Hallea Jones Locke & Key Interview

Queen Bee of Locke & Key

Hallea Jones (pronounced Huh-LEE-Ah) is an actress and singer-songwriter from Toronto, Canada. Born into a family of musicians and performers, Hallea found her passion for the arts early on in life participating in school plays and talent shows. It wasn't until the award-winning hit Canadian television series Degrassi: Next Class held an open call at her high school, Earl Haig Secondary, that she thought of pursuing acting as a professional career. The show auditioned over 600 people and Hallea was one out of the four they called back. In 2017, Hallea would go on to sign with a talent agent and began professionally working, booking roles in major film and television productions including Workin' Moms (Cbc/Netflix), The Hot Zone (National Geographic), The Boys (Amazon Prime), And Let It Snow (Netflix).

 

Currently, Hallea can be seen in her first big breakout role starring in the new supernatural horror series Locke & Key based on the comic book series created by Joe Hill. The show follows three siblings who, after the gruesome murder of their father, move to their ancestral home in Massachusetts only to find the house has magical keys that give them a vast array of powers and abilities. Hallea plays the character of Eden Hawkins, the quick witted, confident and outspoken Queen Bee of the town. The show is now streaming on Netflix.

Today, Hallea continues to hone her craft by training with some of the industry's top teachers including Armstrong Acting Studio, Lewis Baumander, The Second City Toronto, Pro Actors Lab, EVN Studios, and RAW Acting Lab.

Outside of acting, Hallea's other passion lies in music. In the past year, she has written over 40 songs and produced 10 with local artists in Toronto. She is also currently working on an album with producer and musician Gabriel Pick and her brother Kai (Austin) Jones set to make its debut in 2021.

Interview with Hallea Jones

Question: Can you tell us about Locke & Key?

Hallea Jones: Locke & Key is a Netflix original and supernatural drama series based on a comic book by Joe Hill about a family who after their father is murdered, move back to his ancestral home where the kids start finding magical keys that can do crazy things!


Question: What inspired you to audition for Locke & Key?

Hallea Jones: It was a really interestingly written script and I figured I would have a lot of fun with a character like Eden!


Question: Can you tell us about your character, Eden Hawkins, in Locke & Key?

Hallea Jones: Eden is the Queen Bee at Matheson Academy where the Locke kids go to school. She's quick witted, confident (maybe too much so?), and not afraid to say what she's thinking. Basically, I relate her to the Regina George from Mean Girls. Because she is not a character from the comics, we don't know a lot about Eden Hawkins until later on.

Question: How are you similar to the character of Eden Hawkins?

Hallea Jones: I used to be one of the Queen Bees in school, and wasn't always the nicest person. Eden is a piece of work. I've been really open about this, when I was in high school; I struggled a lot in school. So, I resorted to acting out. I wasn't the nice person and I take full responsibility for not being the nicest person through high school. I don't believe that I ever said anything as straight forward or brutal as Eden has said throughout the series, but there were qualities about her being the popular queen bee that I resonated with my high school and middle school experience. I take pride in not relating to her anymore, but tapping into those were definitely not the hardest thing in the world to do. I still probably have a bit of her quick wit and confidence though.


Question: What was the best part about being on set, filming for Locke & Key?

Hallea Jones: Becoming friends with such a wonderful cast and crew! It truly was a great day on set each time.


Question: What originally inspired your passion for acting?

Hallea Jones: I've always been interested in performing because I come from a family of entertainers so I guess you could say it's in my blood! From a young age I was going out for school plays and talent shows.


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the acting industry?

Hallea Jones: The popular TV series Degrassi came to my high school and held an open call audition for a huge number of students. I was one of four who got a call back and that really inspired me that I could pursue this for a living. I haven't looked back since!


Question: Can you share your advice for aspiring actors?
Hallea Jones: Never think you're too good for classes and practice - there's always something to learn!


Question: What shows/movies are you currently watching?

Hallea Jones: Right now I am watching Good Girls!


Question: What's next, for you?

Hallea Jones: My music! It's not ready to come out fully yet, but will be soon. I'll keep everyone updated on my socials: @halleajones


Interview by Brooke Hunter