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JaimieJaimie Alexander’s first stab at acting didn’t
go so well. “I was kicked out of my high-
school drama program for not knowing
how to sing,” recalls the costar of NBC’s new
adrenaline-fueled thriller, Blindspot.
Rather than throw in the towel, Alexander — who
grew up with four older brothers in Grapevine, Texas —
did what any plucky teen would do: she started a female
wrestling team, earning the respect of her sibs while
pinning girls to the ground. The training would come
in handy for her future as an action star, first as super
heroine Jessi in the ABC Family series Kyle XY and later
as Sif in the Marvel Comics–based films Thor (2011) and
Thor: The Dark World (2013).
“Wrestling taught me great discipline and perse-
verance,” she says, “which has definitely come in handy
given the roles I play.”
Blindspot’s Jane Doe is no exception. Shortly after
she is pulled naked from a duffel bag in Times Square,
Jane—who’ssufferingfrommemoryloss—springsinto
action, kicking the daylights out of every thug she en-
counters. “I pretty much learn the fight sequences on the
fly the day we film them,” Alexander admits. She credits
herlongtimestuntdouble,KyFurneaux,withkeepingher
in fighting form.
On days off, Alexander can often be found running
along Manhattan’s East River (the series shoots in New
York) or face down on a massage table. “Ky and I take
quite a beating during the week, so it’s important to use
my time off to reset.”
Alexander’s character has as many secrets as she
does fight skills. The series delivers equal parts action
and suspense as FBI agent Kurt Weller (Sullivan Staple-
ton) attempts to decipher the clues inked on every inch
of Jane’s sinuous body.
The actress herself is no stranger to tattoos. “I have
nine of my own,” she says.
Could she design one to describe her current life?
Alexander’s answer is as cryptic as Jane Doe’s body
art: “It would have puzzle pieces flowing downward and
coming together at the base.”
Like the FBI agents on Blindspot, you’ll have to figure
that one out for yourself. —Michele Shapiro
Kickin’
It
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