Jackie Tohn
Jackie Tohn stars as Esther Roklov in the smash hit Critics Choice and Golden Globe nominated “Nobody Wants This” on Netflix. It has been renewed for a second season and that cannot come soon enough. Meeting this female force was a special treat indeed. She is not only super talented but HILARIOUS, generous and kind hearted. Her taste in vintage clothing is superb…as you’ll see in our photo diary. So scroll down and check what Jackie has to say on being a multi-dimensional Jewish woman like her character, the casts chemistry, being a PRO thrifter, relaxation challenged, plus the bare essential that is never not in her purse.
The Bare Magazine: First off, congrats on the Critics Choice and Golden Globe nominations for Nobody Wants This and a renewal for a Season 2. Please share how you're feeling about the amazing response to the story, and why you think it strikes such a strong chord with folks?
Jackie Tohn: Thank you! It’s so wild and exciting. Especially since there is so much content out there right now, it feels extra special to be on a show that breaks through, that people respond to. It’s impossible to predict what’s gonna work and what’s not so we feel lucky, ya know. I think people just needed a feel good, aspirational but achievable rom-com. The chemistry between Kristen and Adam didn’t hurt either. HELLO!
Jackie wears her own vintage tshirt
Bare: In what ways do you connect with your character Esther? Are you looking forward to her evolution in the next season?
JT: She is a strong, opinionated, multi-dimensional Jewish woman, and so am I. I like her. She can be a tough cookie who needs to take a chill pill, but I like her. And I am looking forward to her evolution next season. I’m hoping we get to see more of the levity in Esther that she was first discovering at the end of season one. This “why am I taking everything so seriously” moment she has. Excited to see where we go from there.
Bare: The cast seems to have amazing chemistry - do you feel that is part of the reason it's been such a hit?
JT: Yes. We genuinely love each other. We got so lucky there. Though I will say, Kristen is such an amazing “foreperson of our jury,” if you will. She made sure everyone was super comfy and got to know each other before we started. She creates and fosters such an open and supportive work environment and I think that shows. And we’ve gotten even closer since we finished season one. Our cast text thread is bonkers.
Bare: After all the press and before the awards season, whatcha got planned? What are your favorite decompression/recharge rituals?
JT: I’m shit at relaxing. But since I pinched a nerve in my back in NYC I’ve had to. My body had to literally force me to slow down. Body was like, “You’re gonna sit, my dude.” I watch RuPaul’s Drag Race and murder docs, lay around with my dog Glen and my boyfriend.
Bare: We had so much fun exploring vintage with you on our shoot. You walked in with some great personally thrifted items. Where do you like to score great finds and has it always been a part of your style?
JT: I have been a thrifter, yard saler and, dare I say, garbage picker since I was a kid. My mom and I used to follow the neon signs around Long Island on a garage sale wild goose chase on Saturdays. She would look up local bazaars or church parking lot sales in the paper and we’d go rummage. We would even drive to Pennsylvania to go to flea markets.
As I say this, I'm feeling like there’s a movie in here somewhere. I’ve been a vintage girl since I was young. I used to get made fun of in middle school for wearing vintage tee shirts and old 80s Adidas velcro sneakers that I found in some mom and pop thrift.
I’ve always preferred to find the great pieces under a rock. It’s less fun for me to go to a curated place and spend $250 on a t-shirt. I do love Crossroads Trading Co in LA. I sell my clothes to them and get a store credit. So I basically shop for free and am recycling clothes. So that rules.
Bare: Your sense of humor is so refreshing. You are so open and candid. Would you say it's an important part of you, humor and being true to yourself, authentic?
JT: I think, maybe to a fault, that a sense of humor is the most important thing in life. My connection to other people is mostly based on whether or not we laugh together. My parents are hilarious. My grandparents were deeply funny people in the face of immense adversity. They just laughed through it all somehow and that “wiseassery” got passed down. And as far as the authenticity piece of it goes - for better or worse, I don't know how not to be myself. And that’s been both celebrated and has bitten me in the ass.
Bare: Before leaving NYC on this press trip, you attended the Dances with Film Fest. Can you share a little on working on Gasbag and your great friendship with its star, Chad Kessler?
JT: Chad is an hilarious actor and writer and one of my best friends on the planet. He’s just one of those rare brilliant brains where everything he says is funny or somehow perfectly written. He stars in this hysterical pilot (web series) called Gasbag created by Lynn Rosen that was selected for the DWF Festival. I have a teeny tiny part in it and I was thrilled to be able to stay to be in town an extra day to celebrate him and the show.
Bare: Please list your top 5 Bare Essentials.
JT:
Glen, my dog.
Wild Wonder Probiotic Sparkling Drink in Guava Rose (all the flavors really). I drink one EVERY day. Settles my stomach and is DELISH.
Cle de Peau Mascara - unreal. Super volumizing, lengthening AND it doesn't transfer, which is a problem I have with most other mascaras.
Milk Cosmetics Lip & Cheek Stick in Werk - never not in my purse.
Earplugs - most places are too loud for me for some reason. I wear them in bars, to events, sometimes even out to dinner.
photos/makeup: Tina Turnbow at bareps
hair: Aziza Rasulova at bareps
jackie wears her own vintage and from cure thrift
shot in nyc
Founder & Editor in Chief - The Bare Magazine
