Pop Culturalist Chats with Beyond the Sky’s Jordan Hinson

Jordan Hinson is the lead actress starring opposite Ryan Carnes in the sci-fi thriller, Beyond The Sky. The film follows Chris (Ryan Carnes), a documentarian who tries to expose what he believes are lies from alien abductees. Along the way, he and his crew meet Emily, a young woman with a dark secret, who leads them to uncover a disturbing truth. Pop Culturalist spoke with Jordan about the film, what she was attracted to the role, and what she hopes audiences take away.

PC: Tell us about Beyond The Sky, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Jordan: Beyond The Sky is a cool sci-fi film about aliens. It’s a do they or don’t they exist story. I play a girl named Emily Reed, who claims to have been abducted multiple times in her short life. I was drawn to this project because I love sci-fi. It’s always been one of my favorite genres. Also, Emily isn’t your typical girl in an alien movie—she’s very strong. She’s not a damsel in distress asking for help, she’s an elegant young woman who’s experienced something traumatic.

PC: How similar or different would you say you are to your character?
Jordan: I brought a lot of myself to Emily. I’ve never personally been abducted by aliens, so that’s a major difference. [laughs] Other than that, I think we have a lot of very similar strengths. We all have skeletons and demons in our pasts. She deals with hers quietly and in a similar way that I would in my life.


PC: At the start of the film, Emily meets Chris and they get off on the wrong foot. What can you tease about that relationship moving forward and how did you and Ryan approach that dynamic?
Jordan: From the beginning, Ryan and I got along so well. We had this brotherly-sisterly teasing back and forth, so, when it came to acting like we didn’t like each other, it was pretty easy because we were just nagging one another. [laughs] We have a lot in common. Ryan, Claude (who plays Brent), and I became very close friends very quickly.

PC: There’s a divide in the film between those who believe and those who don’t. Where do you stand?
Jordan: I’m a believer! I’m not closed-minded enough to think that we’re the only people out there. How do we know? It’s more believable to me that there are more things out there that we don’t know about.

PC: With this being a sci-fi film, what was the most challenging part?
Jordan: We had a very small green screen space, which was supposed to encompass this massive world. That was really challenging. I’ve done green screen work in the past, having done a sci-fi show most of my life, but this one was very difficult to envision because there was nothing around us. It ended up looking beautiful, though! [laughs] When a director is telling me to do something, I just do it because it ends up looking amazing.

PC: There are a lot of twists and turns in this film. What was your initial reaction when you read it? Did you see it unfolding the way that it does?
Jordan: Not necessarily! When I was reading the script, my brain went in a couple of different directions as to how it could turn out. I also liked that my character stays grounded throughout. She stood by her beliefs no matter what happened. That’s what really drew me to her and this project.


PC: Memories play an intricate role in the film. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Jordan: There’s a well-known condition called False Memory Syndrome and a lot of people actually suffer from it. It’s when you’ve experienced something traumatic in your life and you morph that memory into something else. A lot of people tend to believe it’s an alien abduction, but many say otherwise.

We filmed at an actual alien abduction convention. We met a lot of different people and the best thing you can do is learn as much as you can. They take their culture very seriously. I didn’t want to go into it with a closed-mind, especially with a character whose whole world revolves around it.

PC: What did you learn being a part of this project? What’s one thing that Emily taught you?
Jordan: We filmed in New Mexico on Native American reservations and met a lot of incredible people. I grew up in El Paso, Texas, so it felt like being home for me. The experience re-grounded me; you can sometimes get lost in L.A. I have experiences I will never forget.

PC: If you had to pick one scene that you’re most excited for people to see, what would it be and why?
Jordan: That’s a good question! I love all the character work that Ryan and I have together. I think it’s worth watching. The ending is really cool, too, and is sort of unexpected—I’m excited to see people’s reaction to that. I don’t know if it’s even been done in this way before.

PC: What do you hope fans take away from seeing this film?
Jordan: Hopefully, if someone is a non-believer, they’ll leave with a different approach on how they look at people and believers who claim to have been abducted. I know I look at them differently now. I think it’s worth being a little bit more open-minded.

PC: Besides Beyond The Sky, do you have any other upcoming projects that you can chat about?
Jordan: I just released a movie that I wrote and produced called Breaking & Exiting. It’s a cool, dark indie rom-com. I also had another sci-fi film come out earlier this year called Higher Power. Everything’s trickling out now. I’m excited to get more into writing and producing. I haven’t directed anything big yet, but it’s always been a dream of mine. The writing and producing was a lot of work, but it was so gratifying once I finished it.

PC: Does it give you a different perspective heading into your next project?
Jordan: Oh yeah! When you’re acting, you show up when the script is already there. Your day is already set for you. You show up and do the best that you can and then, sometimes, don’t see these movies until two years down the line. When you’re producing, you forget that you shot it that long ago because you’re working your butt off. The woman who executively produced my movie executively produced Beyond The Sky, which is where we met. She had an interest in my script. You never know when you’ll work with the same people again.


Make sure to follow Jordan on Twitter and Instagram, and catch Beyond The Sky in theaters now.

Photo Credit: RLJE Films