Something just clicked for Jocelyn Hudon. When the 9-5 just wasn’t cutting it and neither was the corporate-esque lifestyle that accompanied it, she decided to call it quits, in search of something that really spoke to the artist within. Having studied dance at ESA (The Etobicoke School of the Arts in Toronto), she yearned for the life of a performer. Taking the plunge is a bold move to make when you’ve settled into something secure, but Hudon didn’t care. She knew what her heart wanted and it certainly wasn’t the typical office job. Even before she admitted that fact to herself.

In another bold move toward getting what she wanted, Hudon marched right into an agency in Toronto with no reel, no professional experience under her belt – and went for it. Determined to act in any capacity that she could, she found the agency more than accommodating. And even she was surprised at how willing they were to lend a helping hand.

Which leads us to today. Now, a series regular on hit series Chicago Fire, Hudon couldn’t be more happy with making bold moves. As she continues to learn from her craft, she proves that taking a chance on yourself can prove to be the most fruitful thing you can do.

Chatting with 1883 Magazine, Jocelyn Hudon discusses betting on yourself, landing the role of Lizzie on Chicago Fire, and how acting has shaped her world view.

In an interview you did with Yahoo news, you talked a little about the moment you decided that public relations and the whole 9-5 shindig was not for you. What was the straw that broke the camels back there?

I was a dancer at ESA (Etobicoke School of the Arts.) A lot of kids at ESA were in drama and they were already on TV. I wanted to act, but I just didn’t say it. I went to university and did a post-grad. I finished my post-grad, and it was like a ripping off the Band-Aid moment where I was like, “I’m going to be an actor.” Like out of left field. I followed that aggressively until it worked out.

I had those two degrees in worst case. I still love PR and publicity and doing things like that, but I just had a feeling. If I don’t say it now, I’m never going to say it out loud. I just had to go find an agent and learn how to act.

What was that process like? How did you go from saying, “Okay, I want to act,” then going to find an agent?

I was lucky. I just burst into an agency in Toronto. When you’re online looking at an agency they’re like, “Send us your reel and your resume,” and I didn’t have either of those. It’s like the chicken and the egg. How are you supposed to start if you don’t have rep to get you those things?

I walked into the agency, and I was like, “Hi, I’m Jocelyn. I want to act.” And they asked if I had a demo reel. I told them I didn’t. They made me read a scene for them, which I’m sure was horrible. But then they signed me. My agent at the time told me to watch ‘Orphan Black’ with Tatiana Maslany. And he was like, “This is how you act.” I just watched all of that. And then I started booking things.

That quickly? Incredible. So, you watched all of ‘Orphan Black.’ Can you talk a little bit about what or who your inspirations were growing up?

I remember watching Tomb Raider and I was like, “This is my dream.” Just doing a female led action movie. I thought it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen in my life. I was like, “This is the best movie of all time.” And I want to do exactly that. That sat in the back of my head. Angelina Jolie is a huge inspiration to me. And I just wanted to be in movies and have roles like she does.

I completely understand that. I remember being a 13-year-old going to see that movie. There weren’t – and still aren’t a lot of female-led action heroes on screen for us. It was awesome to see. You’ve been acting for a little over a decade now. How do you feel you’ve grown in that time and what’s a note you’ve been given from a fellow actor, director or a friend that you’ve taken to heart?

I want to grow all the time. Looking back 10 years ago. I mean, I definitely have learned how to act. I want to continue to learn and grow forever. I want to keep getting better.

Like at no point do I want to think that I’ve perfected it. I just want to keep learning and growing and reaching new levels of skill and talent and understanding. I think one of the biggest things is watching other actors. I did a show called ‘Ice,’ when I was pretty new still. I was working with Ray Winstone who was like, wow. He was fully engaged the whole time when he didn’t really need to be, he was just available and engaged. I think that was a huge note and lesson. I just like learning from watching other people. I really liked the camaraderie on set and being engaged and being part of the crew. So that’s what I really admired about watching him. And I also try to do that.

How has acting shaped your worldview?

I’m observing other people. I want to understand as many people as possible. And really become an observer of humanity. I watch documentaries a lot. I love seeing real human reactions and thought processes look like. I love people watching and trying to understand whether they’re good or bad, where people come from and the ‘why’ and then trying to put that into my own craft.

Is there a documentary that’s stuck with you?

I just watched it on Netflix with the LDS (Latter-day saints) women. I’ve also watched a documentary called ‘Soft White Underbelly,’ you can’t watch too many of them back-to-back. I’ve been watching this man for seven years, maybe, but I always had a fascination when I was a kid in Toronto with unhoused people. But I was interested in how they got there.

This guy, he was a photographer. And he became a documentary filmmaker. And he does these videos of people from skid row. And he just brings them into a room, and he films them and they talk about their life experience. You get to hear their story. And he always starts off with two questions.

