Racquel Jones and Patasha McLean light up the screen in the recently released Ring Di Alarm film anthology; McLean as a small-time drug dealing do-gooder in director Nile Saulter’s Coast, Jones as a scorned wife out for vengeance in auteur Storm Saulter’s Watching Him Kissing Her based on her original poem. Suitably impressed by their debut acting turns, we meet the starlets — who have a shared history as students at the Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts and contestants in the Pulse Caribbean Model Search 2006 — for poolside cocktails at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.

The bikini-clad pair attract admiring glances, and why not? They’re gorgeous with perfectly toned bodies, and brains to boot. As the sun sinks in the evening sky, we dip our toes into the pool and play catch up.

Congratulations on your acting debuts in the film shorts Coast (McLean) and Watching Him Kissing Her (Jones). What was your biggest takeaway working on the projects?

McLean: I’ve learnt not to let the ‘what ifs’ or self-doubts creep in. It doesn’t matter if anyone told you about the odds of making your dream come true. The reason this is so very crucial is that you need to be able to have an idea of what you want your end goal to be so that you can begin working to achieve it.

Jones: The incredible things people can achieve when they put their minds to it. Watching Him Kissing Her was shot in a day and we were determined to complete it, and we did.

What preparation did you make you to play your character?

McLean: I believe that a great technique is paramount for anyone who wants to be a serious actor/actress. It’s easy for someone to imitate a character or an emotion, but there’s no substance in that. How can you sustain that performance or repeat what you beleive to intuitively find? So for me to prepare myself and get engulfed in the story and become a fully realised three-dimensional character, I had to believe the character I was playing is truthful and not some cliché.

Jones: I revisited the poem I wrote on which the film is based. I had conversations with women about cheating husbands and how it made them feel. I made ugly, angry, scary faces in the mirror so I woudn’t be surprised how I looked on film, and I got a good night’s rest the night before shooting.

Are there any immediate plans to pursue acting further?

McLean: I would love to pursue acting and I’m hoping that soon there will be more opportunities to exercise my talent. I believe that we are making the right steps to enlarge this field and give actors and actresses the platform to display their talent.

Jones: Definitely, I’m keeping my options open. So far I haven’t gotten any offers yet, but I will be pursuing acting.

Which actress do you most love?

McLean: Meryl Streep.

Jones: Meryl Streep, Charlize Theron and Angela Bassett.

What’s your cocktail of choice?

McLean: A blended fruit punch. I don’t do alcohol.

Jones: I’m having a glass of red wine. But I also like a good martini.

Who does your hair?

McLean: Well, me of course.

Jones: I get my hair done at Inner Beauty Salon at Central Plaza.

Who does your nails?

McLean: I do my own, which are done every three weeks as I’m an artist so it doesn’t make sense going to a salon, especially when there’s dye or ink all over your hands.

Jones: Inner Beauty Salon.

What perfume are you spraying?

McLean: Tom Ford Private Blend Mandarino Di Amalfi.

Jones: Viva La Juicy by Juicy Couture.

What is playing on your iPod or car stereo?

McLean: James Blake, Bon Iver, Jah Cure, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Chronixx, Drake, Raging Fyah, Atu, and Uprising Roots band.

Jones: Kanye West’s Yeezus, Jesse Royal’s Royally Speaking and Jhene Aiko.

What is your secret beauty regimen?

McLean: The less chemicals, the less damage.

Jones: I am very into natural skin care and doing homemade spa treatments and skincare routines. So my beauty regimen is almost strict and obsessive about natural oils, aloe vera, avocado, oatmeal, honey, papaya and yogurt.

Where’s your go-to spot when you need to escape?

McLean: I find a spot, put my headphones on, take out my pens and sketchbook and start drawing. That’s always been my escape.

Jones: At my family’s home in Portland where I’m sure to fall asleep peacefully to the sound of rain on a zinc roof, wake up to the smell of chocolate tea, and enjoy a buffet of assorted ‘country food’ and fruits all day.

What is your idea of the perfect date?

McLean: Something spontaneous. Like jumping on a bus, then a cab, then another bus to Negril. Check in to a cool little place, go to a Marley show, and end the night partying and start the morning watching the sunrise. That’s an unforgettable stamp on one’s memory.

Jones: My idea of a perfect date is reggae, Guinness, somewhere I can sit on the ground overlooking a great view, great conversation and laughter.

What is your idea of the perfect man?

McLean: A man who loves me entirely. One who won’t put me down when I make mistakes or put me down just to lift himself up. A man who is forgiving, understanding and caring. And of course, someone who doesn’t have a huge ego — that’s a huge turnoff.

Jones: He has to be complex but simple, intense but composed, passionate, spiritual, deep and must have a profound appreciation for the arts.

What’s the most dramatic thing that has ever happened to you?

McLean: Believe it or not, my life is very boring. I’m usually in my room drawing and listening to music.

Jones: The first time I went to school and realised I had to sit there for seven hours with my ADD, in a room, around a tiny desk, with a bunch of people I didn’t know.

..And the funniest episode you’ve experienced?

McLean: Once I was back-talking my mother while I was in the bathroom preparing to take a shower. She came in and surprised me and I mistakenly stepped into the toilet. She just looked at me and said: “You know what? You need to go bathe.” I was so embarrassed, but looking back it’s so humurous.

Jones: When I was signed to Pulse modelling agency and I was opening the runway show for the Caribbean Model Search competition, I had one of those YouTube runway fall moments. All I could hear was the laughter of my friends who were there to support me, so I got up, put on my shoes and laughed too.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

McLean: I see myself becoming prominent in the arts; not just performing arts, but the visual arts as well. With regard to my personal life, what woman doesn’t want to be settled with a family whom she loves and loves her.

Jones: I see myself being an established recording artiste, actress and viusal artist, and married.

Patasha’s Handbag Essentials

Eco Style Olive Oil Hair Gel

Aveeno SPF 15

Micro pens and pencils

Watercolour sketch

iPhone

Racquel’s Handbag Essentials

MAC Matte Ruby Red lipstick

IMAN luminous powder

iPhone

Notepad for inspirational poetic moments

Pen