Milauna Jackson is an insightful artist and courageous storyteller with a versatile career that spans mediums and genres. The leading actress naturally gravitates towards projects with Black American women who are multifaceted individuals of substance. Like her starring role as Citsy in Tyler Perry’s 2022 Netflix film A Jazzman’s Blues. “She’s a champion for love and family. A Southern realist who lives fearlessly during the '40s.” Or her recurring Shondaland role portraying fierce adversary ADA Renee Atwood opposite Academy Award winner Viola Davis on the critically acclaimed How to Get Away with Murder.
Hailing from the Southside of Chicago, as the first generation in her family raised outside of the Cabrini Green Housing Projects, Milauna quickly adopted an empathetic approach to the chaos. As she began to understand societal and cultural complexities, she developed an innate talent through community theater. Here she was able to use artistic expression for the first time to create a humanistic and balanced reflection of the life around her.
Milauna embraces the characters she plays and participates in the story while infusing her innate characteristics. This refined method of balancing the artist’s story with the character’s story is the key to authentic performances and strong connections with the audience both on and off the screen. Her character highlights include everyday heroines and multidimensional characters who possess power, optimism, and a fighting spirit that mimic her own. “I like characters that I learn something from... about myself, about others, about relationships. Characters who reflect a facet of me that may be buried deep within my soul.”
Depicting a breadth of diversity, Milauna aims to personify Black American women with compassion and grace. She seeks out stories that matter to herself and to her audience; an outlook that has taken her around the world. “I spend every day reflecting, researching, and being as creative as possible. My life doesn't invite a lot of idle time. I try to stay present and intentional with my artistic choices.”
Such dramatic choices have included DEA Agent Kim Martinez in BBC/HBO/MAX British/American series Strike Back which was filmed in South Africa, Thailand, and Hungary. The action role included stunt work, weapons training, and overcoming fears. She then focused her attention on Kristin Shafe, a Black Panther mom in the Critic’s Choice-awarded NBC series Aquarius before turning to Tayana in Spike Lee and Nate Parker’s American Skin. As a mother suffering the loss of her murdered son by police brutality, the Venice International Film Festival’s honored film dives into the many injustices of American systemic racism.
Extended character arcs are a typical occurrence in Milauna’s career, a testament to her abilities to tap into both the root and interest of characters. One such role was fan favorite Laila Davis, a fierce and sexy love interest on NBC’s Chicago PD, which led to Gina Pratt, an undercover agent on CBS’ FBI.
As an eternal empath and authentic artist, Milauna hopes her work and lifestyle inspire others to optimize self-care and lean into creative expression. She believes self-care is community care: By taking care of one’s own feelings, the community feels the effects. She supports Citizen SHE United and many other charities where Black women need a voice. She advocates for mental health reparations for American descendants of enslaved people. And, she’s developing a line of CBD oils dedicated to her ancestors and their legacy Milauna has proudly embraced.
