Many know her best as Linda Vasquez from the chilling and thrilling drama House of Cards. But the next role for actress Sakina Jaffrey may be even more chilling: Defending Jacob.
The upcoming program from Apple TV follows the story of an ADA whose teenage son is accused of killing a classmate. Jaffrey will play County District Attorney Lynn Canavan. The series also stars former Captain America actor Chris Evans, and Michelle Dockery of Downton Abbey.
Sakina Jaffrey breaks out of stereotyped roles
Sakina admits that she had to play “many, many stereotypes” as an Indian-American actress at the start of her career. But she felt confident that her hard work and talent would open new doors for her in time. “Talent will always shine through,” she says.
And so it did – Jaffrey has since taken on many diverse roles, including Linda Vasquez, the Latina Chief of Staff in House of Cards. But Jaffrey does not take all the credit for her groundbreaking success.
“We’re not the pioneers – the pioneers were in the ‘50s and ‘60s,” she says. “My parents, and people like them.” Nevertheless, with over 60 diverse movie and television roles under her belt, Jaffrey has broken ground of her own.
Sakina Jaffrey’s Trailblazing Family
Indeed, Jaffrey comes from a long line of pioneers. Her father Saeed Jaffrey found success in Britain as a radio, stage, and film actor. Meanwhile, her mother Madhur Jaffrey famously brought Indian cuisine to the West. Furthermore, Jaffrey’s step-father, who raised and later adopted Jaffrey, became the first African-American to play in the New York Philharmonic.
“I believe that you can make anything happen,” Jaffrey says of this legacy. “That’s their gift to me.”
Even so, Jaffrey admits that her parents had a hard time making it in America. “America just did not know what to make of them,” she explains. “I was unsettled by the fact that they had to go to the UK to have their voices heard.”
But for Jaffrey herself, New York is home. “I can’t say I feel 100% Indian or 100% American; I always feel 100% a New Yorker.” She lives there with her husband, Francis Wilkinson. They have two children, Cassius and Jamila.
Teaming up with Chris Evans in “Defending Jacob”
In one of Jaffrey’s latest projects, she plays District Attorney Lynn Canavan in Defending Jacob. This Apple TV+ miniseries first debuted in 2019, starring Marvel’s Chris Evans and Cherry Jones of Castle Rock alongside Jaffrey and a star-studded host of others.
A crime thriller centering around a 14-year-old boy accused of murder, Defending Jacob almost immediately became Apple TV+’s most-watched show. It also earned a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 89%.
Watch the full series here.
