Jaris Sundin

**Jaris Sundin** (Actress-Courtni Aries) A 32-year-old widowed supermom, playfully bubbly, and mother of two high school twin teens Hayley and Griffin, and a pre-teen Roxy. Jaris is noticeably pregnant with a fourth child on the way in the second through eighth episodes of the series. Often misunderstood for being so alike in many ways, Jaris sees her eldest daughter Hayley as a mirror image of her own personality, but Hayley has often wanted to verbally combat her every move and be different.

In the second episode Jaris refers to her first high school dance as a failure by having to ride in the back of her dad's pickup truck and being nicknamed "Mustang Sally". Jaris doesn’t want Hayley to follow in her footsteps by not riding in a limo for her dance, even though it is not paid for by Hayley's boyfriend. The two introduce their war on words as a regular series occurrence.

Often on the rebound from a mother/daughter communication breakdown or an all-out argument Jaris deliberately tries to find ways to bring the love and mothering back to an even keel level with Hayley. Hayley is Jaris' personal "fashion consultant" not just critiquing but picking out clothes for her to look more than up to date, and a smokin' sassy mom. Additionally the two often cook for themselves and their college roommate neighbors. Her daughter Hayley asks to borrow ingredients often from neighbor Dillon.

Jaris has found that her early twenties college neighbor Dillon to be as much as anyone could ask for as a “filler father figure” after the death of her husband, Johan. She often cooks for Dillon and his two other roommates and comes over with her kids to watch taped Swedish basketball games of her late husband and current sports.

Upon Khalil’s loss of his last immediate family member early in the series. Jaris specifically conveys her support and understanding of family loss with Khalil, a classmate of Hayley and Griffin’s. Shortly after Khalil’s attempted suicide, Jaris and her daughter Hayley offer support by cooking and providing extra blankets to Khalil knowing Dillon has essentially become a foster family to Khalil.

Jaris is called into Counselor Kaidence's office at East Valley Academy when her daughter Hayley reports feeling uncomfortable that her girlfriends, notably Teagan, have been rubbed on the shoulders by teacher Mr. Stu Charles in class.
Jaris in subsequent episodes has Counselor Kaidence over at her home, noting its for the first time she has had a guest over and the two quickly become friends. Much of her friendship is shown to need the counselor because of her grieving and loss of her husband, Johan.

Later in the series Jaris is becoming noticably smaller with her pregnant belly, while having a very large bump early on in the series. The smaller belly is concerning about her unusual pregnancy, particularly because she's coming up to the final pregnancy Trimester. She's been unemployed since her husband's death and confesses to not having medical insurance to Dillon. Shortly thereafter she collapses onto the floor while her children are gathered around her and ultimatly looses the baby. When the results at the hospital appear seemingly glum, Jaris trusts in her faith and believes its a blessing in disguise.

Jaris lives near St. Louis in an apartment across from Dillon with her three children.

## Character Background

The premise for one of the main story-lines of the series is Dillon being more than just a neighborly influence to his neighbor Jaris, a widowed, pregnant, mother of three children.

This story-line with Jaris supporting the main character Dillon as an arc is evident from the beginning to the near end of the short lived series.

Jaris was also intended to be a slightly older motherly figure to that of Dillon, however actress Courtni Aries looked and played the part to compliment her younger bubbly personality so well this was removed. The scripts and character removed any motherly tones of Jaris to be present with Dillon and instead had him not only being Christlike and neighborly towards her and her children but Jaris relying on Dillon for some fatherly assistance and looking after her children. The slight change would call for Dillon to be on the emotional and responsible level of a grownup almost Jaris' age even though Dillon is in college and Jaris is age 32. Jaris age is 32 in the character profiles, but she never mentioned her age on screen.

Although early production ideas called for more impending supporting characters to surround the two roommates Dillon and Landon, the character of Jaris was written for actress Courtni Aries and elevated her to more lines alongside Dillon when she delivered really well in table readings. In the very early drafts of the pilot script Kreutz had Jaris to be more bubbly and an editor and writer for a leading christian woman's magazine/website. Jaris would have been the hot mom that was on the young and up to the season trend level of her kids. Additionally the high level family life in and around Dillon and his roommates was intended to see Jaris have interaction with her best friend from Sweden who moved in with her named Klarah Borg as well as her Swedish born sisters Mercedes and Claire.

Jaris was also Intended to have a love interest named Michael Blake, who was scripted as the school counselor and ultimately changed to Counselor Kaidence when actor Lec Zorn was unable to play the role of Michael that he heavily wrote into numerous scripts.

When Bryan Kreutz called Courtni for the part and had her do a screen test she revealed to him that she was pregnant. Kreutz embraced the idea of Aries pregnancy and even though it was not part of the original concept for the show it ultimately played a significant part to the family life and tragedies a widow faces when loosing a baby after the loss of a spouse.

The primary introductory story-line to Jaris and her family in the new pilot written by Joanna Ferbrache is centered around Dillon and Landon overhearing Jaris excessively yelling at her kids in a desperate way and waking the roommates up. This causes Dillon to go to her interior apartment door, knock and meet her in a slightly modern day damsel in distress situation. The Jaris character played out later in the pilot to be formally introduced to both roommates along with her youngest daughter Roxy with a meeting and greeting by them at their front door. Jaris now knowing that Dillon and his roommate would be in-school mentors to Jaris' twins would quickly include them into her trust circle and appreciating Dillon's neighborly christian values.

Jaris' pregnancy story-line heavily centered around actress Courtni Aries real life pregnancy and when Courtni's son was born the fictional story-line required an explanation on screen. Courtni was okay with letting her pregnancy bump now smaller not be explained and to wear maternity clothing until ultimately the next to last episode when she lost the baby, even though she had noticeably lost the bump a few episodes into the series.

## Quote

Jaris' quote to her daughter Hayley, after coming into the Landon's apartment to watch her late husband in a basketball video while they wait for Griffin. Hayley is complaining she's got to get a job to pay for the dance since none of the other freshman guys have a job.

"It's afternoon Hayley, you've slept half the day away. Look I want you to go to your first dance in style. I regret never going to my first dance. I don't want her to have to go to her first dance the way I did.. in the back of my dad's pickup truck. Do you know what they called me after that... Mustang Sally!" Landon is confused why they would call her that since its a truck not a Mustang car, but dismisses it with her air-headed blonde response when she agrees with his confusion and she starts sobbing.

## "Friends, Family, and Freeloaders" - Episode 2

Jaris, her daughters Haley and Roxy arrive to a couch crashing new roommate in the living room. While waiting for Dillon and Griffin, Landon is confused over Jaris' blonde moment comment and her comments between her daughter Hayley paying for a prom limo and dress.