Video interview with Sajda Waite coming soon. Check back shortly to watch this exclusive conversation.
Sajda Waite has built her career on raw emotional authenticity and powerful storytelling. The New York City-based actress first captured attention with her gripping performance as Sasha in the psychological horror film Cram (2021), then showcased her range in the dark comedy Thin Skinned (2023). Now, in her latest role as Layla Henderson in Jonesing: When Love Is a Habit, Waite brings a compelling mix of vulnerability and emotional fire to the screen.
Known for her commitment to meaningful narratives that explore identity and transformation, Waite continues to evolve as an artist who seamlessly moves between film, digital media, and voice acting. Her work consistently reflects her passion for social consciousness and cultural equity, making her one of the most compelling voices in contemporary independent cinema.
In Jonesing: When Love Is a Habit, hitting theaters nationwide June 13, Waite joins a powerful ensemble of women in a story that recontextualizes black love and friendship for modern audiences. Her character Layla serves as both the heart and driving force of the narrative, embodying the youthful hope and complex reality that defines the film’s emotional core.
What drew you to the character of Layla in Jonesing?
When I was reading the script I just fell in love with how much heart she has, how much compassion she has. There are times in the script where me, Sajda, maybe wouldn’t respond that way, but Layla really just puts her heart forward, and she really is trying to find the best in every situation, which is such a beautiful thing to imagine being. So every time I saw a new scene, or I saw a new moment, I thought it was like a really perfect way to enter that by saying, where’s the heart of this moment? What is needed to show compassion and love in this moment?
How was it collaborating with your co-stars in this ensemble of women?
I think the fun part is that Aaria is just like a beast, and she’s also going through so much in the movie, so is Lena. Just how real it is to have this community of women who share something so unique, but also find themselves being their own self, and so allowing that normal volleying of love. Just really allowing those moments to flow naturally, because I think in the script it really comes off so real. We grew a real friendship because it all made sense, and because we linked so easily that once we got the words in the same thing happened. It was seamless to be honest.
How did director Sixx King guide and inspire your performance?
What was really beautiful was that Sixx was so uplifting and just being like I saw you as Layla, so do you. It was a lot of trusting in me to know where to find that character, and then, when I found it, that support of yes, that’s it. There were times where I was like, hey, actually, I question this moment, or I’m thinking about this in this moment. Does that make sense? And Sixx was like, yeah, let’s change the words, let’s rearrange it. Let’s make it make sense for you. And I love that because it makes you feel free. You don’t feel stuck in like, oh, I see something here, and feeling like you can’t voice that.
What excites you about switching between different genres from horror to comedy to romance?
Because it’s part of life. Life can be horrific. Life can be funny. Life can be romantic. So it’s fun to be like, oh yeah, I might find myself gravitating towards a different genre more often than another, but being able to really tap into all of it feels full, feels like my acting is a reflection of life and of truth.
What emotional truths did you personally bring to Layla’s journey?
For me it was a little bit of that, we gotta live in reality. Sometimes things happen, and they don’t always make sense, and you can get caught up in emotions. You can get caught up in not understanding things. I think for Layla, she really is trying to take in what’s happening and then move with action. So she really takes in what is happening and is like, what’s the action? What’s the movement forward? And I think that synthesis of emotion to action is what I tried to bring to the character.
How does your voice acting work inform your on-screen performances?
I think definitely on screen and theater work influenced the way that I do voiceover. What’s fun for voiceover is that I’m in the booth, I’ve got my headphones on, I’ve got my microphone here, and I could really just settle in and be like, no, I want to sound like this, or I want to do that, and I’m not necessarily worried about what I have to do with my body in order to make that. The ability to relax the body enough to say something exactly how you want to say it. There’s been times where I’ve repeated a line like 18 times. So you translate the physical action from theater and screen to vocal action, and it’s so much fun.
How does Layla’s character explore themes of identity and transformation?
For Layla, it’s really about coming to the center. She’s boisterous, and she’s loud and she’s a go-getter, but I think by the end, she really is trying to bring things into a focused and honest perspective. When the down happens, as a community, as a group of women, they have to really think about what does it mean to forgive? What does it mean to see a perspective outside of yourself? And I think that boisterous standing up for your sis moment, then having to contrast that with okay, but let’s look at reality. Maybe we do need to take that step back. Maybe we do need to breathe. Maybe we do need to recenter and refocus so that we can move forward. When we learn more of the truth, then we can move from that space.
As an advocate for human rights and cultural equity, do you feel a responsibility when choosing roles?
Absolutely! Sometimes you’re telling a story, and the character in that story is not your favorite character. So you don’t always get to be the hero of the story. But I think that it’s very important to me that if I’m gonna be portraying something that the story as a whole fits my values and fits what I want to see happen. I think when we were workshopping Jonesing, reading through the script and learning more about what Sixx’s vision was for this project. Knowing that we’re gonna be talking about black love. We’re going to be talking about black friendship, and that it’s complicated, and it’s messy. But it’s also beautiful and vibrant. Knowing the version of Love Jones from the 90s, how do you recontextualize that and bring that to still have the essence, but also bring it into a modern day story. I was like, that’s so exciting. She’s such an example to me of the woman that I strive to be, complicated, messy, but sweet and still the heart and pushing things forward.
What do you hope audiences take away from Layla’s experience in the film?
I would love for everyone to just be reminded how love shows up in so many ways, how love shows up in your community of friends, and how are you uplifting each other? How are you supporting each other? How love shows up romantically? I think the fun thing about this movie is how many different ways you watch love show up, it’s not just the romance, and it’s in so many different relationships. I think, taking away the idea of like, oh, am I loving the way that I say I want to love? Am I holding myself accountable in these relationships? And how can I love better? How can I love deeper? How can I love harder?
What stories or characters are you most passionate about exploring next in your career?
I’m really up for anything. I have a deep desire to do some sort of sci-fi Afrofuturistic thing, if I could. That would be so cool. I would be so down to do some sort of space exploration type of thing, that’s like a weird, deep seated dream of mine. I think my Pisces comes out a little bit where I’m like, go with the flow, and I love playing in this dream world. So where can I play next, is how I approach it.
Where can fans watch Jonesing and find you on social media?
Jonesing: When Love Is a Habit will be nationwide June 27th. So please keep your eyes open. So many premieres have happened and are still going to be happening. So please check out our website to grab tickets in your city to see where you can find us. And you can find me on social media @itssajdaa.
