Stephanie Jacobsen

Stephanie Jacobsen
PerformerTRS
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Portrays:	Kendra Shaw
Date of Birth:	June 22, 1980
Date of Death:	Missing required parameter 1=month! ,
Age:	45
Nationality:	AUS
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Stephanie Jacobsen (also credited as Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen and Stephany Jacobsen) is a Hong Kong-born Australian actress who portrays Kendra Shaw in "Razor," a television movie feature of the Re-imagined Series.

Career

Born in British Hong Kong to a multicultural family of Chinese, Portuguese, Norwegian, and English descent, Jacobsen moved to Australia with her family when she was twelve years old. More specifically, her father is "half Chinese, a quarter English and a quarter Norwegian," while her mother's family is "primarily Portuguese." She attended the University of Sydney, graduating with a double-major Bachelor of Arts in English literature and philosophy. While at university, she "considered a multitude of other careers, but I always intended to be an actor."

Jacobsen began her acting career in Australian television, appearing in the SBS comedy series Pizza and the soap opera Home and Away, playing Charlotte Adams from 2001 to 2002. She also had a brief appearance as Nurse Froy in the science fiction series Farscape.

In 2007, Jacobsen launched the North American phase of her career by landing the role of Kendra Shaw in "Razor," the television movie feature of the Re-imagined Series. This role marked her breakthrough into American science fiction television. Her casting came after her agent in Sydney received a call following auditions for another project during pilot season, and she was asked to audition on tape for the role.

Jacobsen described the complexity of her character as fundamentally challenging, noting that Kendra Shaw was "almost sterile" and required her to "go against all of those instincts, pull them right back and cover them up," which was "an enormous challenge" but "very, very fulfilling." In a more detailed interview, she elaborated that Kendra was "almost a dream role" because of "the direness of her circumstance" and how she had been "rendered unemotive, almost inhuman by what she'd seen and done."

The challenge of playing Kendra was that "she never laughed, she never cried, she rarely even smiled, she seldom regretted anything," which Jacobsen compared to "being told to build a house without a hammer, without any wood, without any nails." She found joining the established ensemble cast to be welcoming, stating that "everyone was helpful, accommodating, welcoming, very open, very generous with me in every way," though she acknowledged that being "completely new to the environment" created a correlation with her character's experience.

Working closely with Michelle Forbes (Helena Cain), Jacobsen described Forbes as "almost like a force of nature" and praised her intensity and focus, saying that "responding to what she provides on set as a fellow actor is absolutely effortless." In the TV.com interview, she elaborated that Forbes "is a powerhouse of a performer but she is also a very kind, accommodating person." She also worked extensively with Katee Sackhoff (Kara Thrace), whom she called "possibly the easiest person I've ever worked with" and "completely no maintenance."

Jacobsen interpreted her character's relationships with both Cain and Starbuck through the lens that "Cain replaced her mother," and noted that Kendra "didn't necessarily like either of them but she respected them both," with respect being "the closest thing to affection that she was capable of." She elaborated that Kendra "never actually liked or disliked people" but "either respected them, or she didn't, and she respected Starbuck." Regarding the conflict between the two characters, Jacobsen explained that Kendra and Starbuck were "very different" - while Starbuck's core "was always very human and very noble," Kendra's was "quite cold and quite desensitized."

Regarding her character development, Jacobsen explained her approach to Kendra's darker aspects, noting that she "never perceived her as 'dark'" but rather "exceptionally decisive and functional: she was all about getting the job done, and getting it done succinctly." Her drug use, she explained, was simply "how she functioned for a while." Following her Battlestar Galactica appearance, Jacobsen secured recurring roles in major American television series. She played Commander Jesse Flores, a Resistance fighter from the future, in ten episodes of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles during its second season. Coincidentally, this character also served as an executive officer, but on the nuclear submarine USS Jimmy Carter.

Discussing the differences between her two science fiction characters, Jacobsen noted that while both Kendra and Jesse had "seen some horrible things and had some hard times," they dealt with their traumas differently. While Kendra "cut herself off from people (except for Admiral Cain) and turned to drugs," Jesse was "really just clinging to a sense of humanity and a sense of connection with Derek." She described Jesse as having "an interest in experiencing the more privileged aspects of pre-apocalyptic life," including staying in fancy hotels and lounging by the pool.

Regarding her transition to playing Jesse on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Jacobsen noted this was "the first time that I've really played a pseudo villain" and "the first time I've played a character who was, in a lot of ways, intended to be misunderstood." She explained that while Kendra "did a lot of, or a few at least, outrageous things but she was still positioned as a protagonist in Razor," her character on The Sarah Connor Chronicles was "an antagonist."

