Jenn Lyon: The art of playing a real human
Brendan Cannon
Jenn Lyon has a rare ability to inhabit characters with a balance of grit and vulnerability, navigating the tension between humour and heartbreak.
From Jenn Lyon’s breakout roles on “Claws” to the absurdly focused Courteney Potter on “STUMBLE”, Lyon brings an authenticity that makes every performance feel lived-in. She credits much of this to instinct, creators, and the rare gift of working with casts who are as committed to laughter as they are to craft.
Off-screen, Lyon’s perspective is just as candid. She embraces risks, resists the pressure to rebrand herself, and celebrates the messy, human aspects of both her craft and life. She speaks with admiration for the artists around her, the characters she inhabits, and the real-world stories that shape her work. Beyond acting, she’s a thoughtful advocate for women and equality, and her honesty resonates in every role she takes on.
IRK: Jenn Lyon, your performances often balance grit and vulnerability. How do you find that tension without overplaying either side?
Jenn Lyon: I think I’m mostly trying to eschew sentimentality whenever possible; the vulnerability comes through pretty naturally because I’m a softie?
IRK: When you first read a script, what tells you a character is worth inhabiting—flaws, secrets, or the silence between the lines?
Jenn Lyon: Good writing is all of that. Great characters are always pursuing something around obstacles while grappling with glaring personal blind spots that the audience can see but they can’t.
IRK: How do you balance playing Courteney on STUMBLE as both intensely focused on winning and absurdly oblivious?
Jenn Lyon: Well, I’m very lucky that the writing is fantastic. Jeff and Liz Astrof (the creators) are geniuses, and have made the whole world of Courteney and all the other characters bloom right on the page. Also, Jeff Blitz and Yana Gorskaya as our directors are brilliant at threading that needle.
IRK: Mel Brooks is one of the most talented performers and directors of our time! You’ve described the show as a love child of Mel Brooks and Friday Night Lights. How does the show balance the humor with the high-stakes drama?
Jenn Lyon: I grew up watching Mel Brooks movies and specials. They are always playing the life-or-death stakes; they just happen to exist in a topsy turvy world. Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Mel himself are one hundred percent committed. They play the tragedy, which is why it’s so funny.
IRK: What has your experience been like working with such a great cast? Any favorite moments?
Jenn Lyon: They are all so loving, good at what they do, and absolute weirdos. They love laughing and they work really hard– but also can’t keep from cutting up between takes. Taran Killam is what my mama would call a cat bird which means he is mischievous and always has something up his sleeve. Now that I think of it, they are all cat birds.
IRK: “Claws” had this electric mix of glamour and danger. What did that show unlock in you Jenn Lyon as a performer?
Jenn Lyon: Claws really gave me a chance to learn to trust my own instincts, I think. When you are on a show for multiple seasons, it’s very different than being a guest star or a recurring character. You get comfortable enough to try stuff and you worry less about getting fired. I also had inventive actors all around me, so it was like a master class watching all the main ladies– and also Harold Perrineau, Kevin Rankin, Jason Antoon etc… I got more comfortable in my body after a long time of being at war with it.
IRK: With Happy Face tapping into true-crime culture, how do you approach material rooted in real-life trauma without sensationalizing it?
Jenn Lyon: You owe it to the victims and the people who lived it to play it straight. If you start judging your characters or sending them up, the audience will sense it. We have to be compassionate about everyone involved. It doesn’t mean we sanitize it, it just means we find the humanity, the longing, the need underneath.
IRK: The industry is obsessed with reinvention. Have you ever felt pressure to rebrand yourself or have you resisted that game?
Jenn Lyon: Every time I go into a situation I think, “This time I’m going to be inscrutable and mysterious.” 10 minutes later I’m pretending to fall out of a production van. Then telling someone what a deal I got at Marshalls. It’s not for lack of trying.
IRK: What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in a role, and did it pay off creatively?
Jenn Lyon: I took a big swing playing Esther on “Dead Boy Detectives”. It booked me the job, so I’m glad I did. I really loved that series and was so sad it was cancelled. But you can watch it on Netflix still.
Cuff: PLUMA @pluma_italia
IRK: Comedy can be brutal and drama can be intimate. Which feels more exposing to you?
Jenn Lyon: That depends if the comedy is going well? If you’re doing a play that is supposed to be funny for an audience that hates you, that feels so vulnerable to keep trying. On the other hand, doing whatever is in your head for a dramatic moment can also be a cracked open feeling. I’m embarrassed by everything all the time. Final answer.
IRK: Have you ever fought for a character choice that no one else initially understood?
Jenn Lyon: YES! A LOT! And mostly lost.
IRK: What kind of roles are you craving now that you haven’t yet had the chance to play?
Jenn Lyon: I would love a hyper verbal Sorkin type lawyer. Also, let me at an accent. I feel like UK and Australian actors are always getting to come play a variety of American accents, but we don’t get the same trade.
