Date of publishing: 5th June 2007

Texas-born Jordan Hinson began acting in plays at the age of 6, performing in such productions as "A Visit from Saint Nicholas", "Winnie the Pooh", "The Witch and the Magic Mountain" and "If Angels Were Mortal". She also has appeared in numerous television commercials. Hinson made her telefilm debut in 2005, starring as an aspiring professional figure skater in the Disney Channel original movie "Go Figure". April-May 2005 Jordan filmed “Eureka” on Vancouver Island, BC. Jordan’s characters name is Zoe. Sci-fi channel ordered 13 episodes of “Eureka” which were filmed in Vancouver Spring/Summer 2006. The cast also includes Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson, Joe Morton and Ed Quinn. October-November 2005 Jordan began filming “The Goode Mother” in Simi Valley. Jordan’s character is named Abby.

Linda Craddock: As the youngest member of the regular cast from Eureka, tell us a little bit about that experience.
Jordan Hinson: Well, actually this year I am having a blast with it. Last year it was a little different because I…Well, now I have graduated from high school, but last year I wasn’t so I was pulled out of school a lot which was a little disconcerting, but this year I’m having a great time with everyone. Everyone’s like family so… Colin’s like a father figure to me …Being the youngest is really not like as different as you’d think it would be. I love it!

Linda Craddock: Great! What was your first impression when you auditioned for the role of “Zoe Carter” and the storyline as it was presented to you?
Jordan Hinson: Well, honestly I had a lot of things going around at the same time as the audition for Eureka. , I loved the script so much and I’d never really read anything like it. So, of course I went into it completely hopeful to get the part and nervous, but it went really well and it was like any normal audition process and there were like 7 “Jack Carters” testing with 3 “Zoe Carters”, but in the end they knew that they wanted me and Colin because we sort of connected. But the audition process…It was nerve racking to want a part that badly and it always is, but this was different because there are a lot of pilots and you sort of know if they are going to work or if they’re not and this was so different and original so I sort of knew it was good.

Linda Craddock: Great! What do you like most about “Zoe”?
Jordan Hinson: I think my favorite part about her…In the pilot she was so separated from her father and they really had no base relationship. What I really like about her is her ability to adapt. She learned to get along with her dad and they become more of a family and she’s adapted to a new town very well and I think that’s what I sort of look up to. She can deal with change very easily and she always has because her dad left her when she was younger and she always lived with her mom and now that she’s back with her dad it’s this whole new environment and I think she’s adapting really well.

Linda Craddock: For someone who’s not familiar with Eureka, how would you describe the show?
Jordan Hinson: Well, first and foremost it’s about a small town and the relationships between all the characters within it. There are some really crazy people in the town because it’s not just your ordinary town. It’s this military technology based town that the government created way back when to have all the world’s geniuses and their families live there. So it’s cool because there’s always something going wrong. You have crazy scientists and their crazy families, it’s a really cool concept.

Linda Craddock: Were you at all nervous once you landed the role with the experience of all the other actors on the set?
Jordan Hinson: You’d think that I would be but I wasn’t because they were all so welcoming and ready to give advice and helpful. But Colin has definitely been a saint. He’s fantastic! If there is something you don’t like or you don’t feel comfortable about, he’ll try and help with it. He’s great! So to come into such a welcoming environment is definitely easy.

Linda Craddock: Great! As an actor, how did you arrive at the approach you used to bring the character to life?
Jordan Hinson: When I got the pilot it was sort of this rebellious girl that was always wanting to cause trouble somehow just to get her dad’s attention or make him mad or whatever. I went into it knowing that the character was somehow evolved into something better. I was definitely open-minded to… I never really know what I’m in for going in because you don’t know how the character is going to turn out. She could have made a turn for the worse or just been a full on bad girl. I like that she’s sort of evolved into being okay with her dad. Going into it, you really don’t know what you’re in for.

Linda Craddock: What do you think was the turning point was in” Zoe’s” growth with accepting her father’s position as the sheriff, as you said strengthening the relationship?
Jordan Hinson: Right. I think that going into the town…I think the reason it took so long to adapt with her dad is because she didn’t know anything about the town. She thought it was a town full of geeks and I think she did not even care to adapt to it. But she actually started to like it and that, in her mind, made her think, maybe my dad’s not so bad, maybe this town isn’t so bad, and maybe I can live here. And I think that’s sort of the turning point for her. I think there wasn’t really a moment in time when she just stopped and said, you know what, actually my dad is a pretty cool guy. I think he really did prove that he loves her and that he’s always there for her and I think she accepted it. I’m having a lot of fun this season because when there’s not so much rebellion going on, there’s deeper storylines you can play. There’s a lot of great stuff!

Linda Craddock: Good! Can you give us a little hint as to what we can expect in “Zoe” in Season 2?
Jordan Hinson: Well, there are a lot of different things that go on. Abby may come back – the mother – and there’s a lot of dealing with family issues with him as opposed to them fighting with each other about things. There’s some good stuff and I’m having so much fun this season.

