‘The Valley: Persian Style’: Reza Jackson Talks Being the ‘Switzerland’ of the Group, His Flirtatious Vibe With GG, and Why He’s a ‘Retiring Playboy’ [Interview]
Reza Jackson wasn’t prepared to play the peacemaker role on The Valley: Persian Style.
On Bravo’s new Shahs of Sunset spinoff, reality TV newcomer Jackson, 36, often finds himself mediating conflict between the show’s big personalities, including Reza Farahan, Golnesa “GG” Gharachedaghi, and Sky Askari. It’s a harder job than he expected.
“I’ll tell you when I got this job as the peacemaker, I was like, ‘This is going to be easy-peasy.’ And it’s tough,” he told Showbiz Cheat Sheet.
“You’re dealing with like big personalities that have been this way for years,” he said. The cast’s long, complex history make navigating conflicts challenging. But it also “makes it more fun and makes a better show,” he pointed out. (See Sky and GG’s explosive confrontation during a group dinner in Palm Springs, complete with cutting insults and a dramatic walkout.)
“I’m able to be friends with everyone and kind of be like the Switzerland of the group,” Jackson, who recently stepped away from his corporate job to focus full-time on his entertainment career, said. “I can jump in and really sort of bring people together and understand both sides because everybody talks to me and they’re comfortable.”
Reza Jackson considers settling down
But Jackson brings more than just “easygoing, have a good time” vibes to the show. The self-described “retiring playboy” is the only single member of the group, which puts him in a unique position compared to the rest of the cast.
“I’m kind of adjacent to the vibe of the rest of the crew where I don’t have a kid and I’m not in a relationship or married. I’m single,” he said. But as he gets older, Jackson is looking to settle down.
“I’m seriously starting to consider and I want to entertain having a partner … I’m not exactly like the rest of [the group], but I see them and I get inspired and want to be and have that life,” he explained, adding that hookups with multiple different women is “just not as fun anymore.” As an only child, he’s also feeling the pressure from his parents. “They want grandkids,” he said.
What kind of woman would inspire Jackson to give up his playboy ways for good? Being ambitious and driven are musts, and it’s a plus if she’s creative as well. Understanding Persian culture is also important, especially when it comes to becoming part of his larger family.
“My parents speak English, but they’re not super comfortable speaking English,” he explained. “If they could speak Farsi, oh my God.”
While Jackson is looking toward the next stage of his life, he isn’t fully ready to give up his single guy lifestyle. During the group trip to Palm Springs, he brought a waitress back to the house for the night. And then there’s his flirty vibe with GG.
“I think there’s always, and there might be more, I don’t know, flirtation and some banter between us because I do kind of have that personality,” he said. “I know her not as much, but she entertains it and she likes it.” As for whether there’s anything more to their relationship than playful banter, Jackson is coy. “Let’s find out and see,” he says.
‘The Valley: Persian Style’ star on embracing his ‘authentic’ self on social media
Meanwhile, Jackson is embracing his role an ambassador for Persian culture, both on reality TV and on his social media. During the pandemic, he leaned into content creation, and he soon discovered that embracing his heritage was a path to success.
“I tried this Persian dance doing different styles of Persian dancing, and that went viral,” he shared. “And that was like my first indicator of like, ‘Hey, this is a path that’s authentic to you.’”
Much of Jackson’s content on his TikTok and Instagram is comic. But it serves a larger purpose.
“I think it’s just really important with the work that I do on the content side to educate non-Iranians about Persian culture through satire and comedy, especially at this time, right?” he said.
Jackson’s humorous videos are interspersed with more serious commentary on the unfolding situation in Iran, where thousands have died following a crackdown on nationwide protests. Ultimately, he sees his responsibility as a creator as “two-fold.”
“One, to actually be the voice of the people in Iran and share their messages versus our opinion and two, to uplift spirits when required,” he said.
“I’m grateful for this position to have a platform to raise awareness for what’s happening in Iran,” shared. “Especially because they don’t have a voice and we need to be that for them.”
The Valley: Persian Style airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Episodes stream the next day on Peacock.
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