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Janine Kelly is the beautiful and head strong 19 year old daughter of Lt. Colonel Bill Kelly (James Brolin). She's the child of divorced parents and was raised in the traditional "army-brat" fashion. Moving from base to base during her father's early military career, Janine's only stability in life had been her mother, who tragically died when Janine was only 14. After that, Janine, a budding teenager, moved back in with her father and spent the next 4 years of her life feeling like the second priority to her father's first love, his jet fighter planes. Fed up with military life and to some degree, her father's lack of parenting skills, Janine, at 18, moved out and went in search of the real world. For a year or so, she bummed around Florida, experiencing her new found freedom and enjoying civilian life. Now, at 19, forced by a run of bad financial luck, she's moved back in with her father and together, they're attempting to repair their tenuous father/daughter relationship. |
Actor's History
Kristanna Loken, the young actress who sensitively portrays Janine in the new weekly action drama, is - without question - 180 degrees apart from her on-screen counterpart. She's had a strong, stable family life and been focused clearly on her career choice and her future for years.
Born in Manhattan, Loken got an early understanding of the business through her father, an actor in the theatre, and mother, who was a model. The family later moved to upstate New York to run an organic farm, where Loken was involved in summer stock and studied tap, jazz and ballet. "It was every theatrical background lesson you can do," she remembers. "I was busy every day after school and loved it," noting that her family was supportive as well. "I cannot thank my parents enough for my well-rounded background."
When Loken was 13, her interest grew to a new level. "I saw a film and was crazy about the girl acting in it, and what she was doing. And I said, "How do I do it , too?'" She started by signing with a manager in New York and, at 14, won her first professional television role on the daytime serial As The World Turns. She stayed with the series for six months. Choosing not to sign a long-term contract, Loken returned to school; she also did a great deal of travelling and, by the time she was 15, had been around the world. While studying in New York and living with her sister, Loken landed guest spots on such series as Law & Order, NY Undercover and several television series pilots. She also won a role on the independent feature film Prep...and, while working on it, met actor Justin Whalen, who became her boyfriend.
"He convinced me to move to Los Angeles," she recalls. "I thought I'd be studying in New York, but the move just kind of happened. I decided to give myself a few weeks to see what it was like and quickly found myself working a lot." She had a recurring role on the network comedy Unhappily Ever After, and also appeared in Just Shoot Me, Lois & Clark, Star Trek: Voyager and Boy Meets World.
Loken chose her current assignment, Pensacola, as the logical next step in her career plans. "I wanted to do the series because it would be great training," she explains. "It's a good way to learn the technical aspects of acting - lighting, direction, generally seeing how everything works together. If something can offer that to me and, additionally, is written well - which this is - it's enormously valuable."
Loken also finds the character of Janine a worthy challenge. "There's a fine line with her. Janine's attractive but doesn't flaunt it, which makes her appealing to me." She also recognizes the impact of portraying a teenager on television. "I know how Janine can become a role model to young viewers, being seen across the nation and beyond. How you dress, how you look, the image you maintain, it's all very important to recognize and address."
In her free time, Loken spends time with Whalen, as well as her dog Buster and "killer kitty" Huns. She counts swimming, scuba diving, all forms of dance and movement and "learning and knowledge" as her hobbies. "Lots of actors in Los Angeles think they can just be themselves and not keep learning," she says. "You always need to expand your mind. It's important for acting and life."
