Jamie Brewer has accomplished a lot in Hollywood, but one thing she’s particularly proud of is being a “pioneer” for actors with Down syndrome.
“A lot of people often say about me, I’m a pioneer,” the 37-year-old star exclusively tells Page Six, adding that it’s “a joy” to help pave the way for others.
“Being one of the pioneers … [I’m] showing the life of an individual with Down syndrome — and showing every aspect of [how that fits in] the entertainment industry.”
After booking her very first TV audition for “American Horror Story” more than a decade ago, Brewer worked with a succession of such A-listers as Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson and Neil Patrick Harris on Ryan Murphy’s FX horror anthology.
Brewer added producer to her resume with the 2019 film “Turnover,” in which she starred as well. She will next be seen in Snoop Dogg’s upcoming movie, “Bromates.”
On the theater front, Brewer made history as the first person with Down syndrome to co-lead a mainstream theatrical production in 2018’s off-Broadway play “Amy and the Orphans.” She completed another successful New York City stage run in “Corsicana,” which wrapped last month.
“Being Ginny Palmer was incredible,” she says of her most recent character. “I’m an only child personally, so this play showed the bond between a brother and sister — and what happens with a brother and sister’s bond when the sister has Down syndrome.”
Brewer — who dreams of playing a “wife, mother, president” or combination of all three one day — says it’s important for acting hopefuls, especially those with Down syndrome, to “be themselves” as they pursue opportunities in the biz.
“Ask [filmmakers] for what you want,” she advises, also encouraging aspiring thespians to perfect their craft. “The biggest thing is finding workshops and classes.”
Brewer continues her own training at the famed Groundlings Theatre and School in Los Angeles. In between acting classes, the California resident is currently teaching herself American Sign Language and to speak Spanish, all while sharpening her culinary skills.
“I want to be a contestant on ‘MasterChef’ one day,” she says. “I like to stay busy — and I want to keep learning.”
One thing Brewer mastered years ago was stunt-work. During her time on “AHS,” she frequently forwent a body double — even for the gruesome car crash that killed her character, Adelaide “Addie” Langdon, in 2011’s inaugural season.
“One of the biggest things I actually really love is being around everybody and doing my own stunt-work,” she says, beaming. “You probably have seen the car crash. The person that’s laying out there is me. I can bend my legs to be that way. Whatever the character is and if there’s any physicality, I’m like, ‘OK, let’s see what I need to do.’”
Outside of acting, Brewer broke ground as the first person with Down syndrome to walk in New York Fashion Week at Carrie Hammer’s runway show in February 2015. That same year, she received the Quincy Jones Advocacy Award honoring her activism for the differently-abled community.
“[Representation] matters so much [because] it shows individuals that are out there within the industry — be it theater, be it TV, be it film — we’re the same as everybody else,” she tells Page Six.
“And showing who we are, speaking out and using our own voice and showing our hearts because the biggest thing that matters is the heart. Speaking from the heart. And through there, the biggest thing is inclusion.”
