Starring as Aaron Hernandez’s fiancée Shayanna Jenkins in Ryan Murphy’s American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, airing now on FX, Jaylen Barron is quick to admit both filming—and watching—the limited series can take its toll. Her performance is already earning critical praise, with The Hollywood Reporter noting that “Jaylen Barron is so heartbreaking as Aaron’s distressed finance Shayanna that I briefly wish for a version of the saga told entirely from her perspective.” And telling the tumultuous tale from her perspective was not something Barron took lightly: “I had to learn how to take care of my mental health,” she shares. “All while making sure I was fully tapped in and delivering what I needed to on a day-to-day basis.”
Congrats on the show. Everything Ryan Murphy touches is great. How did you get ready for the role? The story is heavy.
This was my first time doing and dealing with something like this…and I was learning as I was working. I had to learn how to take care of my mental health, all while making sure I was fully tapped in and delivering what I needed to on a day-to-day basis.
I just completely dove in deep on all the research I could do about Shayanna. Her mannerisms of her curling her lips when she’s nervous. She fidgets a lot. I noticed that. And she talks with her hands quite a bit.
I watched every interview I could. I watched her on the stand to try and mimic what she was going through. That was a key ingredient for me—putting the material in my body first and allowing my voice to follow. By doing that, it doesn’t seem like I’m overacting. People can pick up on energy. Being a witness for your baby daddy is a lot of energy that you’re exerting and that you have on your body as a person. I wanted to make sure I fully embodied that and delivered that to the audience so they could feel the anxiety, the grief and the hopelessness in her.
Congrats on being able to do that successfully. How did you let the day go when you were shooting?
I have a therapist that I can call at any time. I was big on chatting with her on a week-to-week basis. We also text throughout the day in case I have anything I’m going through. I deal with my mind and my body that way.
I did a lot of Pilates and a lot of bubble baths, girl. I’m a bubble bath queen! You can’t beat my bubble bath setup. It’s an experience. That’s really what I did to take care of myself. I also made sure that I bought myself some flowers every now and then and reminded myself like, “Hey, you’re not getting cheated on in real life. All of this is not really happening to you in real life.” You cannot take it home with you.
But I did find that this role triggered my anxiety—especially toward the men in my life. I became really suspicious and kept thinking, “What could you be hiding?” Because this is a true story. This can happen to anybody. I really would try to tap into the side of me that was peaceful and that was still Jaylen. But it’s hard to peel a character off of you, especially if it’s a real person. She went through a lot of different emotions. That impacted me a lot.
That is a lot.
Yes. And unfortunately, it ended my relationship. Playing the part had something to do with it, obviously, but I feel like I’m still trying to figure it out. I’m still going through it right now. It’s like I have some residual Shayanna left on me still. I’m like, “How do I get rid of this?” I feel like I’ve come to the point where I accept that it’s now a part of me because I let it impact me so deeply. I feel like it’s taught me how to handle pressure a lot better. It’s okay to be imperfect; it’s okay to have off days, but you have to just keep going.
Thank you for sharing that. On a lighter note, I’d love to hear about your bath routine. I’m a bath person, too.
Okay, so perfect, boom. I usually take a bubble bath around 7:30 because it makes me tired. It helps me unwind. First, I get the bubble bath running. I get the temperature just right. I like it to be sizzling hot when I step foot in there. Then, I like to acclimate to the water, if that makes sense. I get that water running, put my Dr. Teal’s bath salts in there and just pour it in.
As the bubbles are forming, as the water’s rising, I have this really cute pink vase that has a cup attached to it. It’s like a water vase. It’s petite, it’s small, it’s so cute. I go downstairs, I slice up some lemon, put it in there, slice up some cucumber, put it in there, pour my water in there. It’s my little ice water oasis, girl. Then, I get a snack. It’s usually some watermelon, grapes or strawberries. It’s always one of those three. I put that in my bowl and I take my water upstairs.
By that time, I timed it out perfectly. The bubble bath is filled and ready to go. I turn off the water, I make sure my candles are lit and I have my stage going. Then, I spray this Burke Williams eucalyptus shower spray in the air. That’s basically a spa spray, they sell it. I put it around my bath, all over my bathroom, slide into the water and I vibe. The lights are dimmed, and I have my little lemon-cucumber ice water on the side of me. I have a little snack. If it’s been an alright day, I have Hulu going.
Right now, I’m watching Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in the bathtub. And I have my little wooden plate in front of me that helps things dry. If it’s a really tough day, like I’m talking, when I get out of the tub, I might need a glass of wine. I might need some calming jazz music. That way, I’m not thinking about anything or tuned in. I’m just in my mind, I’m releasing, I’m relaxing and I’m getting back into my positive energy.
That sounds amazing. There is no better deal at CVS than the Dr. Teal’s.
I know! They are coming out with some really great products! I usually get them at Target. I have a few things from them. Dr. Teal’s, if you need a sponsor, baby, I’m the one! I’m keeping you in business!
I love the lavender one. My last question: I know you’re busy with work, but what are you excited about just as we unwind into the holidays?
I’m excited for everyone to start watching the series! As we know, we’re in a society now where people want to watch things all at once, right then and there. Our show is a slow burn of passion; it’s only being released once a week. I’m hoping that—and this is what I truly feel in my spirit—when all the episodes are out and people are at home during the holidays, they watch it. I know there’s a whole bunch of people who will say, “Oh, yes, we were waiting for all 10 episodes to drop. They’re finally out. Let’s tap in.” And the show is just going to get more popular.
