“There was a lot of it that didn’t make sense to me” - When Jesse Plemons made his feelings clear about religion

In a candid April 24, 2024, Interview Magazine talk with Daniel Kaluuya, Jesse Plemons shared how his Texas upbringing shaped his view of faith. Raised in a small town where church was routine, he took religious teachings seriously, unlike his less-engaged family.

“When I was older, I started to realize that there was a lot of it that didn’t make sense to me.” Plemons stated.

This shift fueled his introspection, influencing roles like Allan Gore in Love & Death, where he portrays characters wrestling with moral conflicts. His journey offers a lens into faith’s impact on identity and acting.

Jesse Plemons reflects on his religious upbringing and its influence on his roles

Still of Jesse from the show Windfall (Image via Netflix)

In the Interview Magazine discussion held on April 24, 2024, Jesse Plemons recounted his early life in a small town where church attendance was more of a customary practice than a reflection of deep-seated faith. He observed that while his family participated in religious activities, the level of engagement varied:

“I later realized my parents weren’t extremely religious, it was just what you do. It was kind of a given.”

Despite this, Plemons found himself taking the teachings seriously, which led to internal conflicts as he grew older.

As discussed, these experiences gave him a unique insight while depicting characters with moral and spiritual conflict. In Love & Death, he was Allan Gore, a man caught up in an involved affair in a conservative religious circle. Jesse said his upbringing helped him see the burden of guilt and judgment his character bore.

“There’s something that I inherently understand, in terms of religious oppression and suppressing basic human desires and all the guilt and shame that a lot of these characters carry around.”

He uses alignment between his personal experiences and his character's struggles to add depth to his performance, highlighting how his upbringing continues to influence his work.

Navigating faith and identity: Plemons' journey

Still of Jesse Plemons from Black Mirror (Image via Netflix)

Jesse Plemons' musings on his faith-based upbringing illustrate a sophisticated path of self-questioning and exploration. Raised in a culture in which religious beliefs were paramount, he first received the teachings with sincerity.

As he grew older, contradictions and dogma, though, made him question everything. He said the sense of being watched all the time by a deity was something he needed to get through:

“It felt like there was this looming figure that’s always watching you. It’s something I’ve worked through, but I’m probably still carrying around to a degree.”

Jesse Plemons often draws on his own experiences to show characters struggling with moral conflicts. In Love & Death, he plays Allan Gore, capturing the inner battle between following society’s rules and personal desires.

In his work, Jesse continues to probe the complex interplay between faith, identity, and personal development, offering audiences a glimpse into the difficulties of reconciling one's upbringing with personal belief.

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About the author

Arvind Singh covers anime and pop culture at Sportskeeda, with a knack for capturing the essence of entertainment through his words. Although he graduated with a BSc in Transportation Technology, his interest in pop culture was ingrained in him from a young age. Witnessing Michael Jackson’s live concert on TV at just 4 years old ignited a lifelong admiration for diverse music and storytelling.

Arvind’s experience includes over a year as an Anime Writer for Sportskeeda, alongside contributions to GameRant’s anime division. He also held a position as a UK Custom Export Executive at Aquatic Freights Pvt. Ltd before delving into the world of journalistic writing. He is dedicated to ethical and relevant reporting through his meticulous sourcing of facts, ensuring he only conveys accurate information devoid of any bias.

In his leisure time, Arvind enjoys listening to rock music, writing poetry, and playing adventure video games. He admires the charisma of icons like Shahrukh Khan, the eloquence of Matthew McConaughey, and the smooth yet powerful vocals of Chester Bennington. Writing is an integral part of his life, and when it comes to expressing his interest and putting a whole scene into words, he could do it all day.

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Edited by Divya Singh