Sarah Jeffery Talks Working With Kerry Washington in Six Triple Eight

Sarah Jeffery hopes she emulates her Six Triple Eight costar Kerry Washington both on and off screen.

“[Kerry] is such a kind, good actor and human. It’s one thing to be talented and gifted and have the incredible work ethic, but also to have family at the forefront of everything and how much she cares for her family,” Jeffery, 28, exclusively told Us Weekly while discussing the historical drama. “And just how generous she is with her time and holding space for us when she is delivering these huge monologues and has all of this work to take on.”

“It’s very inspiring,” she continued. “And I only hope if I continue on to do more films and eventually be leading a film, I want to embody that. I just love her.”

Washington, 47, and Jeffery star in the war drama alongside Ebony Obsidian, Milauna Jackson, Shanice Shantay, Pepi Sonuga, Moriah Brown, Gregg Sulkin, Susan Sarandon, Dean Norris, Sam Waterston and more. The Netflix film, which is helmed by director Tyler Perry, follows the all-Black and all-female battalion in World War II.

The group, which was the first and only Women’s Army Corps unit of color to be stationed in Europe, was tasked with delivering mail from loved ones to the soldiers on the front lines. Jeffrey plays Dolores, a biracial soldier who joins the 6888 Central Postal Directory in the Women’s Army Corps.

For Jeffery, getting to work alongside Washington was a monumental experience that she’ll never forget.

“[It was] sort of out of body. You try as an actor, at least for me, to stay as present as you can in the scene in the moment,” she reflected. “But sometimes in those scenes where you don’t have a lot to say, it’s easy to feel yourself watching from up above and watching it happen.”

Jeffery confessed there were multiple instances where she was amazed by Washington’s performance in real-time.

“I did have a couple of those moments where I was like, ‘Wow, I am watching Kerry Washington give, like, the fiercest, most impactful monologue ever. And I am loving every second of it.’ It was really, really special,” she told Us. “She absolutely just ate down. She just really did the damn thing.”

In addition to being wowed by Washington’s talent, Jeffery also gushed over the Scandal alum’s ability to take charge behind the scenes.

“Kerry is obviously the leader in the film, but also just an incredible leader as No. 1 on the call sheet,” she said. “She’s so generous with her time and her resources. So she really kind of was like the glue.”

She also noted that Washington’s ability to lead “with kindness” was something she tries to emulate herself. That trait came in extra handy while filming a historical drama like The Six Triple Eight, which deals with heavy subject matter. Jeffery told Us that she and her costars always make sure to check in with one another after delivering performances on tough topics.

“We do have moments of levity with the dancing and everything, but with just, like, whatever that one person needed. Some people needed [a] hug and physical touch and some just needed words of affirmation,” she said. “And for me, I was just always offering a hand. I really feel like we all showed up for each other in one way or another. And any time we had questions, there were so many people with [a] wealth of knowledge there. Tyler, Kerry, we all felt taken care of.”

While the cast was there for each other throughout the filming process, the group also kept their close bond after the cameras stopped rolling.

“We found a nice balance of meeting up in person. And then also just like the group chat is just, like, constant,” she recalled, noting that filming took place around the time of the coronavirus pandemic. “And it’s been constant since we stopped filming. It’s never not active.”

Outside of absorbing wisdom from costars  like Washington, Jeffery also learn a lot about herself from her character.

“This role because this is the first time that I am kind of playing what I truly am and what my true experience has been … in some spaces I’m white passing and in some spaces I’m not,” the Charmed alum, who is a biracial woman herself, told Us. “It’s been a journey, exploring and reclaiming my Black heritage, um, which is on my father’s side. And it’s been a very, very beautiful process of claiming it and being proud.”

Jeffery added that being able to channel Dolores’ strength was a “healing process” as she has struggled with her identity over the years.

“That’s what Dolores is in the film. She’s so proud of who she is, and it’s not even a question, really,” she reflected. “And for me, someone who has questioned, Who am I and where do I fit in?’ I took notes from her and just said, ‘No, this is who I am and I don’t have to mince my words about it.’”

The Six Triple Eight isn’t the only project that has given Jeffery insight. Jeffery starred in the Charmed reboot, which was a hot topic amongst passionate fans and members of the original show. Despite the pushback, Jeffery never took the feedback personally, and in hindsight, she understands the perspective.

“I think people just were really protective and now I can see that people will be protective. People will always have their opinions. You can’t always please everyone,” she told Us. “That was my takeaway and now moving forward, if I’m ever to come across anything like that, I feel a little bit more at peace knowing that it’s like I can take a step back and look at it more objectively.”

Jeffery acknowledged that the Charmed reboot had a bit of a “rough start.”. While the Charmed reboot didn’t get a lot of love from the OG cast, the reboot cast and crew had plenty of praise for the original series that starred Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano and Rose McGowan.

“I would’ve loved to just like all at the end of the day just said, ‘Hey, let’s like water under the bridge, extend the olive branch and, and just have a good time,’” Jeffery reflected. “It didn’t happen, but those ideas were being floated, which excited me [about] the potential of it.”

The Charmed reboot ended after four seasons in 2022 — leaving on a massive cliffhanger which would have opened the doors for a potential crossover. In the series finale, the Charmed ones, played by Jeffery, Melonie Diaz and Lucy Barrett, ended up making their way to Halliwell Manor, the home featured in the original series. If the Charmed reboot had gotten another season, Jeffery would have loved to see how the two versions would have blended together.

“I was hoping for a fifth season, because I felt like we had really found a groove and, and I was curious to see where it went — especially with the ending of that final episode,” she explained. “I was like, ‘Where will this go?’ Simultaneously though, I thought, what a beautiful way to end it, leaving it up to the audience and whatever fans carried on from the original to the reboot to decide where it went and, and what else is potentially out there.”

The Six Triple Eight is in theaters for a limited time before it premieres on Netflix on Friday, December 20.

With reporting by Kat Pettibone