Work in Progress: JURNEE SMOLLETT

Drama Queens

iHeartPodcasts

Tv & Film

4.9 • 23.9K Ratings

🗓️ 25 July 2025

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Award-winning actress Jurnee Smollett is a veteran of the big and small screen, and she’s not even 40 yet! The actress started her career when she was still in diapers and won a Critics' Choice award by the time she was eleven years old. Now she’s turning up the heat with her new Apple TV+ crime drama, “Smoke.” No stranger to tackling complex roles, Jurnee joins Sophia to talk about playing a brilliant but troubled detective in her new show, including her prep and research, the behind-the-scenes process of creating a world for her character, and what it was like watching it in front of an audience for the first time! She also opens up about her divorce, early childhood acting experiences, overcoming major working mom guilt, and her relationship with her siblings.

New episodes of “Smoke” drop every Friday on AppleTV+.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an I-Heart podcast.
0:04.5	Hey, everyone, it's Sophia.
0:06.8	Welcome to Work in Progress.
0:18.2	Welcome back to Work in Progress.
0:20.6	This week, we are joined by an actor who I admire so much.
0:26.4	Today's guest is none other than Journey Smalley. She is an American actress born here in New York,
0:33.0	one of six siblings, and she has been working in film and television since she was a little girl known for
0:41.2	her roles in lovecraft country birds of prey underground and true blood she is here to discuss her brand
0:48.1	new apple tv show smoke the show centers around an arson investigator who begrudgingly teams up with a police detective
0:56.0	as they race to stop two arsonists. It is a twisted game of secrets and suspicions and
1:04.6	journey stars opposite Taryn Edgerton in this incredible thriller. Today we're going to talk
1:10.7	about what it was like to film the show,
1:12.6	work with the iconic Dennis Lehane, and a lot about what it means to juggle this life,
1:19.8	performing and acting and traveling and creating with motherhood and self-discovery. And you'll hear a little bit about the lessons the two of us have
1:29.7	learned along the way let's dive in with my friend journey
1:32.7	hi honey hi honey i'm so happy you're here.
1:46.6	Hello, my love.
1:48.3	How are you?
1:49.5	I'm happy to see you. It's been forever.
1:51.5	I know. It's been a long time.
1:53.2	You look fabulous.
1:54.6	Thank you so much. You look fabulous.
	...

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