In April 2009, she was cast as medical student Lauren Yung in The CW's revamped Melrose Place series. Reflecting on the transition from science fiction to drama, Jacobsen stated that "it was time for me to learn how to use some new tools" and appreciated the "change of pace," though she hoped to return to sci-fi in the future. She described Lauren as "such a paradox, so torn" and considered it "an honour to be entrusted with this character." Jacobsen was also originally cast as Maya, Sam Tyler's girlfriend, in the original pilot of Life on Mars but was replaced by Lisa Bonet when the show was retooled. She was philosophical about the experience, noting that when the entire cast was replaced, "it obviously wasn't a personal slight towards anyone who was involved in the original pilot" and that "all's well that ends well" since she was enjoying her work on Terminator at the time.

Her other television appearances include guest roles in NCIS, Hawaii Five-0, Revenge, and Star-Crossed.

Jacobsen has also appeared in several films, including Alex Cross (2012) as businesswoman Fan Yau Lee, the first victim of the antagonist Picasso (Matthew Fox), and the science fiction film Occupation (2018) as Amelia Chambers.

Voice Acting

In recent years, Jacobsen has expanded into voice acting. From 2021 to 2022, she voiced the character Drysi in six episodes of the Netflix animated series Dota: Dragon's Blood. This marked her entry into animation voice work.

Character Development and Motivation

Jacobsen brought considerable depth to her interpretation of Kendra Shaw's character arc and psychological development. She viewed Kendra's transformation from the "bright eyed optimist" seen in early flashbacks as an inevitable progression, explaining that Kendra "had sort of pledged herself to Cain sooner than" the pivotal scene aboard the civilian ship Scylla. The significance of the Scylla incident was that "there was no coming back from it" - it represented Kendra going "past the point of no return."

Regarding Kendra's family background, Jacobsen noted that "Kendra's mother had died" and "had been a prominent figure," suggesting that "familial legacy would have been there, irrespective of whether or not the Cylons attacked." However, she emphasized that Kendra was "never that vulnerable" and that while her attachment to Cain might have been "reflective of the loss of her mother in some indirect way," it wasn't "like a child looking for shelter."

When discussing Kendra's relationship with Gina Inviere, Jacobsen revealed that "she was curious about Gina" and "perceived Gina as a vulnerable point in Cain." Interestingly, she felt that "Kendra, one to one, liked Gina" because "Gina was effective, she was good at what she did, they got along." This complexity extended to Kendra's role in the torture and abuse of Gina - Jacobsen believed that "as that Colonial officer, she felt that she was justified in everything she did" and that "every officer around her was justified in everything that they did as well."

Acting Philosophy and Approach

Jacobsen has developed a distinctive approach to challenging material, particularly when dealing with dark or complex scenes. Regarding her work in "Razor," she explained that she approaches difficult scenes "without comment," focusing on "doing what is done in the scene and then maybe reflecting on or analyzing it later." She believes actors must "commit to whatever it is and get it done and then sort of worry about it afterwards," noting that every scene "amounts to a very clear and I guess quite a profound philosophy."

The introduction of Kendra Shaw as a completely new character so late in Battlestar Galactica's run was, in Jacobsen's view, "an act of boldness and an act of ingenuity" that enabled "an entirely new untainted alternative perspective of situations, people and events" that had already been established.

Regarding the character's sacrifice at the end of "Razor," Jacobsen felt this was "creatively speaking, the best possible ending for her" because "that sacrifice at the very end was her redemption, it really, in a way, purified what she'd been through." She also noted that Kendra "was a character who, in essence, was a temporal POV [Point of View]" and that "it would have sort of been a bit odd for her to have come in for Razor and then sort of stuck around for season four."

Science Fiction Career and Genre Affinity

Jacobsen's attraction to science fiction stems from both personal background and professional considerations. She explained that it "was a genre that I always, I guess, felt a kind of affinity with because my father is a big Sci Fi fan, so I was exposed to it a lot when I was growing up." More importantly from a career perspective, she noted her attraction to "the kind of female characters that the Sci Fi genre tends to promote and to nurture," citing "very strong, competent women in Sci Fi like Cain, like Starbuck and like Lena Headey's character Sarah Connor."

Recent Projects and Perspective on Science Fiction

In a 2018 interview about the film Occupation, Jacobsen discussed her attraction to science fiction roles, explaining that as a mixed-race woman of Asian and Portuguese heritage, sci-fi offers her "the widest breadth in regards to the characters that I am allowed to play." She noted that the genre allows for more creative fulfillment because "the stakes tend to be higher" and often involve "saving the human race."

For Occupation, Jacobsen particularly enjoyed playing the character arc "from civilian to soldier," as she had previously portrayed military characters but never had the opportunity to show the transformation from ordinary person to warrior. She performed her own stunts throughout the film, noting that she "didn't have a double ever" during production.

Personal Life

Jacobsen has been living in the United States since 2007. As of 2025, she is reportedly single and maintains a private personal life while focusing on her acting career. She is passionate about environmental issues and actively promotes sustainable living, while also participating in charity work and fundraising events.

References