Linda Craddock: So, is it safe to say that…Well, based on Season 1, your character wasn’t always privy to the events that took place in “Eureka” as the sheriff’s daughter. Will “Zoe” become more aware of the strange activities in Season 2?
Jordan Hinson: Oh well, definitely. In the first season she had no clue what she was in for. She went into the town and there were all of these strange anomalies and weird mishaps going on and she didn’t know what to expect. Obviously, living in the town for a year or so now, it’s like you’re always on your toes. So she’s definitely more aware of things.

Linda Craddock: What are some of the similarities, if any, between Jordan and “Zoe”?
Jordan Hinson: Our style, maybe. I guess it helped a lot with wardrobe, which is cool. I guess, being a teenage girl, it’s hard for people to dress you. So, definitely similar styles. The way we deal with situations…Yeah, we’re sort of the same, but I don’t know, I’ve never really had identity theft or credit card fraud on my record. You never know, though!

Linda Craddock: Eureka has a very entertaining cast of characters which generates a lot of humor as well as personality for each. What actor do you find most entertaining behind the camera?
Jordan Hinson: Wow, that’s hard to say. Everyone is crazy! I think Colin, actually. He’s the funniest and he completely turns a bad situation into good. He honestly is probably the funniest. Ed’s great…Joe’s great. I mean everyone! Our set is more like a comedy club. It’s wonderful!

Linda Craddock: Okay. In the episode, “Right As Raynes”, your hair was red. Now we all know actors gain and lose weight, shave their heads, change facial hair etc…In preparation for a project. Did you dye your hair or did you wear a wig?
Jordan Hinson: It was a wig. Thank goodness. If I had dyed my hair, it would have fallen out. It was definitely a wig.

Linda Craddock: Okay. Tell us a little about your work day on the set…Hours you work, any routines to get started, school work, etc…
Jordan Hinson: Last year it was a pretty light workload. I had to do 3 hours of school, out of 9.5, so you don’t get a lot of time on set with everyone which is a little aggravating at times when you really want to finish a scene but you can’t because your hours don’t work. But I actually graduated early so I have my high school diploma now so I can work adult hours.

Linda Craddock: Congratulations!
Jordan Hinson: Thank you! It’s a little scary, but it’s good!

Linda Craddock: What did you miss about not attending formal classes at the time?
Jordan Hinson: Umm, you know honestly people always ask me if I miss school. I really don’t. I mean, I look at it in a sense like I’m so lucky. I get to work with such amazing people. The only thing I probably miss is something like prom. I don’t really miss school. Of course, I’m going to go to college and all that but I don’t miss public school.

Linda Craddock: What would you say has been the most challenging aspect of doing the show?
Jordan Hinson: Umm, I think finding the character, in a sense. I wasn’t really happy with the way I played Zoe in the pilot. There was a lot of things that I just wasn’t very…I’m a very critical person, so I was like hmmm,…no. So what I wanted to do is sort of evolve her in Season 1 and I just didn’t want her to come off as a whiney, bratty teenager that nobody liked because no one can really relate to that. I mean, there are some teenagers like that, but for the most part teenagers these days are so much more mature and I really wanted to portray that. I really enjoyed evolving her.

Linda Craddock: Even though the rest of the cast were welcoming and warm and helpful to you, it was something different for you.
Jordan Hinson: Yeah, definitely. What was also different was that I had done The Disney Channel right before that. Literally a month before I filmed the pilot I had filmed a Disney Channel movie. It was just very different. I was a figure skater and then I was this rebellious who is running away. It was cool though. I’m definitely more of a fan of the sci-fi though.

Linda Craddock: How many episodes are schedule to be aired for Season 2?
Jordan Hinson: 13. I think they are trying to keep the idea fresh as opposed to over doing the amount of episodes. I really think they don’t want the episode to go stale at all so they’re being very cautious with it which is good.

Linda Craddock: Talk a little bit about your role in “The Good Mother”.
Jordan Hinson: Oh. Abby Snow. Umm, that was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life, only because I guess when you’re on a set like that…There was a few conflicts on the set, which was fine because the movie was so high strung and you were always running or fighting or doing something on the set so…I guess the emotions being tense was a good thing. It sort of helped you out with the role, but I really thoroughly enjoyed that movie. It took me a while after to calm down. I had just built up so much emotion through filming. It’s funny – I never really knew how into it you can really be, but it was a very different experience. I really liked it a lot.

Linda Craddock: Good. So what do you do in your free time?
Jordan Hinson: I hang out with all my friends. I’m in LA right now so I’m here until this coming Monday. I have 3 dogs, I have my family…We just sort of chill. But I do have all my friends here in LA, so I’m glad to be seeing them, because we’re up in Canada for like 5 months. It’s a little hard, but it’s fun.

Linda Craddock: Good. Do you have a favorite actor and actress that you would love to someday work with?
Jordan Hinson: Yes. I would love to someday work with Nicole Kidman. That’s a pretty high goal, but she’s like my role model. I love her and even someone younger like Rachel McAdams As for actors, I would love to work with Johnny Depp, Dustin Hoffman…I’m a big movie person so I have a lot of favorite actors and actresses.

Linda Craddock: Okay, great.

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