Krysten Ritter on being Jessica Jones: "It’s been completely life-changing"

Jessica Jones Season 2 arrives on Netflix on March 8, and it feels like we've never needed our favorite snarky survivor more. In a new interview with SFX, show star Krysten Ritter spoke about the deep connection she has to the fans. "It’s been completely life-changing," she says. 

"People often come up to me and say they feel very deeply personally connected to Jessica," says Ritter. "We live in a supernatural world but our show is very grounded, so you can play with real themes and make them so much bigger." For all her superpowers, the character of Jones has faced bereavement, abuse, and violence. 

"Some people have been very emotional with me. They were survivors themselves, and felt like they saw themselves on screen. They loved that Jessica didn’t let her past traumas define her. They loved that she wins at the end, even though it’s a small victory, even though she doesn’t know what the next day will bring. She’s still putting one foot in front of the other, and a lot of people connected with that storyline. Sometimes I’ll get tears from people, and of course you’re crying too."

Ritter also spoke about the importance of having such a strong female cast and crew. All of season 2's episodes are directed by women. "We’re trying to empower a lot of women and give opportunities to people who maybe weren’t getting them elsewhere," explains Ritter. "It feels very much a part of our world on this show. We have amazing women in the crew, our costume designer, we even have some female grips and female ACs in the camera department."

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Rachel Weber
Contributor

Rachel Weber is the former US Managing Editor of 12DOVE and lives in Brooklyn, New York. She joined 12DOVE in 2017, revitalizing the news coverage and building new processes and strategies for the US team.