Actress Christina Jackson Talks Sally-Ann, New 'Outsiders' Episode On WGN America! [INTERVIEW]

WGN America is just hours away from the an all-new episode of their new drama, Outsiders. In an exclusive interview with MStars News, actress Christina Jackson talks about Sally-Ann getting caught in the crossfire as the Farrell Clan fights for power and control.

As we previously mentioned, Outsiders takes place high in the vast Appalachian Mountains. The wild and criminal Farrell Clan is pitted against the outside world, which is even more corrupt than they are. The Farrell Clan have spent 200 years surviving on Shay Mountain. The Clan is up against a group of money-making investors and a small town looking to move them out as they expand. This close-knit family of anti-heroes has to protect themselves in order to preserve their way of life.

Before Tuesday's Episode of All Hell at 9pm on WGN America, the Outsiders actress discusses the inspiration behind her character, the relationship between Hasil (Kyle Gallner) and Sally-Ann, and her character's upcoming confrontation with Big Foster (David Morse).

MStars News: How much of Sally-Ann did you see in yourself when you first read the script? What differences did you find?

Christina Jackson: Similarities, Sally-Ann is a girl who grew up pretty, in less than desirable circumstances. She has a brother, no mom, no dad, and you know her brother is out of work. I know what it's like to have a parent that is out of work for a little while. I know what it's like to grow up in a small town. I know what it's like to kind of take care of people a little bit. I have two brothers that when I was in high school, I was kind of responsible for when my mom was at work. She is quiet, she kind of keeps to herself. You don't see her with too many friends and that was kind of me.

As far as differences, I grew up in a small town but I wouldn't say a town as small as Blackford, Kentucky. It seems to be the kind of place, where everyone kind of knows everybody; eyes are always on everybody at all times. And the environment is pretty, pretty strained, with so many people being out of work. So those would be some of the differences.

MS: The audiences get a chance to see the relationship between Sally-Ann and Hasil develop. Tell me how you worked out the chemistry with Kyle Gallner.

CJ: Kyle is great! He came to set ready to work, kind of jumping into the thick of it. I think what makes Hasil and Sally so endearing to audiences is that you don't see us enough; so you don't get a chance to be tired of us. And people like to see people fall in love. And with Hasil and Sally-Ann, you never see two people meet quit like this. You know the whole Romeo and Juliet kind of story that has been done to death, but you've never seen two people from a certain set of circumstances like this, meeting up at this point in time and kind of just riding it out.

As far as like finding the chemistry, we just got really lucky. And I know people don't like to hear that. We sat and we talked about these two people. But the majority of it was kind of figuring it out along the way, figuring what works, what was genuine, what we might want have had changed, and kind of taking it from there. I think the proof is in the pudding; people really do like Hasil and Sally-Ann. And it's a good feeling!

MS: What I found really interesting with Hasil, there were times Sally-Ann witnessed him being prone to violence. Does Sally-Ann think he is being defensive? Or is this like an abusive relationship?

CJ: Sally-Ann's relationship with her brother was abusive, because you've actually seen him put hands on Sally-Ann. I think with Hasil, he is being protective. If you go back and see all kinds of altercations that he has, he gives people chances to like not have to get to that point. He knows he's the smallest guy on the mountain, so he has to be crazy. He doesn't have the height and that stature. He has to be crazy because that is how he handles himself.

With Sally-Ann, she is not afraid of him. If anything, she feels protected by him. But at some point, his protection can only go so far, and you can't really feel good about letting him continue to beat people up and jump in harm's way, if he doesn't have to. But, I feel like every person that he beat up, deserved it.

MS: My other favorite moments are when Sally-Ann teaches Hasil how to pay the bills and why this is an offensive word he shouldn't say. Is she teaching him how to become a better person?

CJ: I don't know if she is teaching him to be a better person, I mean, if being a better person is paying bills than I don't want that life, I don't want to be a better person! [Laughs] No thank you! No, I think that, one of the big things that actors on the mountain try to be cautious of is trying not to portray these people as stupid. And, I think when you look at their morals and their values and how they live their lives they are very mentally strong people. Just because they don't know what a cellphone is, or what a drone is,they are not aware of the war on terror, but they don't know these things because it doesn't concern them, outside of their everyday lives. I don't know that Sally Ann is teaching Hasil how to become a better person. She is just trying to teach him the things that she has to deal with in living a life off of the mountain.

MS: In Mortar, we saw Sally-Ann and Hasil meet Krake (Mark Jeffrey Miller) on the mountains. Tell me about filming that scene.

CJ: There were a lot of tweets and comments about you know Sally Ann being whiny. Like realistically, Sally-Ann has nowhere else to go, other than home, to her brother. And that's going to be a no, not now. The show tells you, to get from the town up to where the homestead is, on the mountain where the barrels are, it's a half of day, that is twelve hours.

They've been walking around trying to figure out where to go and then finally they decide on the mountain, that is a twelve-hour journey, that's a 12 hour journey uphill.

She is frustrated, she is probably at her worse end, but I don't think that it was a time to regret, I think that it's really sinking in how drastically things have changed since she has met Hasil. Asa wasn't too nice to her, but not in a mean or nasty way, he was being cautious and he was trying to be cautious enough for him.

Hasil is like head over heels, this is it for him. With her going up the mountain and kind of being frustrated, Hasil doesn't yell at her. He doesn't get frustrated, he doesn't get upset. He is letting her do her thing, be whiny, be upset.

Then they are interrupted by Krake. And Krake is my favorite character on the mountain, because he is probably like a thousand years old. He is just so wise and humble about it, and I like that he is the character that is closest to Hasil on the mountain. You feel like with Sally-Ann meeting Krake, she is in good hands.

MS: With the last two episodes coming up of the season, like on a scale from 1 to 10, how glued should Sasil shippers be to their TV sets?

CJ: [Laughs] Oh Boy! It's, I am not going to lie to you, things are going to get pretty real, pretty real for Sasil shippers. It's going to be probably the hardest episode for people to watch. I know that people think the break-up scene, where Sally-Ann breaks up with Hasil in the Laundromat, episode 12 is not even going to compare. They should be glued!

Obviously from the trailer, Sally-Ann is going to cross paths with Big Foster, which is going to be a really big deal with a lot of 'shippers.' Sally would be okay on the mountain as long as Big Foster wasn't in charge. Well he is still in charge, and they get caught on the mountain and there is going to be a couple of scenes, between Big Foster, Sally-Ann and Hasil, and G'Winn that is going to have a lot of people talking.

A lot of people are going to be upset! It is going to be a boiling point for the relationship. There is going to be a lot of questions. There are going to be a lot of people who are going to want some answers. People are going to be shocked by the finale and how things end.

We have been renewed for a second season so, I think that this season if people go back and watch it after it is done, it should tie them over until next year.

Outsiders continues Tuesdays at 9pm on WGN America.