Toronto-based, Alexander Nunez, is an actor and a screenwriter whose career we should all keep a close watch on! You can watch his show, Moonshine, and find out more about his upcoming projects in our interview below.

Thank you so much for answering our questions, Alexander. We’d love to get to know you! When did you know you wanted to be an actor and creator? What inspired you and what continues to inspire you?

Thank you so much for reaching out! Growing up, weekly family movie nights were upheld almost religiously. It turned watching movies into a huge hobby of mine. We rented Kill Bill (my parents obviously had no idea how violent it would be) and — I know it sounds dramatic, but — Uma Thurman changed my life. She made me feel everything her character was feeling: rage, despair, love, exhaustion, relief… And she kicked ass! I just thought, “This must have been so satisfying for her to perform (minus that infamous on-set car crash). I want to do that too.” Of course, lots of films, shows, and actors inspired me to want to create. But dang, I know every line from that movie. I’ve watched it hundreds of times. I’ve been chasing roles and writing stories ever since! Today, I’m inspired all the time by so many. Issa Rae comes to mind, specifically. Watching her growth and success is awe inspiring. Her stories are centered around black joy and the beauty of interpersonal relationships and that’s exactly the energy I want to put into the world. 

Kristen MacCulloch is an award-winning actor based in Toronto, Canada– seen in movies like Corporate Prey (Amazon Prime) and Steven Kostanski’s Psycho Goreman. Her new film premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, Scarbourough, which she talks about in our interview below!

Hi Kristen! Can you tell us about your film, Scarborough, and the book it’s based on by author, Catherine Hernandez? Tell us a little bit about the character you’re playing, Jessica.

Hi, sure! The story is anchored around three kids from a low income neighborhood who are drowning in poverty, addiction and housing instability. They come together through a morning school program run by a particularly caring and inspiring teacher and together with their families they navigate the ups and downs of life and community in a system that is failing them. I play the role of Jessica, a devastatingly neglectful mother who is unable and unwilling to care for her daughter Laura, brought to life masterfully by Anna Claire Beitel. The two of them are living a hard life and in the film we watch Jessica struggle to keep going, drowning in the disease of addiction as the bills and late rent notices pile up. Although she isn’t particularly sympathetic, I tried to play her as a whole person rather than a caricature of someone who’s easy to hate. She’s a lost and lonely victim of society’s failures as much as any of the characters we meet in the film.

Suzanne Cyr has been acting for over 20+ years and she might be one of those familiar faces you have seen on your screen, which shows under her belt like USA Network’s Suits and Covert Affairs. Next, you can watch Suzanne in her film, Night Raiders. Find out more below!

Hi Suzanne, thank you for answering our questions today! Can you tell us about your film, Night Raiders, and your role as The Headmaster? What drew you personally to its story? 

Night Raiders is the story of a Cree mother Niska who is on the run and has been living off the land, hiding her young daughter Waseese for 11 years. It’s set slightly in the future and there’s been a war after which children are taken from their parents and put into state run institutions where their spirits are broken and they are turned into “good soldiers and citizens” who work for the state. There’s a science fiction element to the film as drones are able to track and hunt down and capture any children who are on the run. Niska ends up having to surrender Waseese to one of the institutions. All of the elements of Night Raiders are taken from Canada’s real-life history of the attempt to colonize Canada and the residential schools that existed until very recently. My character, Headmaster, runs the academy that Wasesse ends up in. The character of Headmaster is representative of the priests that ran the real-life residential schools.

Toronto-based comedian, Kyle Lucey, found a (safe) way to continue to bring laughter to a few people during the global pandemic through The Secret Show! Learn more about how he did it below.

Hi Kyle! Can you tell us about The Secret Show! and what was the inspiration behind it?

