Christina Jackson and Kyle Gallner's characters Sally-Ann and Hasil share an unconventional meet-cute in the new WGN series "Outsiders" because it's not every day that a clan of mountainmen rolls into your store on ATVs and storms the aisles like "Supermarket Sweep."
Jackson describes Sally-Ann as a girl-next-door type, who is nice and sweet but also has a subtle toughness to her. Her character really starts to flourish through a forbidden romance with Hasil, who is a member of the Farrells, a family clan living off the grid on their mountain homestead in rural Kentucky.
"We've been called the Romeo and Juliet of the story, and it's not necessarily because of race," Jackson told Headlines & Global News in an exclusive interview. "It's because he's a Farrell and she's an outsider that's at the very core of it."
The Farrells have lived above the town of Bedford, Ky., for longer than most people can remember and can cause havoc on the townsfolk, such as driving their ATVs straight through the doors of a box store where Sally-Ann works as a cashier. There she meets Hasil who confronts her at the checkout while members of his family ride through the aisles stealing whatever goods they need.
"[Hasil] is getting to a point where there's a little bit of restlessness on the mountain, and he's trying to see what else is out there. It's when he makes the run into the store and sees Sally-Ann that he's made up in his mind that he wants to get to know her more even though it's kind of forbidden," said Jackson, who also couldn't get over the kilt Gallner had to wear and the feathers in his hair. "There are so many things that are packaged up in that young pale man that I can't get enough."
Sally Ann will slowly introduce Hasil to the modern world over the course of the first season. Coming from a community that has shunned most of technology, he's not aware of current events or pop culture. He's also illiterate and doesn't know what to do with money.
"He can kill food with his bare hands, and at the same time, [Sally-Ann] finds it unfathomable that he doesn't know who Katy Perry is," Jackson explained with a laugh. "He doesn't have those hang-ups, those distractions. He's not looking at what's happening on Facebook or what's going on in Oregon."
Created by Peter Mattei, "Outsiders" explores the societal differences between the Farrells, law enforcement, townsfolk and a coal company that wants to open operations on the mountain, bringing jobs to out-of-work coal miners like Sally-Ann's brother. Everyone is fighting for what they think is right, leading to detrimental consequences for all the parties involved.
"Whether it's the coal company, whether it's the Farrells, or whether it's the town, you will have some storyline that you're going to follow and is going to resonate with you to carry you through the season," Jackson assured.
Jackson is most interested to see the audience's response to a group of people in modern America who have shunned technology and take for granted living in a close-knit community where no one will hurt each other, except outsiders that tread upon their land.
"I think that's a draw for people to see how these people function up and away from our society. Being able to have a conversation and take a walk and not have to worry about being robbed of your belongings or any of the number of things that we face down here just walking down the street every day," Jackson said.
"Outsiders" premieres tonight, Jan. 26 at 9 p.m. EST on WGN.
