JASIKA NICOLE
Actress Jasika Nicole stars as Junior FBI Agent Astrid Farnsworth on Fox’s innovative sci-fi series Fringe, where her fictional areas of expertise include computer hacking, Latin and code-breaking. In real life, the Birmingham, AL native is just as multitalented: After studying theater, voice and dance in college, she used her skills in her debut feature film, the ballroom-dancing flick Take the Lead with Antonio Banderas; Law and Order: Criminal Intent; and other projects for TV, film and musical theater. A freelance illustrator as well as a performer, Nicole writes and draws an autobiographical comic entitled High Yella Magic, which she’s developing into a graphic novel. She contributed work to The Letter Q, a forthcoming book of prose, poems and artwork to reach out to LGBT teens. “By being visible and vocal, I hope to have as substantial an impact on the straight community as the queer one,” Nicole says. “As a queer woman of color, it would also be a considerable success to raise awareness in the black community, which has historically [had] negative views about queer folk…Celebrating our diversity can only strengthen our community.” –KL