The Secret Show is part of my comedy company, “Renegade Comedy” that has been producing sold out shows at bars, comedy clubs, casinos and theaters for over 5 years now. When the lockdown hit Toronto, every comedy club in the country had to closed its doors to keep everybody safe. Comedians were greatly affected by this because we had no way of doing our art. Comedians were labelled, “non-essential” and our industry was decimated. Around June 2021, the Ontario government started allowing up to 10 people outside. I saw an opportunity there. I thought, “let’s turn my backyard into a comedy club!” This would give myself and fellow comics some much needed stage time. We made sure we capped the audience so we would be abiding by government protocol for outside gatherings. I branded it as a secret show so that I wasn’t sending out my address to strangers but it was a happy accident. Audience loved the speakeasy vibe The Secret Show created and we have been sold out every week for over 3 months!

Head Wounds: Sparrow is a graphic novel created by Bob Johnson and John Alvey and developed by Oscar Isaac and Jason Spire. It will be available in Fall 2021. Curious fans can listen to the creative team, including New York Times’ best-selling writer Brian Buccellato and artist Christian Ward, go in-depth regarding the book’s origin, mythology and its creation process.

With his leading man smile, actor, Ryan Taerk stars in The Communist’s Daughter (CBC Gem)– a show with a fun, comedic take on the television family unit. We spoke to Ryan about the show, his upcoming projects and what got him into acting in the first place. Read more below!

Hi Ryan, thank you for taking the time to answer some of our questions! Can you tell us about your new hilarious show, The Communist’s Daughter, and your character, Boris McDougald?

Thank you for having me! I really appreciate it. The Communist’s Daughter is a hilarious new comedy about the McDougald family, a family of communists, at the height of consumer driven and capitalist North America in the 80s, trying to acclimate back into their old neighborhood. Hilarity ensues when the father of the family, Ian McDougald, announces that he is running for town council as an “independent”. The season follows the McDougald kids struggle between staying loyal to the family, and wanting to enjoy their “normal” North American high school experience. I play Boris McDougald, the younger brother in the family. I truly love my character so much. He is definitely the rogue one of the family. Boris is a very outspoken capitalist that is always looking for an edge trying to make a deal; a young Gordon Gekko in the making. Because of his capitalist views and desire to have a “normal” high school experience, Boris finds his family’s communist beliefs to be a great challenge. This causes lots of comedic moments throughout the season. 

A series for those who love a good thriller AND are into true crime shows (or podcasts!). Michael Musi (KIM’S CONVENIENCE) and Madison Walsh (THE EXPANSE) created and starred in this mystery inspired series, Something Undone– find out more in our interview with them below.

Hi guys! Something Undone seems like the kind of thriller that sticks with you. Can you tell our readers about the mini-series and the roles you both play in it?

Madison Walsh: I play Jo, a foley artist (the person who makes sound effects for films) who is cleaning out her late mother’s home while recording spooky sounds for her true crime podcast. Jo goes down a bit of a rabbit hole when she discovers clues hinting at a dark family secret.

Michael Musi: And I play Farid, Jo’s other half, both professionally and personally. Farid’s out in Newfoundland doing interviews for the podcast while Jo is at her mother’s home.

As Indigenous representation continue to grow in movies and television, Sarah Podemski, an Anishinaabe/Ashkenazi actor, joins SyFy’s Resident Alien. Read more below about her role in the show as well as her own personal pursuits and goals as an actor.

Hi Sarah, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions! Tell us about SyFy’s comedy/drama series, Resident Alien. You play a character named Kayla, what kind of person is she and what role will play into the story?

This show is a mash up of comedy, sci-fi, heartfelt drama, and total insanity, it’s a real trip! The character I play, Kayla, is awesome! She is funny, and tough, a great mother, and a support for Asta at a pivotal point in the show.

Resident Alien’s premise is so funny and interesting, especially with Alan Tudyk playing the “resident alien”, Harry Vanderspeigle. What drew you to this unique series? What has been your favorite part about it?

I loved the way this role was written! It was written by an Indigenous writer named Tazbah Chavez, and she did such a beautiful job of creating a multi dimensional character. It’s very rare to find an Indigenous character written by Indigenous writers, unfortunately, so I was so happy to hear she was involved, and it made it that much more exciting to get the job! My favorite part of the whole show is the Indigenous representation. The show’s creator Chris Sheridan made it a priority to portray an Indigenous family, who are written with such love and care. It was so exciting to see on TV for the first time in a long time!