JAYME RAE DAILEY TALKS SPIRITED
"We get so excited for this time of year"
Daniel John
Starting at age three you’d already been dancing for a while before you stepped it up for the movies. How did you first start dancing professionally?
Yes, it's been quite some time since my mom and dad put my twin sister and I in dance-classes at the age of three. I’ve always danced since I can remember and was passionate about the artform even at a very young age. I did jazz and ballet until I was about ten and then focused more on gymnastics and acrosport, acrobatic gymnastics, until I got to high-school. At that point, I had to make a choice to either do competitive gymnastics or focus only on dancing as it was too many hours per week on top of my studies. I chose dance! There was an incredible dance program at my high school, Collège St-Anne, and I loved being part of it. My career professionally started after I participated in the hit show 'So You Think You Can Dance' in 2010 and placed third in the finale. Choreographers I had worked with on the show told me I would do well as a professional dancer in Los Angeles and that's what planted the seed that grew into me officially moving to the United States within the next year. I was so thankful for my dual citizenship, thanks to my dad, which made moving easier for me. Most of my Canadian friends had to go through the Visa process which can be very lenghty and costly so I felt very fortunate not to have to do that. When I arrived to LA, I signed with Bloc talent agency thanks to a recommandation from Luther Brown and an audition. I started going to all the auditions that came my way, and the rest is a giant snowball effect until today.
Where do you think the passion for the stage arts, be it dancing or acting, come from?
It’s quite difficult to understand where it comes from because, in so many ways, I just feel like that passion was always inside me and ingrained in my DNA. Even looking back at baby- and childhood videos, I can see that same Jayme Rae, super expressive, intentional and present personality in a body that always wanted to move around and be free. I loved to put shows on when we would go camping with my friend’s parents and their kids. In elementary, if my friends and I had a sleep-over, it was very common to end up putting on a show with a full storyline, singing and dancing for my mom who would so patiently watch us and applaud. I would get so excited for the end of the year dance shows and it was always such a big deal to me. I cared deeply about every step and I emotionally loved to connect music to movement in my own way. My father was a big music lover so growing up, there was always music playing in the house. My parents continuously encouraged my twin sister Jenny and I to dance because they saw how much we naturally loved it.
You are no stranger to sharing the creative space with the best talent in the world, having danced with the likes of Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift and Pharrell, just to name a few. 'Spirited' is also such a mix of creatives from different walks. Dancers, musicians, choreographers, comedians, and serious drama actors. Even a dame! Was it just like a creative dream sharing this set together with all of them?
'Spirited' is about creating ripples of joy, kindness and positivity in the world, and that message is very aligned with what my on-set experience was. From the director, to the writer, producers, choreographers, camera and costume departments to the makeup artists and actors, everyone was so respectful and kind to one another. That was the real magic to the creation of this film. Having worked with many A-list artists and been in situations where dancers weren’t always valued and respected, it was such a refreshing, beautiful feeling to see everyone see one another through the same lense, the human lense. People from different departments got to know each other and became friends. You could feel the mutual love on set and I do believe that’s why it shined through so much on camera. We were really in awe of each other’s jobs and talents. Throughout the creation process, we would show and tell the numbers we'd been working on to Ryan, Will, Octavia and some of the cast members. They would stop in to rehearsal and lit up every time they watched us dance. You could tell how touched they were and how much they enjoyed it. If I remember correctly, I think it was Will who had tears in his eyes watching one of our dance numbers and it’s so beautiful because I was later on watching him do a scene on set and there I was standing behind the camera, watching him live, in tears myself. I was so grateful to witness such talent up close like that. I felt the same watching our director Sean Anders and our choreographer Chloe Arnold so seamlessly lead an entire group of different creatives with the ability to make us all come together, in love, for the same purpose. Yes indeed, it was a creative dream.
Full of charm, heart and showmanship the film gives a fresh, self-aware spin on 'A Christmas Carol', and is incredibly enjoyable. Was there any one particularly exhilariting moment where you felt like, “Oh, yeah, this is fun”?
The most exhilarating moment, hands down, has to be when I shot my acting scene with Ryan. It only took a few hours but out of all the hours I was on set in those six months in Boston, that was the most memorable. It was truly awesome that our director, Sean Anders, allowed the dancers to audition for some of the acting roles in the movie. During my audition, Sean Anders and John Morris, the co-writer of the film, found out that I’m French-Canadian from Montreal and had me try some of the roles in french, that’s how my security ghost character's lines evolved to being in french. The entire experience before shooting the scene was fun. I had a moment with Ryan and Sean where we discussed what Clint Briggs, Ryan's character, would reply back to me in french after I said my lines and we threw a few ideas around. I was nervous but I also wasn't. There was a balance of I'm enjoying this moment and it feels so natural but also I know that I am in a scene with an A-list actor and his name is Ryan Reynolds. He’s such a down to earth and kind person that you just sort of forget that he’s a big deal (laughs). I won't be forgetting that day and time soon.
You can obviously hold your own dancing, but who among the non-dancers on set surprised you the most?
Will and Ryan surprised me the most because you just wouldn't expect to see them dancing, let alone tap dancing while also simultaneously singing, which is not easy to pull off at all. Even as a professional dancer, it wasn't easy to sing outloud, in the correct harmony while also keeping the different rythms of my dance steps. It's a giant tongue twister of sorts so to watch them work so hard to achieve it was super–impressive. They did such a fantastic job!
What is the best song from the movie to dance to, in your opinion?
Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and the entire music-team really hit a home run with these original songs. They are witty, magical, moving, uplifting, and they make you feel all the feels. My favorite to dance to was 'Bringing back Christmas', this one plays near the beginning of the movie where all of us dancers play the roles of the Christmas tree-growers of America at a Christmas tree convention. Ryan does a convincing speech that inspires us to raise hell over fake Christmas trees. We then go into full song and dance mode. There was something so powerful about this one because it allowed you to dance big and outside of your body. You really got to go all out and I loved that!
As originally written by Charles Dickens, this is obviously such a classical-tale, and one who successfully captures more sides of Christmas, where it’s not just a jolly good time for everyone. What are your feelings around Christmas time?
I am lucky to say that this is a very spirited time of the year for me. Christmas has always been so full of joy, excitement, love, family time and over all togetherness. The traditions, winter in Montreal, the yummy foods, the act of giving something special to someone whether it be a gift or time spent over a conversation or dinner, getting to hit the pause button, these are all things that I cherish very much. I'm close to my family and we get so excited for this time of year.
Likely a story you heard and saw often yourself growing up, what would the little girl who fell in love with the arts think if she knew she would one day play a ghost of Christmases past, chasing after Scrooge?
She would probably be so excited that she'd want to fast-forward to being an adult already, so that she could get to that moment. She'd be proud that she took chances, trusted her instincts and has a job that she loves. I really do carry that child in me still. I remember watching the trailer for the first time and having butterflies in my stomach. I don't remember feeling this way about a project in so long. Even as I sat down in the theatre next to my twin sister Jenny to watch it for the first time, we held hands with such excitement that we were about to watch ourselves on the big screen in a feature film. The last time we had those butterflies was when we appeared in the movie 'Step Up All In' together. Movies are quite magical and they are a special printed moment in time, that will last forever, it is a surreal experience to be part of that, and I'll never take it for granted.
