Before now, Jodie Turner Smith had not given any interviews following her sudden decision to file for divorce from Joshua Jackson last fall. She kept it clean – no social media games, no immaturity, no drama. She filed, lawyered up, stayed off social media and whatever is happening between them, there doesn’t seem to be anything spilling out in public. Well, Jodie is currently promoting several projects, all while working on Tro: Ares in Canada. She recently chatted with the Sunday Times about life, motherhood, work and divorce. She’s either become the most mature person in the world or she listened carefully to what her publicist told her to say about her divorce. Some highlights:
She’s booked & busy: “I feel like the world is my oyster. I’m pinching myself, it’s insane! I really love what I do. It excites me, it thrills me, it fulfils me. And I feel like there’s only more to come from it. All I want is to grow, get better, to learn from what I’ve done and to constantly move. And all the while make sure that I’m looking after myself and everyone around me.”
On parenting: “The most important thing, like in any relationship, is boundaries. I love how strong my daughter’s personality is and I don’t want to crush any part of that, but at the same time I want to teach her how to have respect for herself and for others. Everything really is for her. Women are always taught that we’re second class in so many ways, especially once we become mothers. You’re treated as if you now have limitations and it’s like, no, I’ve just done this amazing thing [giving birth] that shows me I’m actually one of the most amazing beings to ever walk the earth! And you’re treating me like I’m less?! Motherhood makes me more powerful. Now I know I am capable of so much, because I became a mother. Thank God I became a mother! Not only has it been revealed to me exactly how powerful I am, but it has also been revealed to me that I deserve the world.”
On her divorce from Joshua Jackson: “Sometimes things we really want to work just don’t end up working. And that’s OK. The most important thing is that you choose what’s healthiest for you and your family and definitely your children. There are so many different moments in our life where we look at ourselves and say, ‘Who am I and am I being true to that?’ If the answer is no, then you have to make a move because I believe that there are visible scars from staying in places that are not good for us. And they don’t just affect us, they affect everybody around us. I don’t think it’s a failure. We obviously had such a beautiful moment together. And now it’s time for a new moment for both of us. And how exciting! The bravest thing in the world is to recognise when something’s not working and to make a move, and I always want to set that kind of example for my daughter. The big takeaway is that this is about just as much love and joy as it has always been. This is only about taking a step forward into a better life for everybody involved.”
She’s not listening to the constant chatter online. “I’m not out here responding to everything that people say and people’s opinions because that’s a losing battle. At the end of the day I am not the only person in the world going through a divorce. There are millions of people in the world who are going through what I’m going through and that’s something that’s amazing about the internet, that sometimes it can offer you community.”
Single motherhood: She’s not on the lookout for another relationship, in case you were wondering. “I am a single mother and it is incredible. Right now is a sensitive time, the time for me to be focused on her. I’m enjoying not having to focus on a man. Men take up a lot of space!”
Her early days as a model: “Back then, if you were a black model you really needed to have an agent and an agency, and you needed to work very hard. It was much harder to get work. I was so f***ing thin and I was still being told by agencies in LA that I should think about getting lipo on my legs. I was 22 and tiny! Instagram has really changed things because people can be their own agencies in a way. We have so much more inclusivity now. Models with disabilities, models that have vitiligo, size inclusivity — it’s just better.”
“The bravest thing in the world is to recognise when something’s not working and to make a move.” I agree that it’s brave to say “I’m not happy here” and figure out a way to get out of the situation. It sort of reminds me of Adele’s marriage and divorce – no one really knew why she and Simon split, like there wasn’t one really obvious “reason,” and then Adele made it clear that she was unhappy in the marriage. Of course, I think it was probably more complicated in Jodie and Joshua’s case, but again, I’m impressed with the way Jodie has handled everything for months and how she’s handling it here.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.