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[Jessica Barden](https://www.instagram.com/jessybarden/) may have it figured out. At 27 years old, the British actor is embracing herself and encouraging others to do the same. In a time of rebirth, Barden says this year may be one of her best yet. “I definitely felt renewed turning 27. A lot of women have said that was their favorite age, and honestly it really has been the best time so far,” Barden shares. “I suddenly felt cool with myself. I stopped comparing myself to people.” The Yorkshire native is best known for her different coming-of-age characters, particularly the rebellious Alyssa in _The End of the F\*\*\*ing World_ on Netflix, the graphic novel-adapted story about two friends who escape on the lonesome road. That role nabbed her Best TV Actor at the NME Awards 2020. Her current film, _Pink Skies Ahead_, dealing with mental health, was recently nominated for Best Narrative Feature at the South by Southwest Festival.
Barden’s big break came at 14, when she starred on the British series, _Coronation Street_, the longest-running soap opera focusing on working-class families in a fictional town. Following her childhood acting days, Barden encountered a time of growth and transformation. “By the time I left I wanted to be more adult in my career,” she explains. “I wanted to go into auditions, read more scripts, and focus on the creative and collaborative sides of acting.” She’s particularly drawn to characters with a mixture of fears and vulnerabilities. Rather than focus on their age, Barden dives into what that person is going through and how she can relate to their experience.
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“I like playing people who have lots of things going on that contradict themselves,” she explains. “It’s more challenging to act in those roles.” She mentions characters who appear confident but privately deal with insecurity. Barden draws from her own struggles with confidence and self-doubt. In her latest film, _Pink Skies Ahead,_ she plays a young woman who drops out of college to move in with her parents after being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
She says that it was her own mental health issues that initially drew her to the script. Barden confides that it can be difficult to determine if you have a mental health issue in the first place. She hopes these characters help others recognize any issues they may face. “You find the thing that is your Achilles’ heel, and mine is anxiety,” Barden shares. “It’s normal to have anxiety and to feel like you don’t fit in or know what to say in social situations,” she says.
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Whether you relate to a character in a movie, an actor in an interview, or a peer posting on Instagram, Barden finds these moments help validate your own experiences. “It’s amazing to relate to people and feel like someone else is dealing with what I’m dealing with too,” she reflects. _Pink Skies Ahead_ director, Kelly Oxford, and Barden began their friendship through Instagram and bonded over their shared struggles with anxiety. Barden notes that they also look at the world in a similar way and enjoy the same sense of humor. When Oxford shared the script, Barden related to the character Winona and knew it was a role she wanted to explore.
“It’s important to see yourself in other people,” she states. “It makes you feel less like it’s only you in the world who’s worrying about it.” The film is based on the essay “No Real Danger” from Oxford’s second book, _When You Find Out the World is Against You: And Other Funny Memories About Awful Moments_. Barden says that working with Oxford to create the character of Winona was “a dream job.” “She was so collaborative the whole time,” Barden explains. “It was the type of interactions you want to be having with a director on set.”
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Playing Winona and depicting an anxiety disorder required deep emotional vulnerability, Barden continues. This vulnerability meant Barden had to cry for the first six days of shooting.” On Friday night at 9pm when you’re looking forward to going home, you have to concentrate on getting to that place in the scene,” she remembers. “Working with someone you’ve already established a relationship with makes you feel so safe exploring those feelings.”
Barden shares she has come to a place where she can help others find confidence in themselves, even if they don’t have everything figured out. “It’s a really interesting time in your life. You have this urgent feeling of knowing exactly what you’re doing then also being like, ‘Oh, wow I have no idea.’ She pauses, then adds, “I think that lasts your entire life.”
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* * *
Photographer: [Yana Yatsuk](https://instagram.com/yanayatsuk).
Flaunt Film Directed by [Alexandra Justice](https://instagram.com/alexkjustice).
Stylist: [Sydney Lopez](https://instagram.com/sydneylopez).
Hair: [Dritan Vushaj](https://instagram.com/drtn) using [Sachajuan](https://sachajuan.com) at [Forward Artists](https://forwardartists.com).
Makeup: [Beau Nelson](https://instagram.com/beau_nelson) using [Chanel](https://www.chanel.com) at [The Wall Group](https://www.thewallgroup.com).
Retoucher: [James Kenny](https://instagram.com/jameskenny.studio).
