CR 046: Erik Jensen and Jessica Blank on Balancing Life, Love, and Many Creative Projects

The acting-writing-producing-directing duo discusses their latest film, “Brooklyn, Minnesota.”

Photo courtesy of Erik Jensen & Jessica Blank

For 25 years, Erik Jensen and Jessica Blank have been partners in life as well as work. Not ones to shy away from a challenge, the multi-hyphenate creatives have made a career out of bringing powerful, human-centered stories to the stage and screen. Together, they’ve traveled to Jordan to interview Iraqi refugees for their off-Broadway play Aftermath, worked with Grammy Award winner Steve Earle on their 2020 docu-play Coal Country, and during the pandemic created The Line, a play crafted from interviews with first responders that was streamed through The Public Theater’s YouTube channel. In addition to their theatrical projects, they’ve worked in film and television, bringing their own productions to the screen while also acting in various series. (Erik has had roles in The Walking Dead, Mr. Robot, and The Americans, and Jessica has appeared in Made in Jersey, Ramy, and Blue Bloods, among others.)

Still, none of their hard work or experience…