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!

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! 

Avaah Blackwell is both an actor and a stunt performer, known for her versatility and power on screen. She is lucky enough to be a part of one of our personal favorite series, Star Trek: Discovery. Read all about it below!

Hi Avaah, thank you for chatting with us! We are huge fans of Star Trek: Discovery. What can you tell us about the current season? What can you tell us about the Osnullus and what is it like playing one?

Hello and thank you for chatting with me! So great to hear you like the show and thank you for all of your love and support! Season three is airing on CBS All access in the States and Crave in Canada. You can catch season two on Netflix! This season is an incredible ride for all of the Starfleet crew aboard the Discovery! We are in the future fighting for everything we believe in and everything that StarFleet is about! 

Eric, a Saskatchewan native, moved to Toronto to pursue his dream to become an actor– and you might have seen him in popular shows such as The Strain, Reign and Schitt’s Creek. His new movie, Love in Harmony Valley, premiered on the Superchannel this Fall. Learn more about his journey and projects below!

Hi Eric, thank you so much for answering our questions today! Tell us about yourself and what influenced you to pursue acting. When did you want to know you wanted to become an actor and what was that journey like for you to get you to where you are today?

You know what, there was this one moment as a kid that I decisively remember saying to myself, “I want to do that when I’m older.” I was featured background on a Jamie Foxx movie when I was around nine years old I think, and it was the one day we finished getting these baseball game scenes shot and as I was walking across the dirt roads to go back to holding, Jamie and his team were shooting a basic car stunt. The car is ripping away in the gravel and Jamie was hanging out of the window, and I guess maybe what I really wanted to do was stunts, haha, but yeah, I just loved that whole experience so much and knew it was something I really wanted to do one day. But it really wasn’t until I was 21 [years old] that I truly entertained the idea of the arts as a career choice. 

Actor, Sydney Meyers, is known for her roles in shows such as Shadowhunters and The Expanse. Now, she stars in Netflix’s Grand Army, a show that represents and explores many social issues that teenagers are facing today. Season one of the show is now available on Netflix.

Tell us more about your new show on Netflix, Grand Army. What is the series about and what drew you to the project? Who is your character, Anna Delaney, and what role does she play in the story?

The series is a true to life look at five teens in Brooklyn and their lives in school and online as they struggle to find themselves and their voices in their community. I was working the casting sessions in Toronto as a reader and I was immediately drawn to the rawness and authenticity of the scripts. I was invested right away and knew that I wanted to be a part of the project. Anna is Joey’s best friend since childhood and Tim’s twin sister, she’s also the motherly figure of her group. She is put in the middle of a conflict that arises between Joey and the rest of her friend group and Anna is forced to pick a side and ultimately to deal with the consequences of having to do that.