‘Shadowhunters’ Emeraude Toubia talks Sizzy and girl power 

‘Shadowhunters’ Emeraude Toubia talks Sizzy and girl power

Emeraude Toubia plays the intelligent, sexy Isabelle Lightwood on Freeform’s newest series,

Isabelle, along with her brother Alec and fellow shadowhunter Jace, help Clary discover who she really is and navigate the world of the shadowhunters. Isabelle also finds herself with more than a passing interest in Clary’s best friend, Simon. We had the opportunity to talk with Toubia about being cast as Isabelle and the upcoming episode, “The Descent into Hell is Easy.”

Please note that there are some minor spoilers for episode 2 in the interview.

When describing Isabelle, Toubia is quick to point out that she is more than what she seems. “Isabelle loves to dress up, she loves to wear heels, she loves to wear make-up but something I admire her for is that she is more than that; she knows there are more important things in life. She fights for equality and she embraces her sexuality. I think she is going to be a great role model for young girls because there is so much pressure from society on who you should or how you should love. I think Isabelle makes it her mission to help people feel comfortable in their own skin and that you only live once and you should be happy.”

We discussed some of the changes being made to the adaptation and what it means to Toubia to be a part of the cast. “This is more than a dream come true for me and I put my heart and soul into this. We all work so hard for this and it is really nice to see the fans respond in a positive way. I know some of the fans are so passionate about the books and they want it to be exactly like the books but we have to keep fans on their toes. We love the show and we respect the characters so much. I just feel like saying thank you to the fans.”

When discussing how she created this version of Izzy, Toubia notes that author Cassandra Clare never describes her as having red lips but fans tend to think of her that way. “One thing that I actually did was look at the fanart on line and that was sent to me and in them Izzy always had red lips. Working with the make-up artists we decided Izzy should have red lips and it was kind of a gift to the fans.

When talking to Toubia we had to discuss Izzy’s fashion sense and the interesting outfit she gets to wear. “There is an outfit in episode 4 that I love. It is a sequins dress with feathers and boots. She wears this really nice thing in her hair. It is one of the outfits that I love because it just shows how much fun she has when she is going out to fight demons. It’s like when they say when you love what you do you’re not working.”

One of the biggest ships from the books is between Simon and Izzy a.k.a Sizzy. Toubia explains the pressures of being one half of the couple. “It is a big responsibility for Alberto and me. We want to make sure the fans are getting what they envisioned, what they dreamed of. Alberto is great to work with. He is very talented and we just want to make sure it is taken care of.”

In episode 2 we see Isabelle cook for Simon even though Jace warns him not to eat the food. Emeraude explains why shooting scenes where you have to eat aren’t always fun. “It was like mashed potatoes but it wasn’t made out of potatoes and we were eating them for a really long time. It was pretty gross after a while and there was some kind of raw egg that was placed next to it and some toast that was really burnt. But Izzy loves her food so she was munching on that while sitting with Simon in her bedroom.

“In the show it is very important to Izzy for her brother to feel comfortable and for her brother to be happy. She always tries to let him know you only live once you have to be you. She does it in a way that she isn’t pushing him to hard but she throws things at him to make him think. Izzy would give her life for him. In episode 5 there is something that happens that she completely puts what she loves all away for her brother.”

When asked about Clary and Izzy’s relationship and how it progresses, Toubia is quick to note the girl power on this show. “I really love that about the show it is about woman empowerment it could easily turn into a cat fight but it isn’t like that. This is something that we want young girls to see, we want the young generation to know that it is okay for girls to be friends and that they can support each other. Izzy knows that Clary is going through a hard time and that she is going to be there for her and support her.”

Toubia teased a couple big Izzy moments coming up this season. “There is a big scene where Isabelle does not play a sexy bad-ass she goes into another world where she plays the complete opposite of the Isabelle we normally see. I’m really excited for fans to see it.”

Izzy seems like the kind of girl who would have a theme song so we asked Toubia what she thought Izzy’s theme song would be, “I think maybe something from Beyonce, she is all about woman empowerment.”

Which Beyonce song do you think should be Isabelle Lightwood’s theme song? Vote in our poll and you can even add your own option.

Alberto Rosende Emeraude Toubia Shadowhunters The Descent into Hell is Easy

Everything I know about ‘Gilmore Girls’ I learned from pop culture (and my crazy friends)

‘The Walking Dead’ mid-season 6 premiere: 5 spoiler-free teases

TV ships that need to sink and sail this Valentine\'s Day

Exclusive: \'Elementary\' 4x13 promo: Meet the neighbors