Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” is filled with plenty of familiar faces, including Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, and Javier Bardem. But the film also features a handful of fresh faces, like Jessica Alexander, who plays Ursula’s human alter ego, Vanessa.
Alexander wanted to pursue acting from a young age and landed her first major role on the Italian teen drama, “Penny on M.A.R.S.,” which aired on Disney Channel in Italy from 2018 to 2020. Following her success on the show, Alexander went on to star in the BBC iPlayer series “Get Even,” which helped her gain popularity onscreen and land roles in “Glasshouse,” “A Banquet,” and “Into the Deep” between 2021 and 2022.
In March 2021, Alexander got her big break stateside when she was cast to play Vanessa in the live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” and has been on everyone’s radar ever since. Touching on being a part of the film, the actor told Something About Rocks, “The film was way bigger than me. I just felt so in awe. I couldn’t stop thinking how lucky I was to be there. The costumes were so beautiful. I was walking on to set like, ‘Wow, this is intimidating.’ I’ve never felt so small on set before, but in a good way. It made me feel like a tiny cog of this amazing machine.”
Given Alexander’s versatility onscreen in “The Little Mermaid,” which hit theaters on May 26, we’re bound to see more of her in upcoming projects. Read on to learn more about the star!
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Jess Alexander Always Wanted to Be An Actor
Not all actors are born with the desire to be an actor, but for Alexander, the interest came at a very young age. She revealed to Spindle Magazine in 2018 that she knew what she wanted to do for most of her life, saying, “I don’t remember a time when it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I started acting when I was 5 at a little club in the church hall near my house and came home one day and told my parents I was going to be an actor. That has never wavered and it never will. I’m going to be an actor or die trying! I had a blip in high school though, where I thought I wanted to go into politics instead, but that faded pretty quickly. Acting is one of the only things that makes me happy.”
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Jess Alexander Comes From a Family of Academics
While some actors come from artistic and creative families, Alexander is the product of academic parents. The “Glasshouse” actor explained to Spindle Magazine, “I come from a normal, loving family – predominantly made up of academics, so it was always funny to me that all I wanted to do was the exact opposite of what my family did. I hate the idea of working a 9-5 office job, even though I find my parents inspiring, and have basically always been drawn to the weird, confusing, difficult things that demand creativity and a vast imagination.”
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Jess Alexander Loves Sci-Fi Movies
Of the many movie genres out there, Alexander is a huge fan of sci-fi movies. She shared that her love for the genre came from her dad growing up, telling Something About Rocks, “I nerd out on really good old-school sci-fi. I love The Fifth Element, that’s one of my favorite films of all time. I grew up watching a lot of Star Wars with my Dad. I was obsessed with Natalie Portman as Princess Leia. I remember going to school on World Book Day, and no one knew who Princess Leia was. I felt deeply insulted.”
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Jess Alexander Loves Playing Villain Roles
Outside of “The Little Mermaid,” Alexander’s previous films include thriller and horror movies, like “Glasshouse” and “A Banquet,” in which she plays complex and unhinged characters. During a red carpet interview with HSN, Alexander revealed she enjoys playing villainous characters, saying, “I love playing the villain, the villain is a lot of fun to play. I’m not as crazy as [Vanessa], she’s pretty intense. But yeah, I quite often play demonic and unhinged women, and that’s nice when there is a place for that at Disney.”
Getty / David M. Benett
Jess Alexander Likes Weight Training
Outside of acting, Alexander enjoys going to the gym and keeping up with a fitness regimen in her free time. In a 2022 interview with Gay City News, the “Into the Deep” actor said, “I like going to the gym and being the only girl in the weight section at 9 p.m. on a Friday. I like to be a bit ripped and know that if someone came at me on the street, I can fight them off.”
