There’s no doubt about it: Jessica Marie Garcia has a gift. The actress steals every single On My Block scene effortlessly. Whether it’s Jasmine’s hilarious and legendary lines to her more vulnerable moments, Jessica has tackled every aspect of Jasmine with ease. Jasmine is no longer just the character who delivers the funny punchlines. She’s an integral part of On My Block.
HollywoodLife talked EXCLUSIVELY with Jessica about everything from the time jump to Jasmine and Ruby getting together. Jessica hopes Monse and Jasmine are still friends after the 2-year time jump, especially after the bonded so much in season 3. The actress is very interested in seeing what Ruby and Jasmine’s relationship has been like over the past 2 years and opened up about why these two are truly good for each other. Jessica also talked about what she’d like to see explored with Jasmine in season 4. Hint: it has to deal with college! Check out our Q&A below.
Whose ending shocked or surprised you the most when you read that script?
Jessica Marie Garcia: It was definitely Cesar, for sure. I was hoping that all the effort that the squad had done to make sure that he wasn’t going to go down that direction. We were all really hoping that that wasn’t going to be the case. I think they were all rooting for Oscar to have that happy ending to that chapter. We read with all of us because we cold read all of our scripts together. It’s kind of like a tradition that we have. When we read the ending, people were crying, people were so angry, some people were really happy about it. It was a mixed reaction.
Monse is still across the country at boarding school after the time jump. Do you think Jasmine and Monse are still friends or do you think it’s just a complete separation for pretty much everyone?
Jessica Marie Garcia: I’m hoping that Jasmine and Monse are definitely talking to each other. There’s nothing saying that we haven’t been. We’ve talked about that, too. We could definitely be still kicking in on the side, just not be with the boys. We hope for that, but at the same time, if we’re lucky enough to get a fourth season, I’m just hoping there’s a reason for all of us to get together or at least find out what happened in those 2 years and what other things could have led to all of that. So who knows, but she needs to dust off that picture.
Were you surprised at all that Jasmine and Ruby were still together after 2 years?
Jessica Marie Garcia: I was and I wasn’t. I think what’s so great about our show is that we really understand that relationships in general and, especially relationships in high school, they’re so fluid. Today, we might be in love but tomorrow we might hate each other. So I’m really interested in seeing what that relationship has been like for the last few years. My big thing is I just don’t want that to be Jasmine arc. It’s great that she has a dude but that’s not it. There’s so much more to her. I’m interested in hopefully being able to see us keep telling that story.
Why do you think Jasmine and Ruby are right for each other?
Jessica Marie Garcia: I think that they’re able to support each other in ways that a lot of people wouldn’t know how to be. Like, your friends love you but sometimes there is a certain type of love or a certain type of comfort you need and you can’t verbalize it. I think for Jasmine, she knows how to be a caretaker. She’s been taking care of her dad. She’s been having to build up her own confidence and her own life back again from having to take care of her dad. She knows what Ruby’s going through to a degree and knows how to support him. That’s why when he comes around in the beginning, she is like, “No. Right now you need me, but I want you to want me.” I love that she knew the difference to that. But I think they’re good for each other now just for that. I think that they’re kind of like missing pieces for each other.
I think Jasmine and Ruby are a really great match. How do you feel about Monse and Cesar?
Jessica Marie Garcia: Well, I’ve been Team Monse since day one. I think that Cesar has played Monse dirty definitely more than once. She’s been there for him. She was setting up a little backseat area with food and everything for him. She went above and beyond. I know a lot of people are hating the fact that she kissed Oscar this season, but at the same time, the girl’s been through a lot. She needed to feel like she could mess up a little bit, too. I was actually very Team Monse and still very Team Monse. I don’t know if I also feel that Monse and Cesar should be together. But I think something else must have happened for him to go as deep as he went. I don’t know if that has anything to do with that tattoo or what…
So Jasmine and Monse’s friendship really got a front-row seat this season. What was that like for both of you? I know you and Sierra are really close and having that girl power dynamic was great this season.
Jessica Marie Garcia: Well, we’ve been begging for it since day one. Even when the first season came out, we had said that we wished there were more Monse and Jasmine scenes and the fans came pouring in saying, “I wish that they were friends. I wish we had more scenes.” When the writers felt that way as well and they wrote about it, I remember reading it for the first time with Sierra [Capri] and we teared up so genuinely in that those first scenes, especially the ones in my bedroom. They made that a closed set. It was so intimate. It was like me, her, and the cameraperson. It just felt like two very close girlfriends being there for each other. I think we’re just so lucky and just so grateful that they gave us that material and trusted us with that.
Ruby’s sex fantasies of Jasmine were hilarious. Talk me through that because the one with Jamal was single-handedly one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.
Jessica Marie Garcia: We had too much fun filming that. I remember when they gave me the script, the producers were like, “Let me know if you’re uncomfortable with any of this. We think it could be really funny.” I was like, “This has to happen.” I just remember when I got the script and I was reading it, something took over me and I remembered Kristen Wiig on SNL. She played this character where she says the grossest things but is cooing it. I just kind of adopted that straight up. When Brett [Gray] put that do-rag on like someone from an early 2000s band and called me “Ma” for that whole day, we had the most fun. It was hilarious. The mustache, the open jacket, the blue on blue on blue. It was a lot. They tried to not have a lot of people around for that scene specifically. They tried to make it seem like it was for my comfort, but it was really because they were laughing so hard.
It’s no secret that Jasmine has some of the best, if not the best lines on the show. Do you adlib at all? Do you talk with the writers about Jasmine’s lines?
Jessica Marie Garcia: All of the above. I went into Jasmine’s audition improv-ing a lot. When I read Jasmine, she hit such a chord in me that if I was going to play her it was going to be like this. I threw in very much who I wanted Jasmine to be and they were so responsive to that and supportive of that. I’ve been on set several times and they’ve been just like, “Put a camera on her, just let her go. Whatever she does, just go with it.” I pitch things all the time. I love switching up lines or seeing how they feel about different jokes. We have a blast. It’s like tennis.
In season 2, we learned just a little bit about Jasmine. The show started to peel back those layers on her. In season 3, we learned even more about her and how she’s not experienced when it comes to sex. What’s it been like exploring those facets of Jasmine and showing her more vulnerable side?
Jessica Marie Garcia: Well, I always knew from day one that she was talking out of her ass when it came to sex. I knew that the way that she leads, she leads with her sexuality as a confidence in order for people not to see right through her. I understood that because I lead with my confidence and I lead with my comedy in order for people not to see my insecurities. So I knew that this was all an act. I was very vocal with the writers and they were very on the same page that the reason she’s endearing and the reason she’s relatable is because she’s built these walls for you and she’s putting on a show for you in order for you to really see her. I knew that from the beginning and she just got to a place with Monse that she was able to be completely honest with her.
What would you like to explore in season 4? Is there anything you want to touch on with Jasmine?
Jessica Marie Garcia: I do. I want to touch on her future. Let’s say we start 2 years ahead of time, that’s putting them in their senior year. That’s putting them in a position to go to college. What she would do with her father? How she would deal with that? I think a lot of us, especially as someone who’s first-generation and a Latina, we take care of our family. And that has hindered a lot of people from necessarily going after their dreams because they need to take care of their family. I would love to maybe explore her in that situation and seeing how she feels and the reality of that.