Jasika Nicole

Jasika Nicole: You know how in the South, double names are really popular. So when I was in college, my friend Larry and I were joking around and decided to start introducing ourselves to new people by our first and middle names only. Once I started working professionally in theatre, I registered my whole name, but Jasika Nicole Pruitt is a mouthful. So what started as a joke just kind of stuck.

Jasika Nicole: (answering 'Did you give great consideration to the thought of being out in your industry?') I will be totally honest with you and say that there really wasn't a decision that I made. I didn't feel like there was an alternative. I was completely unwilling to lie about who I was, or to try and hide who I was with. That was never something that I would even consider doing.

Jasika Nicole: (about her character on Fringe) I think Astrid is really riveted by Olivia Dunham [who is played by Anna Torv]. I think for any woman starting out in her career, Agent Dunham is an exceptional role model. On Fringe, she is juxtaposed with the doctor, who is also brilliant, but was in an institution. I imagine that Astrid is trying to learn the balance of going after what you want in your career without having it be your whole life.