Sabrina—Sinclair is content to spend her days with friends, writing poems and songs, and making plans to see the world.

“We get caught up and we think ‘This is my life now and I’m stuck with it until I die.’ No, every day is a decision.”

COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now