He asks: ‘Where did you grow up? And did you grow up with both parents?’ He gets into their mindset. It’s upsetting. Like you can’t watch more than an hour of it. You’ve got to watch like 10 minutes. But I like hearing their stories. I think it’s important to.

Absolutely it is. Everyone’s story is important. Moving to ‘Chicago Fire.’ You booked the role as a guest at first. When you found out you were becoming a series regular – what went through your head?

Well, I thought that was the worst audition. I got the breakdown was like, “This character is mine. This is mine. It’s mine.” And I auditioned for it. And then maybe a week later, they’re like, “They want to test you.”

So, I fly to Chicago. I was very nervous. I really wanted this job. And then I really thought that I messed up the audition. I was like, “Oh God, that was terrible.” I thought it was the worst thing I’d ever done. And I was sitting on my couch, and my agent called me, and was like, “You got it!”

I was shocked and so happy that I got it. And then I got to film. And then in the summer I flew to Italy. Day one in Italy and I woke up and my phone had just blown up and I just see. Congrats. And it was me getting picked up as a series regular. and I was like, well, that’s a nice way to find out.

Oh my god. Can you talk about walking onto set at first in a guest capacity and then coming back as a series regular, were the vibes different? Or did they change?

I think I had a lot of pressure on myself because I knew the guest had the potential to be a regular. So, every scene, you mess up, you think they’re not going to ask you back. I put a lot of pressure on myself, more so as a guest star than as a series regular, because by then the pressure is gone. And I was like, “OK, they chose me. They like me. I’m here.” But I definitely had more pressure on myself as a guest star. I feel way more at home as a series regular, just within myself. It’s all in your own mind.

Absolutely. How would you say you’ve made Lizzie your own? How are you alike and how are you different?

Alike in a lot of ways. I think I’m high energy, like she is as well. I think she’s kind of the hype man of the firehouse, which I also think that’s a role that I play in my own life, is hyping people up and being support and the energy. I think maybe I’m more committal than Lizzie is. I’m super committal. If I eat the Jones salad, I’ll eat the Jones salad for like 10 years I’ve been ordering the same salad. I don’t flip-flop. You don’t flip-flop. I’m very tunnel-visioned and committed, whereas Lizzie is not.

With the martial arts thing as well, that’s a similarity. I think they wrote that for me, because the writers saw that I do Taekwondo, and then they started getting the characters. Incorporating it. That’s really cool. I think the relationship with Violet (Hanako Greensmith) is our on-set and our off-set relationship is kind of the same. We’re besties, and we’re TV besties. It’s a very natural to switch character on and off.

How would you say you two are different? As characters or as people?

As characters, I think it’s a yin and yang thing. Violet is the brains and the responsibility, and Lizzie is like the fun and the uplifting. And I think they complement each other well. I love their relationship so much.

If you could choose any show to cross over with Chicago Fire, what would it be and why?

‘Law and Order SVU.’ We’re in the same universe. I would love to meet Mariska (Hargitay.) I really want to meet her. And then in Crazy Lala Land, I would love to cross over with ‘Gilmore Girls,’ That would never work, but I would love to just get to work with those guys.

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

I had an actress tell me, “You have to show people how to treat you.” And I did not enjoy that. She wasn’t a super nice person. And I was like, “I’m going to do the exact opposite.” We are all equal human beings, and I don’t think you need to do that at all.

And what’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given for life or acting in general?

I think there’s that quote and it’s, “What is yours will find you.” And I think that really helps, especially in the film industry, just having faith and patience and trust. Because a lot of times, you’re just like, “I want anything,” but sometimes things don’t work out for a reason. That was one of the truths with me getting this job. There was a lot of jobs I wanted before this, and I’m very grateful that they didn’t work out.

If you could go back and were given another chance to explore a character from your filmography, who would it be, and why?

Oh, man. I would love to do Lacey again from ‘The Fall.’ It was such a great cast and crew. And I don’t know if I would do anything different. I would just want to relive it. Just that experience again. I would just like to do it again, because it was that much fun.

And lastly, what are you hoping to manifest for yourself this year or beyond?

Oh, man. I don’t know. This is going to sound stupid. I want to cook.

I was going to ask you if you’re going to resurrect that baking series on your TikTok.

OK, so the problem is I mostly just make desserts. I need to make real people food so that I can survive. Because I’ll eat like Toblerone and Gatorade only. I need to make meat and  vegetables. I need to manifest cooking. I would love to cook while I’m filming also.

Sometimes you get home and you’re like, “I’m going to bed.” But I would love to make some kind of food and continue that for a few months. That would be really cool. That’s probably a goal of mine. And then put it in a little Tupperware, bring it to work.

The latest season of Chicago Fire is out now.

Interview Dana Reboe 

Photography Alex Evans Photography