Meet Jasmine Haver

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmine Haver.

Jasmine, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and raised in Golden, Colorado in the Rocky Mountains. I had a lifelong love of the film industry, classic Hollywood, old movies and history that began when I was quite young. My idols growing up were Lucille Ball, Judy Garland, Rita Hayworth, Audrey Hepburn, you know, the usuals for a budding Hollywood starlet. It was no surprise to anyone when I found my passion in acting, which I found in high school. I joined my high school theatre program and worked props for Oliver! Before auditioning for my first play, Clue? in the spring. I rehearsed my audition monologue (a Barbra monologue from Funny Girl) for months before the auditions. And lucky for me, the directors took a chance on me and gave me the role of Miss Scarlet. I never looked back. The husband and wife directing team I worked with for the next twelve shows and four years, Scott and Kelly Hasbrouck, taught me everything I knew during my fundamental years as an actress. Without them I’d never be where I am today. Go hug your theatre teacher today!

After high school, I fell into the trap of thinking I needed to find a more “grown-up” job, one with a 401K and dental insurance, that kind of thing; you know, financial stability? So I found myself at a local Jesuit university in Denver. I was only at Regis University for a year, but it was a pivotal step in bringing me to where I am today. While studying my gen-eds at Regis I took classes in religion, philosophy and psychology and studied Jesuit values. In so many ways my mind and heart were expanding with everything new I was learning on my new found path, and I really did enjoy my time at Regis, but my soul knew it was time to leave and pursue my real dream; acting. **Which by the way** is exactly what Bill Murray did at Regis before spreading his wings back to Chicago. Telling myself I was the “Next Bill Murray” softened the blow of filling out drop-out papers while all my friends were cramming for their nursing courses.

I spread my wings to sunny Los Angeles and found my new home at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in the fall of 2016. The school was the alma mater to many of my childhood idols such as Grace Kelly, Spencer Tracy, Lauren Bacall and Kirk Douglas to literally name a FEW. Located in central Hollywood right next to Sunset and Hollywood Blvd., I began a transformative journey of art and self that lasted three years and were the most beautiful and life-changing years of my life (and no, this is not a paid sponsorship, unless you want it to be. Ms. Bohannon?)

I graduated at the Dolby Theatre (YES. Where the OSCARS are held!!!) in the spring of 2018 and became a member of the Company through the spring of 2019. My proudest accomplishment thus far is giving the commencement speech to my graduating class on the Oscar stage in a gown of my dreams. How many people can say they’ve done that? The little girl that grew up watching Singin’ in the Rain and Breakfast at Tiffany’s would not belieeeeve her ears if you told her she’d be doing that in a matter of years.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s never as smooth of a road as we hope it will be, is it? Being an artist is a beautiful thing, but it can also be a very emotionally draining and demanding thing. My job as an actor is to be an open wound, with all emotions easily accessible, which is one of the things my sensitive soul loves the most about this job. But leaving all of those emotions at work, and being able to return to a regular life, just Jasmine, not actor Jasmine, can be difficult sometimes. I struggle with anxiety, self-confidence, fear, and self-doubt as much as anyone. I have a tendency to set incredibly high, and sometimes unrealistic, expectations for myself within my work and within myself. Perfection is my greatest enemy.

A mentor once told me, “your success in the acting world is directly proportionate to your ability to handle rejection”. Being an artist is like running a small business, but the product you’re selling is you. So when someone isn’t interested in the product, it’s easy to think what they aren’t interested in is you. As you can imagine, it’s easy to fall into potholes along a journey like that. “Am I good enough?”, “am I talented enough?”, and even the dreaded, “am I pretty enough?”. But you can do this. Whatever “this” is for you in your world, you can do it. It will seem like you have gone as far as you can go. Go further. Make room for the hard stuff. And know that you’re enough. Your time will come.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’ve primarily been a stage actress all my life and am transitioning into the film realm. I’ve done a wide range of different roles going from broad comedy, contemporary works, classical works, Shakespeare, drama, comedy. I’ve tried it all, just don’t make me do stand-up again hahah. I have a unique freckle pattern, only having freckles on one side of my face. If you split my face directly down the middle it’s like I have two different faces. Growing up, I never saw people with freckles in mainstream media, on magazine covers, on television, etc. I always wondered why I looked different from everyone else and never understood why I couldn’t just look like everyone else in the world. I didn’t realize until I was much older that it was my power. In any success I find, I hope I can inspire young girls and boys and people of all ages to love and embrace their individuality and their own uniqueness. We’ve spent so long trying to change ourselves or morph into what’s “considered beautiful” or “on trend” when we’ve always been more than enough. My ideal outcome is for someone to see me and say “she looks different, she’s successful, maybe that means I can be, too”. To be the role model for someone that I wanted as a young girl.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Gratitude. Gratitude. Gratitude. Every single day I have the chance to wake up in the city of my dreams and do the thing I love the most. Acting is my favorite thing in the world and I’m grateful every day I get to do it, even on the days where the only word I hear is “no”. If I didn’t get a part, it was never mine in the first place, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to audition. Each audition, each opportunity to act in front of people, to be seen, is worth being grateful for. The good ones are good, the great ones are really good, and the bad ones teach me something. Gratitude towards each character I play and for the lessons they teach me, for the chance to step into another person’s life and see things through their perspective, tell their story, to help me grow as a person. For the people who love and support me and keep me going. (Looking at you mom & dad). Gratitude is everything to me.

Contact Info:

• Email: jasminejhaver@gmail.com
• Instagram: @jasminehaver

Image Credit:
Michael Rodriguez, Katherine Barcsay

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.