Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Shadowhunters’ Jade Hassouné

Shadowhunters has forever changed Jade Hassouné’s life. He’s made lasting memories and friendships with the cast and crew, and been inspired by the series’ international fanbase. Pop Culturalist spoke with Jade about the final season of Shadowhunters and his upcoming EP, Love Letter to a Fandom.

PC: Shadowhunters has this incredibly passionate fandom. What has being a part of this series meant to you?
Jade: The show has impacted my life in two major ways. The first is I’ve met amazing people on the show that I will be friends with forever. I never imagined how close we would all get. The second is the fandom, who will also be with me forever—they’re incredible. That doesn’t happen often anymore with television shows. In a lot of ways, I’ve been waiting for both my entire life.

PC: What can you tell us about your character’s arc this season on Shadowhunters?
Jade: He’s been enslaved by the Queen. He’s gone from an ally of the Shadowhunters to someone whose behavior has changed and he’s done a lot of unexpected things. He did a lot for the Seelie Queen that was out of character for him. This season, we’ll see him slowly take his power back. He’ll also decide which side he wants to be on for the final battle.

PC: You’ve been a part of this show since season one. Has there been anything about your character’s journey that’s surprised you?
Jade: A lot! Meliorn has lost himself to the Seelie Queen and her desires. He’s always wanted to be part of the Scooby Gang and fight the fight with everyone, so I was surprised he wanted to kill Clary because they were friends.

This season, we’ll learn a bit more about his personal preferences and his sexual orientation. We’ll also see further development of the relationships he’s built with other characters, especially Izzy.

PC: Which of his relationships would you say is your favorite to explore and why?
Jade: The relationship between Izzy and Meliorn will always be precious. I love working with Emeraude [Toubia]. She’s a blast both on and off set—she’s awesome. Jace and Meliorn have a really fun dynamic, too. [laughs] Dom [Sherwood] is a lot of fun. It was so much fun in episode ten of season one when Jace and Meliorn had a bromance during their fight together. They had to join forces and they didn’t like it, but they kind of liked it. That’s an awesome one. Thankfully, we’ll get to see a little more of that relationship this season.

I honestly love working with everyone. It’s so fun when we’re all together; it feels like summer camp. When everyone’s on set as a group, it’s epic.

PC: You’ve been a part of the cast since season one. With this being the final season, is there a moment, either on or off-set, that sticks out to you?
Jade: Wow, there are so many things that come to mind: everything from meeting everyone for the first time to all the activities and hangouts we’ve had off-set. We’ve traveled the world together. We’ve done Comic-Con. There are a ton of amazing moments! We’ve built these incredible relationships with each other, with the crew, everyone. It’s been such a blessing in so many ways.

I like looking to the future while honoring and celebrating the past, but there’s nothing ending here between us and the fandom. This story has so many different layers, and it’ll continue forever. That’s how I see it.

PC: If you could give a few parting words to your character, what would they be?
Jade: They would be, “Farewell, my friend. You did well.” That’s what I’d say.

PC: You also have an upcoming EP. Tell us about Love Letter to a Fandom. How did it come to fruition? What inspired it?
Jade: Yes! Oh my gosh, I’m so excited for this. I’ve always wanted to do this and lately it’s been so clear to me how it could all happen. I have this deep relationship with the fandom; I’ve met them all over the world, I’ve seen familiar faces year after year, I’ve gotten to know so many new ones. They’ve all changed my life.

These fans have accepted us into their world. It’s hard to describe the feeling when you see their collective power and what they can do, and how they’ve included us in it all. This EP celebrates them. It’s my way of continuing the relationships that I’ve built with them in a new way. It’s going to be sort of a rebirth.

I was inspired when I got back from the tour last summer. I had all these incredible experiences meeting everyone in all these different countries. I had a week where I wrote all these songs and I was already working with my best friend who’s a brilliant producer—he actually came from acting. So, I told him all these experiences I had and he wanted to produce the EP. It’s been an amazing collaboration. I could talk about it forever.

My first single, “Insta Story”, will come out in June. Then, I’ll release singles progressively throughout the next two months—and videos! There will also be merchandise. I have all these contests that I want to involve the fans in: they’ll be able to design the clothes for me, they’ll be able to create art. My cover art is actually by a fan in Russia. She’s brilliant. This fandom is so talented. It just makes sense for me to collaborate with them! If people want to be part of the rebirth, they can subscribe to my newsletter on my official website.

PC: If you had to pick one song that best encompasses the EP, what would it be and why?
Jade: It would be the title track; it’s literally a thank you song to them. The music video will be footage from my tour this past summer.

Each song has its own story. “Insta Story” is about Instagram and my interaction with the fans—it’s where I interact with them the most. We all share the emotional aspect that I talk about in the song. Then, “Living Right Now” is about how my life has changed: what it’s like to travel all the time, being alone but meeting all these beautiful people, and falling in love but not being able to be there.

PC: Once the EP is out, do you plan on hitting the road?
Jade: Yes! I think to start, whenever I’m at a convention for Shadowhunters, I’m going to try and have a show in the city. My shows will be a meet and greet experience. I want to make them into an art collaboration with artists in each city.

Who in the Cast..

PC: Is most likely to break character?
Jade: [laughs] So many of us! We have a lot of laughs, especially since we’ve known each other for so long. Any time there’s more than two of us in a scene, it’s bound to happen. I feel like we’ve gotten better about getting back into it once it happens, but everyone’s done it at some point!

PC: Is most like their character?
Jade: Hmm…it would be Emeraude. Everyone in the cast is so funny and has this child-like quality to them. It’s never gone away throughout the seasons and I love that.

PC: Is the most different?
Jade: Isaiah [Mustafa] or Matt [Daddario]

PC: Is the person you’d go to for advice?
Jade: Isaiah! He’s a very wise guy. He has so much experience and knowledge. Harry [Shum Jr.] as well! I’ve had great, inspiring conversations with him.

To keep up with Jade, follow him on Twitter and Instagram, and catch Shadowhunters every Monday at 8/7c.