Home and Away's Sam Frost on Jasmine's "dark, slippery slope" after tragic baby twist
Sam Frost discusses her character's downward spiral.
Jasmine Delaney (Sam Frost) was just starting to deal with her grief for dead husband Robbo, taking comfort in the fact she was expecting his child. Unfortunately there is tragic news for the Home and Away widow when her first scan reveals there is no baby - Jasmine was never pregnant…
"The idea she was having Robbo's baby gave her so much hope," begins Frost, speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com. "They planned a family before he died and feeling like he would live on was a positive way of getting through her grief."
Sadly, on Monday 8th June the ultrasound confirms that Jasmine has had a phantom pregnancy, and the news sends her spiralling into utter despair and exacerbates the pain of losing Robbo. In the days that follow, Jas begins to lose her grip on reality and is found by close friend Tori Morgan who stops her from walking into the sea fully clothed.
"That is just the beginning of her downward spiral," sighs Frost. "It continues and it's a really dark, slippery slope downwards which lasts a long time. I've been crying so much, it's been exhausting but I felt honoured and trusted to be given such dramatic material.
"I feel very emotionally connected to Jazzy and feel everything she feels. I really wanted to do the story and the show proud and am extremely thankful."
Jasmine then begins to bury her bubbling emotions by insisting to friends she's fine, while slowly developing an unhealthy obsession with Tori's baby girl Grace, Robbo's daughter conceived by the platonic pals through IVF.
It's the biggest challenge yet for Frost - Home and Away is her first professional acting job, having found fame as a reality star in her native Australia on shows including The Bachelorette and Hell's Kitchen.
"This is a huge turning point for Jas and for me in my career. I didn't know I could do it, it's an important part of my personal story as an actor.
"I lost my stepdad eight years ago and we still talk about him all the time - I like how Jasmine talks about Robbo which is important going forward when you lose someone. I think we are telling this story of grief really truthfully, and it's quite raw as well."
Frost has already opened up publicly about her own struggles with mental health, which she channelled into Jasmine's complex emotions in some of the more difficult scenes.
"I work a lot with my psychologist and I'd like to think I'm on top of my own feelings," she says candidly. "I'm pretty self-aware and know how to manage my highs and lows. But because I'm playing a character it can make you more emotional, some days you have to dig deep to a vulnerable place from your own life.
"It's really challenging and you have to shake it off and move on. I find it cathartic to draw upon my own experiences and tell my story through Jasmine in a way.
"I understand how she is on this toward spiral, everyone thinks she's crazy and I know that feeling all too well. I feel defensive and protective of her and the storyline because of what happened to me.
"I admire our writers and producers for telling the story properly and not sensationalising it when Jasmine starts acting out of the ordinary."
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