June 27, 2025 • 7 mins
About Jamie Neumann
Jamie Neumann is a force on screen, known for disappearing into roles that live in the gray area. She broke out with her powerful performance as a sex worker-turned-activist in HBO’s The Deuce, and kept audiences on edge in Lovecraft Country, Jessica Jones, and Donald Glover’s Atlanta, where she played a foster parent whose well-meaning liberalism went dangerously off course. She’s worked across genres and with some of the most visionary creators in the game—David Simon, Jordan Peele, Donald Glover, and more—always bringing raw intensity and soul to her characters. With recent credits including Twisted Metal, 61st Street, NOS4A2, and American Rust, Jamie continues to prove she’s not just in the scene—she is the scene.
In this episode of I Am Refocused Radio, Jamie Neumann joins us to break down her latest role in THIRSTY and what it really takes to portray a woman balancing purpose, power, and personal sacrifice. We talk about the cost of ambition, the emotional layers of playing Audrey Allen, and how Jamie chooses roles that shake the audience out of comfort and into truth. If you’re into storytelling that hits hard, characters that leave a mark, and conversations that go deeper than the script—this one’s for you.
ABOUT THIRSTY, AVAILABLE ON DEMAND
THIRSTY follows the upstart campaign of an audacious attorney Audrey Allen (Jamie Neumann) as she strives to unseat the incumbent mayor of Oakland. Driven by her rough upbringing and altruistic desires, Audrey is willing to endure the relentless demands of campaign life. This is a woman who fights to win. Audrey's criticism of the popular incumbent mayor Maya King (Brandee Evans) motivates a veteran of the political game Anne Dixon (Kyra Sedgwick) to bolster her struggling campaign. Audrey's skeptical husband Tae Kim (Sung Kang) views Anne's behavior as machiavellian but fails to convince his wife to move more cautiously. Audrey is blinded by ambition and subsequently thrust into the limelight with her family in tow.
Anne's go-to political operative Valentina Ramos (Briana Venskus-Vazquez) isn't Audrey's fan but reluctantly becomes her campaign manager anyway. They clash over tactical issues and Audrey's charismatic field manager Derek Williams (Tyler Lepley) often steps in as referee. As the campaign gains momentum, T.K. becomes increasingly alienated and the tensions in their marriage escalate. Audrey's daughter Eunbi also feels the sting of her mother's absence. At Anne's behest, Audrey keeps her troubled sister Sonia (Thora Birch) at arm's length but this strategy soon becomes untenable. As election day approaches, Audrey is guilt-ridden for not being a more involved mother, sister and wife but nevertheless remains consumed by election fever. Soon she is confronted with impossible decisions that put both her career and her family on the line. Audrey must reconcile the seduction of the political game with her own moral compass or risk losing it all.
Here's the trailer:
Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFDLmvITe1c
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/i-am-refocused-radio--2671113/support.
Jamie Neumann is a force on screen, known for disappearing into roles that live in the gray area. She broke out with her powerful performance as a sex worker-turned-activist in HBO’s The Deuce, and kept audiences on edge in Lovecraft Country, Jessica Jones, and Donald Glover’s Atlanta, where she played a foster parent whose well-meaning liberalism went dangerously off course. She’s worked across genres and with some of the most visionary creators in the game—David Simon, Jordan Peele, Donald Glover, and more—always bringing raw intensity and soul to her characters. With recent credits including Twisted Metal, 61st Street, NOS4A2, and American Rust, Jamie continues to prove she’s not just in the scene—she is the scene.
In this episode of I Am Refocused Radio, Jamie Neumann joins us to break down her latest role in THIRSTY and what it really takes to portray a woman balancing purpose, power, and personal sacrifice. We talk about the cost of ambition, the emotional layers of playing Audrey Allen, and how Jamie chooses roles that shake the audience out of comfort and into truth. If you’re into storytelling that hits hard, characters that leave a mark, and conversations that go deeper than the script—this one’s for you.
ABOUT THIRSTY, AVAILABLE ON DEMAND
THIRSTY follows the upstart campaign of an audacious attorney Audrey Allen (Jamie Neumann) as she strives to unseat the incumbent mayor of Oakland. Driven by her rough upbringing and altruistic desires, Audrey is willing to endure the relentless demands of campaign life. This is a woman who fights to win. Audrey's criticism of the popular incumbent mayor Maya King (Brandee Evans) motivates a veteran of the political game Anne Dixon (Kyra Sedgwick) to bolster her struggling campaign. Audrey's skeptical husband Tae Kim (Sung Kang) views Anne's behavior as machiavellian but fails to convince his wife to move more cautiously. Audrey is blinded by ambition and subsequently thrust into the limelight with her family in tow.
Anne's go-to political operative Valentina Ramos (Briana Venskus-Vazquez) isn't Audrey's fan but reluctantly becomes her campaign manager anyway. They clash over tactical issues and Audrey's charismatic field manager Derek Williams (Tyler Lepley) often steps in as referee. As the campaign gains momentum, T.K. becomes increasingly alienated and the tensions in their marriage escalate. Audrey's daughter Eunbi also feels the sting of her mother's absence. At Anne's behest, Audrey keeps her troubled sister Sonia (Thora Birch) at arm's length but this strategy soon becomes untenable. As election day approaches, Audrey is guilt-ridden for not being a more involved mother, sister and wife but nevertheless remains consumed by election fever. Soon she is confronted with impossible decisions that put both her career and her family on the line. Audrey must reconcile the seduction of the political game with her own moral compass or risk losing it all.
Here's the trailer:
Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFDLmvITe1c
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/i-am-refocused-radio--2671113/support.
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