Leanne Noelle Smith took a leap into creativity and never looked back. Today, she is working on multiple projects, including Vasilios Filipakkis’ web series, FAK YAASS, about a dysfunctional Greek family and the main character’s struggle to have them accept his sexuality. Learn more about Leanne and her role in the show below!

Hi Leanne, welcome to Defective Geeks! Tells us about yourself and your journey into becoming an actor. Did you always know you wanted to become an actress? What inspired you?

It has been quite the interesting journey from when I was a kid dancing in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to today, being the actress/producer that I am. It all started with me in ballet from the age of 5, I loved performing and always have. I grew up with some incredible mentors that always inspired me, went on tours, started modeling– and then found myself drawn to acting back in high school.

Along the Water’s Edge is written and directed by Jonathan Elliott, a film set in the near future that explores the long term impacts of the water crises among Indigenous communities across Canada. Actor, Nadia George, stars in the film and talks to Defective Geeks about what the movie means to her.

Tell us about your upcoming short film, Along the Water’s Edge–– what does the movie and your role in it represent? How did you become involved with the movie?

I was fortunate to be offered the role. I had the pleasure of working with Writer and Director Jon Elliot before, on the film, Her Water Drum, back in 2018. Jon reached out to me and explained the concept of the film and wanted my thoughts on it and asked me if I would also do the narration. I’ve always been a big fan of Jon’s work, and was honored that he had thought of me for this project. The topic of the water crisis is also one that sits close to home for me, as my father’s health was once affected by contaminated water; so It was important to me to be a part of this story.

As millennials, we are often boxed into very specific generational stereotypes. In Avocado Toast the series, Perrie Voss and Heidi Lynch hopes to give the viewers a more complex representation on the lives of two women growing into their relationships, sexuality and experiences. The series premieres on Amazon Prime on May 18th– learn more about the show and creators below!

Hi Perrie and Heidi, thank you for answering our questions today. Please tell us about Avocado Toast the series– what is the show about and what inspired the title itself?

Heidi Lynch: The show is about female friendship and mother/daughter relationships. We explore bisexual millennial coming out stories and coming to terms with watching baby boomer parents fall in love again. That article about millennials, mortgages and avocado toast. We wanted something symbolic for causing a wedge between our millennial and baby boomer characters.

Francis Luta directed a once-in-a-lifetime documentary in collaboration with explorer, Adam Shoalts. In this interview, he talks about the challenges of filming Alone Across the Artic and how he became a filmmaker. Read more below!

Hi Francis, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions! Your documentary, Alone Across the Arctic, looks gorgeous and incredibly intense at the same time. How did you get involved with explorer, Adam Shoalts and what inspired you to film his journey?

Thank you. I made a short film with Adam back in 2015 entitled Explorer where I basically introduce him as this modern day explorer. I went camping with him where we shot tons of b-roll showcasing his survival skills. I didn’t really think anything would come out of making the short up until he invited me to make a film about his next expedition. You don’t get an invite like that every day, so I said Yes! with wide eyes and creative wheels turning without fully grasping the enormity of the project. What’s most inspiring for me is his level of focus and dedication to his craft. I respect what he does because he does it so well, so even-keeled and so logistical. I got sucked into it and to this day I carry that same level of focus and dedication to what I do best. It’s the kind of expedition that can only happen once and we captured it. 

Hazy Little Thing explores people’s relationship with social media and their own mental health, from the minds of filmmakers, Sam Coyle and Erin Carter. With what’s going on right now globally during this pandemic, can you relate to the feeling of isolation and loneliness despite constantly being “connected” via technology?

Hi guys, thank you so much for joining us on Defective Geeks! Please tell us about your new film, Hazy Little Thing. What is it all about?

Hey thanks for having us! Hazy Little Thing follows Billie, a writer, blocked in the wake of her past success. Spiralling further and further into her fear of failure and lack of self-acceptance she posts a particularly self-deprecating post on social media, and after seeing this, her sister and a few close friends rush to her rescue to throw a sort of intervention under the guise of a surprise birthday weekend. 

Actor, Helena Marie, plays Whitney Cortez in the Family Channel and CBCC’s new television series, My Perfect Landing. The show features talented young gymnasts, and Helena’s character moves to Toronto with her family to start a gymnastic club. Read about it more below!

Hi Helena, thank you for answering our questions today! Tell us about yourself and how you got into acting. Where did you start and what pushed you to pursue a career in entertainment? What was your big break?

It’s my pleasure, thanks for having me! I started acting during my last year of high school, and then studied theatre in college. When I first started to pursue it professionally I basically just did everything I could. I took all the classes I could afford, I acted in student films, short films and indie projects, I narrated audiobooks– you name it, I did it. The more I did, the more I knew that this was the path for me. I needed to perform. Working on Stagecoach: The Texas Jack story was a huge milestone for me. I got to play a kick-ass character alongside some truly heavy hitters like Judd Nelson and Kim Coates.

Actor, Tina Jung, talks to Defective Geeks about taking on this intense role in Queen of the Morning Calm and the challenging topics the film explores. Learn more about her emotional and mental journey and read our interview with her below.

Queen of the Morning Calm looks so emotional, with a really unique perspective on life as a struggling immigrant and a woman of color– tell us about this movie and your character, Debra.

Queen of the Morning Calm is an empowering story about a young immigrant sex worker trying to break free from the cycles of poverty and abuse, all the while learning to be a more nurturing mother in the process. Debra has always lived at the mercy of men believing that things will eventually get better by staying silent and always doing what she is told. She is dragged along knowing she is unhappy with her situation but stays because she feels the need to take care and save others around her. In order to survive, she begins to trust herself learning that she is the only hero she needs in her world. Through her journey of breaking free from the labels that were put on her, she gathers the courage to take risks and fight back, she learns to take control, find her voice, and be her own savior from a world that turned its back on her. It is a story of emancipation, a lesson on self-love, and a discovery of self-worth.

Kate Drummond has been a part of shows such as Wynonna Earp (SYFY), Dark Matter (SYFY) and Heartland (CBC). Now she’s back on Defective Geeks to talk about her latest show, Utopia Falls. This time, Kate plays it tough as the antagonist in this unique take on a utopian/dystopian series. Read more below!

Hello Kate, welcome back to Defective Geeks! Congratulations on your new series, UTOPIA FALLS. What can you tell us about your character, Authority Phydra, and the role she plays in the series?

Thank you! I’m so excited to talk to you again! What a wild ride these past years have been!

Authority Phydra is the head of New Babyl’s police force and is the ultimate enforcer of the laws in the society. I’ve actually heard her compared to President Snow in Hunger Games, which I thought was pretty accurate. Her sole purpose as far as we know in Season 1, is to ensure that all citizens of New Babyl are behaving according to the pre-established laws and cultures, for the greater good of course! As the hero teens discover the Archive and in turn start expressing themselves in ways that are atypical of New Babyl citizens, Phydra becomes more and more determined to silence them, and thus, is the ultimate antagonist in the show. I will say though, that she is a very complicated and complex character who has a very mysterious past that has lead her to be who she is today. Maybe that will be revealed more in Season 2!