By Allison Jewell
When Jasmine Fondrisi was little, she would sit and watch old Hollywood movies with her grandmother. Fondrisi recalls her grandmother pointing at the ingénues on screen, telling Fondrisi she will be just like them one day.
In 2023, at 20 years old, Jasmine Fondrisi is working on her second movie, kicking off a singing career, and graduating from the University of Louisville.
Popped out a star
Born in Jeffersonville, Indiana, Fondrisi recounts her mother’s description of her entrance into the world.
“My mom likes to say I came out of the womb giving Mariah Carey a run for her money,” she said.
Fondrisi always knew she wanted to pursue the arts. Growing up, she looked up to TV personalities like Hannah Montana, which inspired her to want to act and sing. She did just that, singing in her school talent shows and joining musical theater when she entered middle school.
Image Courtesy // Jasmine Fondrisi
Playing the part of Doralee in the stage version of Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 her senior year confirmed her motivations to pursue performance full-time.
“I played Dolly Parton’s part and was like, I need to do this. It really solidified everything” she said.
Fondrisi signed with a local talent agent after graduating high school and began auditioning and booking acting jobs soon after. She also decided to pursue a college degree to have something to fall back on.
A jack-of-all-extracurriculars
Not only does Fondrisi excel in the arts, but she is also very involved on campus.
Fondrisi currently serves as the Vice President of Philanthropy for U of L’s SOAR program which helps students network with alumni connections. Additionally, she serves as the Vice President of Membership for U of L’s chapter of CHAARG, a fitness organization for college women. She also is part of the Communication Team and Director of PR for a new marketing organization called The Bird’s Nest.
She fills her time with even more activities, including being a part of the Mortar Board National College Senior Honor Society, U of L’s theater program, and singing gigs like performing the national anthem at the YUM! Center. Fondrisi also plans on competing in the Miss Kentucky circuit this year.
“I kinda have toes in everything,” she said.
Fondrisi’s special interest, however, is finance and investment. After graduation this month, she plans on returning to school right away to earn an MBA.
“It’s just smart to because I feel like a lot of people in this entertainment business, they just get, like, kinda gypped with their money that they don’t know the correct contracts and all this other stuff. I had no idea what that type of world was like. It’s great, I’m learning how to be safe and smart with money,” she said.
Image Courtesy // Jasmine Fondrisi
A U of L grad “On Fire”
Fondrisi’s first role was in a 2023 teen romance film called “The Kiss List,” where she plays the love interest of the protagonist’s best friend, Val. The film was released in Brazil and should be on Max in the United States around Valentine’s Day.
Currently, Fondrisi is working on a movie called “On Fire,” which tells the story of a burn victim building back to a normal life. She was cast in the role of Patty, the best friend of the protagonist’s wife during her college years.
She stars alongside notable actors like William H. Macy, John Corbett, and Joel Courtney, driving back and forth from St. Louis to film so she can continue her studies simultaneously.
Fondrisi was relieved when she got the call to secure her second role, mentioning how worrying age standards in entertainment often disenfranchise women in the industry.
“You hit it once, but can you do it again? So as a woman and an actress, you have this thing and it’s just hanging over your head that, you know, you have to make it by a certain age because if you don’t, there’s no jobs for you,” she said.
She wants to continue acting for as long as she can but also wants to pursue a singing career, referencing career paths like that of Taylor Swift who started in country and shifted towards the pop genre. She said she also takes inspiration from artists like Jack Harlow, who shows lots of love and respect to his hometown of Louisville.
Her dream role, though, would be to play Dolly Parton in a biopic, or some sort of role that pays homage to her Italian heritage. She has also set her sights on Broadway, citing Elphaba from Wicked as the role she has always wanted. In her heart, she has never believed she’d be anything other than an entertainer.
“I just hope this inspires other people to say big things happen in small towns. Anyone can do it. You have to be your own role model at a point. Just do it for your younger self, you know?” she said.
Fondrisi, overall, wishes to show that anything is possible and that dreams do come true. She graduates from U of L with a degree in Television Broadcasting this month, and her new movie “On Fire” is still in production.
Jasmine Fondrisi, a Louisville alumni and native, will hit the big screens very soon.
Photo Courtesy // Jasmine Fondrisi
