Jamie Lynn Spears On Front Lines Of SAG-AFTRA Picket Line: ‘We Out Here’
By Kristin Myers on August 4, 2023 at 12:00 PM EDT
Actress Jamie Lynn Spears is on the front lines of the SAG-AFTRA picket line.
The little sister of pop star Britney Spears best known for starring in "Zoey 101" recently reprised her role in "Zoey 102," which is now available to stream. Although she took a step back from acting following her teenage pregnancy, she is now ready to get back into her acting career.
Unfortunately, with the WGA writer's strike and the SAG-AFTRA actors' strike in full swing, that seems impossible until a settlement is reached. Jamie Lynn shared a few photos on her social media page on Thursday morning, showing exactly how she feels about the strike.
Jamie Lynn Shares Photos From The SAG-AFTRA Picket Line: ‘We Out Here’
On Thursday, the “Sweet Magnolias” actress shared a few photos from the picket line. “We out here,” she wrote in the caption.
“Big thanks [to] the wonderful humans who captured this important moment in time for all of us,” she continued, thanking Ashley Batz for the photograph as well as those who donated the backdrop and equipment.
Her “Zoey 102” costar Erin Zariah Sanders commented, “Big love to everyone who is volunteering their time” alongside a red heart emoji.
Jamie Lynn Opens Up On Her Decision To Quit Acting After Getting Pregnant As A Teen
In a July 2023 episode of the “Better Tomorrow” podcast, the 32-year-old actress reflected on what it was like to get pregnant at fifteen. At the time, she told host Hannah Brown, “That was something I took responsibility for the way that made sense for me.” She quit her Nickelodeon show, “Zoey 101,” which ran from 2005 to 2008, and decided to get a fresh start in the “middle of nowhere” Mississippi.
That year, she welcomed her daughter Maddie, now 15, with her ex-boyfriend, Casey Albridge. She also welcomed a second daughter, Ivey Joan, 5, with her husband, Jamie Watson, who she married in 2014. Although she is making a return to acting now, Jamie Lynn revealed that she didn't want any contact in Mississippi. “I was like, ‘No one call me,’ [and] I put myself on a budget,” she explained. “I had a budget for, like, 10 years that I lived very strictly by and I just wanted to be normal and I just really wanted to be away.”
“That doesn’t make sense for everyone else, but it made sense for me and the whole world came down and told me I was the worst human alive for doing so and that every young girl who ever watched my show was going to be ruined because of me and my personal decision,” she said of the media scrutiny she faced after she decided to leave the entertainment industry behind.
Unfortunately, the fame followed her, and Jamie Lynn admitted that she was sometimes afraid of going to grocery stores out of fear that she would be recognized. “Interacting with people like that on a daily basis makes you have a much different outlook whenever a newspaper writes a bad headline about you that’s not true," she recalled. "Like, you know what, that doesn’t matter. These are the people that matter."
Jamie Lynn Spears Reveals She Once Tried To Get A Role In 'Twilight'
The actress also told Variety that she once even read for “Twilight” but did not get a part. She confessed:
“I did read for “Twilight.” This was before vampires had really made their mark. Now we all love to watch stories about vampires, but I literally was like, “Vampires? Are you kidding me?” I remember reading it and going, “Who is going to watch these vampires?” Boy, was I wrong.”
"Acting is always something that feels really good. I love telling stories, whether that’s writing music for myself or for other people or playing a role. It’s something I feel really good and comfortable in — I think it was somewhat of my first love," she said, admitting that she was "kind of afraid" to return to Hollywood.
"For my mental health, it would probably have been a better decision to say, 'I’m never doing this again.' But it’s all I know. It’s the only way I know to be. It’s a part of me," she said, adding, "I knew it was gonna happen, but I was real scared. I was scared of failing."
Jamie Lynn went on to say that acting is all she has "ever wanted to do, was to be able to be in front of the camera. And I also think going through things I’ve gone through makes me appreciate it. It’s like, 'Wow, how lucky am I have a job and I get to provide for my children doing something I love.' I’ve always fought to keep my place at the table. I just feel like I appreciate every single time I get a seat at the table."
