India de Beaufort plays Jane Quimby’s rival
on the ABC drama Jane by Design
(photo: Christopher Patey)
India by design: an interview with India deBeaufort
~ Chris Morgan
London, ON – Some performers are born and some performers are made, but some performers – like India de Beaufort - are a little bit of both.
The English actress - best known for her portrayal of Miranda Stone in the seventh season of the WB television drama, One Tree Hill - has been enjoying a hot streak in recent months.
In 2011, she appeared in NBC’s popular espionage-comedy series Chuck as a diabolical enemy agent named Jasmine.
This year, Beaufort revisits her villainous side, playing the scheming India Jourdain in multiple episodes of the new ABC drama, Jane by Design.
Although she has a gift for embodying sinister characters on the small screen, in real life – thankfully - the thoughtful thespian is much more eloquent, and much less…evil.
SCENE caught up with Beaufort in early February as she prepared to attend New York Fashion Week. “I’m really excited - it’s my first time going,” the actress said during a phone interview from Los Angeles.
Anybody who has seen Beaufort’s work knows the commitment she brings to her roles. This is the result of hard-won experience as much as genetics, and being raised in an environment that encouraged self-expression through stagecraft.
Both of Beaufort’s parents worked as dancers in various British television shows during the 1970s and 1980s. The actress remembered fondly the creativity and theatrical magic that attended her upbringing.
“Watching my parents take part in this world that seemed really exciting, risqué and colourful was definitely attractive – it always felt like the party was over there, and I wanted to be part of the party,” Beaufort said.
“Without my parents, I would have never known the ‘back door’ into the business, that you start small, working odd jobs that allow you to pay the bills while still getting your foot in the door,” she said.
“There was definitely a huge influence from my parents, but I also think [the love of entertaining] is something that a person is born with. I was the kid who, if you said, ‘sing and dance’, I would. I just wanted to entertain.”
Beaufort’s talents, strong work ethic and camera-ready good looks resulted in her first serious role at age 16. She appeared as India Beau in 21 episodes of the popular UK children’s program, The Basil Brush Show.
After three seasons, Beaufort left the program and began a brief period of actively writing, recording and performing her own music. She also signed on with a commercial agent and travelled the world, shooting ad campaigns for companies like Clean & Clear, Sony Ericsson and Osem.
Although Beaufort loved writing and singing, she found the expectations of the music industry didn’t sync with her own creative ambitions, a realization that eventually precipitated her re-commitment to acting.
“I was signed to a company as a singer-songwriter in my teens. Originally, that’s all I wanted to do – I didn’t want to be actor; I just wanted to sing,” Beaufort said.
“The problem with the music industry is that, if you can’t sell ‘you’, you’ve got nothing else to sell. Whereas, if you’re an actor and you don’t get a role, there another one waiting, and another,” she said.
“I did the rounds a little bit when I was younger, but I quickly realized that no one was ever going to let me be me. I was always going to be somebody else’s vision, somebody else’s artist. Staying true to yourself is difficult when everybody is telling you what sells,” Beaufort said.
“So I kind of got into the mindset of, ‘I’ll go and try out this other avenue [acting] and see if I can get it to a point where I can earn enough creditability to come back to this, and do it my way’,” she said.
Thanks to her work on One Tree Hill, Chuck and now, Jane by Design, it’s safe to say that Beaufort’s creditability has shot up more than a few notches.
“Maybe I’ve taken a narrow-minded approach with my music, but thank God I felt that way, because I ended up venturing out into television and film,” she said.
“And now, I’m loving it.”