IRK: When audiences walk away from a Jenn Lyon performance, what do you hope lingers with them?
Jenn Lyon: My higher self hopes they view the project as a whole and that it makes them think, feel, escape etc., but my lower self wants to be liked best.
IRK: What is your favourite Fragrance, lipstick and moisturizer and handbag?
Jenn Lyon: My friend George turned me on to Killian’s fragrances and I really like one named Intoxicated. It’s unisex and just smells incredible to me because I don’t love a floral anything. For lipsticks I like Haus Labs, Kora, Fenty lip oils, and Laneige has me in a headlock. My favorite moisturizer is Elemis anything, especially for the winter. I have like one handbag that my man got me for my birthday 2 years ago that I carry constantly and it’s the Isabel Marant Botsy crossbody.
IRK: International Women’s Day & month is coming up, what do you want for women this year?
Jenn Lyon: I’m thinking about the women in Iran and their tireless fight within a regime designed to suppress them. I’m thinking of the women of the Democratic Republic of Congo. They face the worst percentage of intimate partner violence. I’m thinking of the women here in America. They live in states where they don’t have access to reproductive health care. What I want for women this year and every year is equality.
IRK: What advice do you have for young artists and thespians?
Jenn Lyon: Buckle up because it’s a long haul if you’re lucky. Be brave. Be kind. Do acts of service that you don’t post about. Get romantic about the mundane.
Jenn Lyon Shoot Credits:
Photographer : Lindsay Adler @lindsayadler_photo
Creative director : @thecannonmediagroup
MAKEUP ARTIST: Joanne Gair @joannegair Makeup @danessa_myricks
HAIR: Stevie Rosalie @stevierosalie Hair products @redken
On Set Stylist: Madison Gu @madisonwengu
Watch Jenn Lyon’s show STUMBLE on NBC.
#Stumble airs on @nbc and @peacock
Special Thank You to Kasey Kitchen, The Marque PR team, and NBC.
Share this post
Cannon is our Editor-At-Large since August 2016. He grew up in New York City and was influenced at an early age by rock and fashion. He is an award-winning celebrity stylist, fashion editor and creative director who has styled many of his favorite musicians including Annie Lennox, Cyndi Lauper, Jimmy Page and Shirley Manson. His wit, charisma, and style have made him a trusted and sought-after stylist by Hollywood legends such as Liza Minnelli, Willem Dafoe, Dennis Hopper, and Glenn Close.
Cannon has also worked with some of today's hottest celebrities, including Diane Kruger, Angelina Jolie, Matt Damon, Penn Badgley and Kellan Lutz. He was the first stylist to get Barbra Walters into a pair of jeans for a photo shoot, and had the opportunity to dress Michael Jackson as the KING OF POP for MTV. In addition, Cannon also founded PLUMA- a luxury costume jewelry collection made exclusively in Italy that was recently featured on the cover of Italian Vogue. As a result of working with great musicians and celebrities, Cannon has contributed to multiple publications including: Rolling Stone, Vogue, Time, Entertainment Weekly, Vanity Fair and W. He has styled large casts for every network including: Lost, Sopranos, The View, Project Runway, Kelly, The Today Show, Top Chef, and The Office. Cannon's expertise in fashion also has lent itself to him being in front of the camera as a style expert, with television appearances on E!, Style, VH1, CBS, NBC, ABC, TLC, and Bravo. Cannon has been an on-air spokesperson for TJ Maxx, Burlington Coat Factory, Chapstick, Pantene, Dove, and Peanuts/Snoopy Worldwide. He has also been profiled in American, German and Japanese publications. In addition, Cannon was instrumental in organizing an inaugural panel discussing fashion and film for MEIFF in which he also served as a participant alongside Jason Wu and Kathryn Neale Shaffer, contributing editor at American Vogue.
Whether it's obtaining real museum pieces for a Discovery Channel commercial or recreating 50 unique culturally observant costumes for the worldwide launch of the National Geographic Channel, Cannon's respect for authenticity and his gift of problem solving has left lasting impressions on everyone he has worked with. Additional commercial work also includes Saks Fifth Avenue, Target, Sony Music, RCA, Bravo Network, Sprint, Bergdorf Goodman, and Neiman Marcus.
Cannon has styled fashion shows for Jason Wu and the Life Ball in Vienna, Austria, starring THE BLONDS, which is the largest AIDS benefit runway show in the world, that year hosted by President Bill Clinton and Eva Longoria. Other fashion shows include Snoopy in Fashion, Joanna Mastrioni to name a few. He has also styled shows for Safilo and their licensed brands, which include Gucci, Christian Dior, Emporio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Dior Homme, Max Mara, Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Banana Republic, Tommy Hilfiger.
Read Next
