Just about every woman I know is wearing a hat these days. Why? Because we’ve been on strict orders to stay home. And, that means you can’t get your hair cut, colored, blown-out, styled, permed, extended, relaxed or anything else that requires a trip to your favorite salon. For so many of us, our hair is truly an extension of who we are.

Now, image this as a normal day and you’re an 11-year old girl who wearing her natural hair (an afro) to school – on picture day. As she faces microaggressions, young Alliyah is faced with the decision to wear her afro proudly or tie it up for her photo. This the premise behind the award-winning short film “PICK.”

The film also weaves in another emotional layer by casting actress JESSICA DANOV, a white woman, as Alliyah’s single mother. This expands the storyline into a universal parental struggle for those raising biracial children.

The film is nominated for a Canadian Screen Award (CSA): Best Live Action Short, and screened at tons of festivals including TIFF Next Wave Film Festival (Toronto), Afro Prairie Film Festival (Winnipeg), Athena Film Festival (New York), Miami Film Festival (Miami), Urbanworld (New York), and Vancouver International Film Festival (Vancouver) among others.

I recently caught-up Jessica Danov to ask a few questions:

Tell us about “Pick” and your role in it.

JESSICA: Pick centers around Alliyah, a young girl who wears her afro to school on picture day and must deal with the unexpected consequences. I play Alliyah’s single mom who is struggling with how to help her daughter.

Did you do anything specific to prepare for the role?

JESSICA: Preparing for this role started with finding the similarities and differences between my character and myself. I found more similarities than expected and was able to relate to her situation on a much more personal level than I had anticipated.

What would you consider your characters ‘best’ quality? And their ‘worst’?

JESSICA: Alliyah’s mom is so caring, warm, and compassionate and while she was doing her very best, I would have liked her to find the courage to start an open conversation with her daughter.

Any interesting stories from the set you can share with us?

JESSICA: Our makeup artist, the incredibly talented and kind Nehnika Williams, brought her young daughter to set, which was a joy. She would sit and watch her mom work and play with the makeup her mom gave her. It was lovely to witness their bond and actually gave me insight that I was able to bring to my role.

What’s the biggest lesson you learned from working on this project?

JESSICA: Even when we don’t have the words and might not have experienced what someone is going through, we can still find a way to help. Being there and offering our love and support can mean more than we know for that person during difficult times.

And, now just for fun:

Who’s your favorite actor/actress?

JESSICA: I have so many, but one of my favourites is Sam Rockwell.

What role from the past do you wish you could have played?

JESSICA: Tracy Lord in “The Philadelphia Story.”

Favorite movie or TV show from your childhood.

JESSICA: I loved “The Little Mermaid” as a kid. I’m sure I drove my family nuts watching it over and over again.

Tell us one thing that would surprise our readers to learn about you.

JESSICA: I had a piece of my artwork displayed at an art gallery when I was in high school.

How can fans keep up with you?

JESSICA: You can follow me on Instagram @jessdanov link and Twitter @jessdanov link