Hollywood is an interesting place for newbies. There are days when you are hoping to find work and then something clicks, and you find yourself sharing a frame with Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor. The 23-year-old actor Jordan Alexa Davis is having a similar moment. She began her journey in the world of entertainment as a child actor doing theatre productions and wanted to make a name for herself. From voicing Poppy Peepleson in Vampirina to starring in Apple TV's Defending Jacob, she has built a versatile career. Now, Davis has taken a major step forward with David Robert Mitchell's The End of Oak Street. 

A Warner Bros. production, The End of Oak Street is about a peaceful neighborhood that suddenly becomes a worldwide sensation after a cosmic event tears the area from suburbia and transports the residents to an unknown place. Sounds exciting, right? Well, if you like being followed by gigantic dinosaurs, then your answer would be yes. Hathaway and McGregor play the lead roles while the supporting cast includes Maisy Stella, Christian Convery, and Davis. The movie has gone on to receive a positive response from the critics as well as audiences. But for Davis, this response means something more and something she wished for. 

In an exclusive conversation with NetflixJunkie, Davis opened up about stepping into the mysterious world of the film, preparing for a physically demanding thriller, working with iconic actors such as Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, and what she learned from them. She also reflects on her journey as an artist, her love for music, and her hopes of returning to the stage someday.

Aayush Sharma: You started your journey as a singer, worked as a child actor, and now you're stepping into a major, big-budget film. Looking back at the journey, how has your experience in the industry shaped you as an artist, and what have been some of the biggest lessons you have learned along the way?

Jordan Alexa Davis: Yeah, it's been pretty crazy. I feel like you definitely learn to have thicker skin. As most people say, it's true. There's a lot of rejection. There are a lot of no's, but you have to be kind of, I feel like, solid within yourself, keep going, and know that it'll click if you want it enough. But yeah, it's been really beautiful. I feel so grateful that this is my first film.

Aayush: You started your career on stage at just six years old in The Not So Wicked Wiz of Oz. Now, you’re jumping into a massive Warner Bros. sci-fi thriller. How much of that foundational musical theater discipline—the stamina, the breath control, and the physical awareness—helped you navigate the grueling, high-stakes physical environment of a dinosaur survival film?

Jordan: That is a great question. I mean, yeah, because for thrillers, a lot of it is very physical, and it's physically demanding, emotionally demanding. I mean, when I was doing musical theater shows, I was like six years old. So I do not really think I was approaching it from a place of, like, I am practicing my craft. It was more for fun. But I guess, yeah, in both kinds of fields, like stage acting and film acting, it takes a lot of discipline, especially when you are doing an action or thriller, and stamina when you are doing that. So yeah.

Aayush: In Vampirina, you brought Poppy Peepleson to life entirely through the expressiveness of your voice in a booth. How did that specific training in vocal imagination prepare you for Oak Street, where you likely had to act terrified while looking at tennis balls and green screens representing massive CGI predators?

Jordan: I mean, I feel like, like you just said, it was a lot about using your imagination when you are working with a lot of visual special effects and stuff, where you are acting towards things that are not there yet, that they are going to put in later. So you really have to use your imagination and, similarly, with voiceovers, just kind of get into that space and, yeah, act. It does take a certain skill to be able to do that, I think.

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Aayush: We know The End of Oak Street centers on the Platt family (Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, and Christian Convery) waking up to find their suburban street ending at a prehistoric cliff. Where exactly does your character fit into this fractured neighborhood? Are you a neighbor caught in the chaos, and how does your character uniquely process the terrifying realization that they are completely displaced in time?

Jordan: I'm not sure how much I'm able to say yet, because there hasn't been much character information about mine disclosed, but yeah, she is kind of like the girl next door. She lives in their small town and just kind of gets swept up in everything with the rest of them. She is very much part of the world they are all navigating, so it was really fun to explore how she reacts when everything around her starts changing. I think audiences will get to discover her alongside the story.

Aayush: You are sharing the screen with cinematic powerhouses like Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor as they shift from ordinary suburbanites to primal survivalists facing multi-ton dinosaurs. What was the most invaluable acting lesson you absorbed simply by watching their process and their chemistry in between the words 'action' and 'cut'?

Jordan: I feel like just the fact that they are such amazing, kind, down-to-earth people to work with, that was the most. That was just the coolest thing for me, I guess, because you realize, like, wow, you really can be, well, sorry, you really can be incredibly talented, but you do not have to be an awful person, you know? And they are both. So it is just refreshing to see that you can be number one on the call sheet, but still be so caring and so kind, and, like, you should be doing that for everyone, making everyone feel comfortable and making sure everyone feels valued at all times.

Aayush: With J.J. Abrams producing through Bad Robot, there is already massive internet speculation that The End of Oak Street might secretly tie into the Cloverfield universe. What is it like to be embedded in a production shrouded in that signature 'mystery box' secrecy, and how does that on-set energy and anticipation affect your performance?

Jordan: I think when you are making something, you are not really able to anticipate all the time how it is going to be received, or what people are going to take from it, or what people will theorize about, or make conspiracy theories or stuff like that. So you're kind of just, I feel like, zoned in on the work- what the work is and what the script is and what you're specifically doing- and just trying to deliver the best performances and make that the best work for what it is.

Aayush: You were part of the critically acclaimed Defending Jacob, which was a very heavy, psychological, and grounded drama. How does the emotional exhaustion of shooting a quiet crime drama compare to the pure, adrenaline-fueled survival terror you had to tap into for this film?

Jordan: I feel like with both of them, you kind of have to learn how to leave it at the door. When you are done, you have to know how to separate what your personal life is from the make-believe and what your job is, versus, like, yeah, and it can be difficult sometimes, especially when you are attached to a project that you care so deeply about and love so much, because I just want to make it my whole world and give everything to it. But I think just learning how to have a balance between setting healthy boundaries and the really intense stuff is helpful.

Aayush: You started your career as a singer and have even released your own album, and now you're exploring acting as well. When you look at the two sides of your artistry, which one feels more fulfilling to you personally, and is there one you'd choose if you had to pick just one?

Jordan: I feel like they both have a really special place in my heart. I do not really know. I think I love them both so much in different ways that it is almost impossible to pick one or put one over the other because they're just different to me, and they both kind of unlock something different in me and scratch a certain itch that is different. But yeah, I guess I feel like right now, music is more- it is always a more personal thing for me. I make music for myself, like, first and foremost. And then if I feel like sharing it or I want to share it, then I will. But it's always kind of been more for myself, and I still love it the most. But with acting and filmmaking and stuff like that, I feel like the goal is obviously to make projects for people to see because you want to move other people and tell a story to other people.

Aayush: Looking at your journey from voicing a beloved Disney character, to heavy Apple TV+ dramas, to a Bad Robot blockbuster, you have shown immense versatility. As your on-screen career explodes, do you have plans to return to your musical theater and singing roots, perhaps in a film musical, to bridge both of your greatest passions?

Jordan: Yeah, I would love to do that. That would be a dream. Yeah, that would be really cool, or even just doing Broadway one day, maybe in the future. I feel like stage acting definitely intimidates me a little bit more because I'm not as familiar with it, but it is something that I'd love to tackle one day, too. And, like, the fear of it kind of entices me. So I feel like that would be fun.

The End of Oak Street is currently playing in theaters worldwide. 

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