Jasmine Jobson (born 9 May 1995)^[1][2] is a British actress best known for starring as Jaq in the 2019 Netflix British television crime drama series Top Boy, for which she was nominated for a BAFTA, and for playing Lily in feature film Surge, which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

Early life

Jasmine Jobson was born 9 May 1995^[1][2] in Hayes, West London, England. Her mum is of Irish and Greek-Cypriot heritage, her dad is Jamaican.^[3] From a very young age (around 6), Jobson showed talent singing by mimicking television stars, so her mother enrolled her to ‘Paddington Arts’,^[3] a Youth Arts organisation dedicated to developing talent and creativity in London’s young people,^[4] where Jobson honed her talents.^[3]

As a child, Jobson had asked to be separated from her mother by social services and placed into foster care, living in West Drayton for five years.^[3] The results prevailed in adulthood though, Jobson taught herself how to channel that aggression and emotions into her acting.^[2] When asked by the casting director for Top Boy to show some anger in her audition, Jobson threw a chair across the room, nearly hitting a window, securing her the role in the production.^[5]

After completing her GCSE's, she joined the Big House Theatre^[2] which provides drama-based workshops and training on team building, challenges management and confidence development and focuses on helping young people who have been through the UK’s care system.^[6] Maggie Norris, chief executive of Big House, described Jobson as an extraordinary talent.^[2]

Career

Jobson began her acting career in theatre, performing in plays such as Phoenix: A Girl on Fire and Wild Diamonds^[7] at the Hackney Down Studios in 2013.^[8] From 2014, Jobson performed in several short films Flea, A Generation of Vipers, and The King, before debuting on television in 2016 as Kia Hopkins in a single episode of Suspects (TV series).^[7] Since then she has made minor appearances in The Break (TV series) , Five by Five and Dark Heart (TV series) as Sally Watkins,^[7] before landing a main character role in the 2019 Netflix British television crime drama series Top Boy. ^[9] In 2019, Jobson was nominated for and won the Best emerging talent at the Movie and Video Awards (MVISA).^[10][11]

In 2020, Jobson starred as Lily in feature film Surge, which premiered in January 2020 at the Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City. ^[12] Jobson purported to be comfortable in an airport environment, the setting for Surge, as she once worked as a bartender in Wetherspoons at Heathrow's Terminal 2.^[5]

In 2020, Jobson was nominated for British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress^[13]

In 2023, Jobson takes the protagonist role in the ITV1 psychological thriller Platform 7, alongside actors Phil Davis and Toby Regbo.^[14]

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations