Netflix’s newest series Family Reunion premiered this week. And star Talia Jackson is about to be a household name. From singing with Andrea Bocelli and David Foster to starring in Netflix’s newest show, Talia is one to watch in 2019. In Family Reunion, out this week on Netflix, 90s star Tia Mowry plays a free-spirited mother who travels with her husband and their four children from their home in the big city to a small town in Georgia for a family reunion. Talia plays one of the children of the McKellan family. YEM spoke with Talia about her new series and her budding career.

Young Entertainment Mag: You’re starring in the upcoming Netflix series, Family Reunion. Can you tell us about your character?

Talia Jackson: Jade is an overly dramatic, slightly spoiled, opinionated teenager who has to adjust to living in the South with her strict faith-based grandparents after living in the hustle and bustle of her rich city life in Seattle. Jade’s character deals with some difficult topics such as skin color, not fitting in with her peers, and her interests in boys that aren’t necessarily approved by her parents.

Credit: Derrick Freske

YEM: Does the family in the show remind you of your own family?

Talia: Yes, my family in the show reminds me a lot of my extended family from the South. Loretta Devine who plays M’Dear reminds me so much of my grandma who is from Mobile, Alabama. Tia Mowry has a lot of similarities to my own mom in how she raises us more new school. My father played by Anthony Alabi has similarities to my father who was also a professional athlete.

YEM: Tia Mowry plays your mom! So what was it like to work with her? Were you familiar with her work before you started the show?

Talia: Tia is such a mother figure to all of us on set. She’s always in a good mood and makes even our rehearsal days fun!  I feel so blessed to have her as a mentor as well as the lovely Loretta Devine. Yes, I knew her because I had watched Twitches every Halloween when I was younger. It was inspiring for me to watch mixed race girls on television for me.

YEM: In the show, your family travels from a big city to a small town. Are you more of a big city girl or a small town girl?

Talia: I am definitely a long term big city girl but I need my short term small town vacations every year for a few months in order to balance the big city life. I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin until I was 7 years old and then moved to Santa Barbara for a year b before moving to LA. I still visit Madison about 2 months out of the year.

Credit: Derrick Freske

YEM: What is it like to be a part of a Netflix series? Do you have a favorite show on Netflix? (Other than Family Reunion)?

Talia: I couldn’t have asked for a better network to work for than Netflix. They are so inclusive and supportive of everyone and give a lot of creative control even to first timers working on a show. Netflix has made the entire environment for our show stress-free and it allows us to focus on our craft. My favorite Netflix show right now is The Society.

YEM: You’re also a singer! Would you ever be interested in releasing your own album?