She is young and talented, she stars in the biggest movie of the year, The Hunger Games, and has been accepted to Stanford. Jacqueline Emerson chats with Zooey magazine and dishes on getting into Stanford, her bucket list, the Hunger Games, falling for music and acting, bullying, personal style. At 17-years-old, the lovely star is a great singer and actress who has a brilliant future in front of her. So, how does a regular day in the life of Jacqueline look like?
“Well, every day I go to school. I’m a senior. I’m a singer/songwriter. I just released my second music video called ‘Catch me if you can’. I love playing piano and hanging out with my friends. I am obsessed with Disney movies. Tangled. Enchanted. I have always wanted to be Giselle from Enchanted, because I want my life to be a musical. I’m in drama ensemble. So this entire quarter I’ve been going to rehearsal every day after school for my school play,” she says.
“However, I am not acting in it because I had to miss the first week of shows for press tours. But, I’m assistant-directing it. So that’s been a great experience. Recently I’ve gotten to do some pretty cool events and meet people that I have always looked up to. That’s been amazing. I’m definitely a family person. I’m like the only teenager in the world who doesn’t want to leave their family. My parents are my best friends. My sisters are my best friends. I love my family so much,” Jacqueline added.
On whether she has a bucket list, Jacqueline told Zooey magazine that, “I would LOVE to work with [Martin] Scorsese, at any point in my life. I just love his work so much. Other than that, everything is pretty much just acting and singing related. I want to perform on the Staples Center stage. The only concerts I’ve ever been to, have been there. It’s always been that pinnacle for me. Also, I have to be on the Ellen Show. That is definitely on my bucket list. I love her show, it’s my favorite.”
When it comes to her professional life, the Hunger Games star admits that she loves acting and music equally. “It was literally exactly the same time for both. Because the first thing I ever did in either of them was the musical Annie, when I was six years old. That’s when I fell in love with both singing and acting. After that I started going to musical theater acting camp over the summer. I really just fully immersed myself in it,” she says. “No, actually I love them both pretty equally. I feel very fortunate that at the moment I’m in a position to come into the industry with both on my plate and I’m not going to be pressured into one or the other.”
Jacqueline confesses that going to Stanford doesn’t mean she’s going to have a break from everything. “No, that’s the great thing about Stanford, that it is only a half an hour long flight. So, I can easily fly back down for auditions and stuff if I make it so I have Thursdays and Fridays free from school. I can still take auditions and I can still take off semesters here and there if I need to film, or to work on my music or something,” she says.
In her interview with Zooey magazine, Jacqueline Emerson also reveals some of her favorite quotes. “‘Walk your own path and leave a trail.’ I love that one. Everyone is on their own journey and you shouldn’t compare yourself to anybody else. You’re an individual. You’re your own person. And you’re doing something different than everyone else. You’re on your own journey. I also love ‘Be yourself,’ which is so cheesy but I think it is very, very important. It’s hard now, with all the bullying that goes on. I think that is something that people need to learn to accept,” the actress says.
On bullying and being treated differently due to her status, Jacqueline admits that, “Not really. I mean, I don’t really get treated that differently. It’s cool because the Hunger Games was the ‘all-school read,’ so everybody at my school read it. So everyone kind of knows what’s going on. But, my friends especially have just been so supportive, and just really great. I’m just happy that I have such great friends.”
What about her personal style? “Comfortable: sweatpants. I have a really great pair of Juicy pants that I wear around my house constantly. I just love them, I love lounging around in them,” Jacqueline told the magazine. “For going out, I think it’s important to have a really great pair of jeans that you love and you feel really comfortable in. Everybody has a different pair of jeans that they love. I didn’t have one for the longest time, and I hated jeans. And then I got one over the summer that just fit me so well. They are Seven jeans, so now I’m like, okay! Jeans rock!”
Read Jacqueline’s full interview on ZooeyMagazine.com
Photos courtesy of Zooey Magazine