Josephine Sjelhøj
Jade Hassouné has been busy making a name for himself in the television industry by playing Meliorn on Freeform’s ‘Shadowhunters’ and in the web series ‘That’s My DJ’ as Sam. CelebMix caught up with the actor to chat about his current project and his dedicated fans.
CM: Hi Jade! How are you?
JH: Hi! I’m well! Life’s been very exciting and satisfying these days. Right now I am on a sort of world tour. I’m writing to you from Los Angeles, last week I was in Paris with some of my ‘Shadowhunters’ castmates meeting fans at a convention, next week I’ll be in Toronto for my ‘That’s My DJ’ premiere, and the week after I will be in Milan meeting more fans at another ‘Shadowhunters’ convention. Life couldn’t be better right now!
CM: Season 2B of ‘Shadowhunters’ recently started airing. What can fans expect from it?
JH: They can expect it to become even better, to improve in many ways. Things get more intense as we come to the season finale! Tune in to see what happens!
CM: We love your portrayal of Meliorn! What drew you to the character?
JH: I always wanted to play a faerie/elf being. When I saw the breakdown for this character, I had a huge sense that it was meant to be. And as it has shown me, it is in many ways.
CM: Will we see a new side to Meliorn in the last half of season 2?
JH: We’ll see a few sides to Meliorn: the ally, as well as the Seelie who is loyal to his race depending on the unfolding. But you can’t hold it against him!
CM: ‘Shadowhunters’ has had an incredible response from the viewers. What has been the greatest comment you have received from a fan?
JH: It’s always great to hear that they didn’t like Meliorn from the books but that I forced them to like him! I love being able to bring him to life, and to hear that they approve is huge.
CM: With ‘Shadowhunters’ being based on a popular book series, was there added pressure regarding the fans’ perceptions when the show started?
JH: Not really. I had an incredible welcome to the fandom when I was first announced as Meliorn, and the love has been tremendous. Reading the books, I had a good sense of how Meliorn behaved and thought, and coupled with fanart, fanfiction and my intuition, it was natural for me to be able to let him take over and come to life.
CM: You’re currently starring in ‘That’s My DJ’ as Sam, and Sam is the focus of the third season. What can you tell us about Sam?
JH: Sam is a driven guy with big dreams. He is searching for that extra push of confidence and inspiration to bring him to the next level. Life brings challenges and he will have a bunch to deal with. But ultimately, that’s what he needed to be able to make it to the next phase of his journey. I adored shooting That’s My DJ season 3; it brought me to a new place in myself and in my craft, and I’m very proud of it.
CM: Season three of ‘That’s My DJ’ will be the series’ last season. What can fans expect from it?
JH: They can expect a darker ‘That’s My DJ’, which is something we haven’t really explored before. Darker in terms of emotions, grief, loss, confusion, as well as unhealthy choices and scary moments where you think you’ve lost your friend to vices and deliberate “blindness” or refusal to accept what is. Cryptic, right? You’ll have to watch!
CM: Do you have any other projects coming up in the near future?
JH: Yes! Besides touring That’s My DJ in different festivals, I’ve got an Ubisoft video game coming out called “StarLink: Battle for Atlas” (on the Nintendo Switch, PS4 & Xbox One).
CM: What would be your dream role to play?
JH: I always said it would be to play Aladdin in the Disney feature. But if that doesn’t manifest, I’ll take some big magical franchise anytime. Shadowhunters is doing the job right now though. I am, however, excited to see what it will be for me.
CM: If you could tell your fans anything, what would it be?
JH: I love you guys more than you know. Thank you for being on this journey with me. Together we can create a network of love and support and art. Let’s keep it up!
