Born in Toronto, actor and singer/songwriter, Hallea Jones, stars in Netflix’s LOCKE & KEY as Eden Hawkins– the “it” girl who does her own terrorizing of the show’s protagonists. Hallea talks about discovering the comic books by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez and what she loves most about being a part of the adaptation below!

Hi Hallea, thank you for doing this interview with us! Tell us about your new show, Locke & Key, and your character, Eden Hawkins. Can you tell us about the role she will play in the story?

Thanks so much for having me! Ah, there’s so much to say. First off, Locke & Key is about a family moving back into their ancestral home after their father is murdered, only to find magical keys which border fun, and danger. While the kids are warding off a key hungry demon, the two oldest kids, Kinsey and Tyler go to school to deal with Matheson’s very own haute demon– Eden Hawkins. She’s the Regina George of the town, and does it all with a little smile on her face.

Nurses is a new original medical drama airing on Global TV with actor, Tristan D. Lalla who plays the head nurse in the series. Tristan has been a part of several projects including Quantico (ABC), The Art of More (Sony) and he voiced Adéwalé, the first black lead in Assassin’s Creed. Learn more about his new series below!

Hi Tristan, congratulations on the premiere of your new show! Can you tell us about NURSES, and the character you play, Damien Sanders? What role does he play in the series?

Nurses takes us into the hectic life at St. Mary’s Hospital. It follows five rookie nurses who are thrown into the realities of what it takes to be an effective team player under high stakes situations. It’s an ensemble piece, put together by a highly acclaimed team of writers, directors, producers, and editors. I’m really proud to be a part of this one. I play Damien Sanders, head charge nurse at St. Mary’s. He’s a bit of a hard ass (having been a Master Corporal and chief field medic in the military) but he definitely has a soft side. Maybe two soft sides. 

Comic book fans are excited to watch Netflix’s October Faction, based on a graphic novel series written by Steve Niles and Damien Worm. Rising star, Gabriel Darku, stars as the show’s Geoff Allen and talks to DEFECTIVE GEEKS about joining the cast of a unique sci-fi, monster franchise.

Hi Gabriel! We are so excited to watch October Faction on Netflix. What can you tell us about the series and your character, Geoff Allen?

October Faction is a story about a family– the Allens– whose specialty happens to be hunting monsters. Parents Fred and Deloris carry on the family legacy unbeknownst to their children, Geoff and Viv, who believe them to be insurance agents. When the death of Fred’s father brings the family back to it’s roots, it becomes harder for Fred and Deloris to hide the truth as the twins begin to experience strange happenings and the town proves itself to be not-so-idyllic. It’s a fantastic and twisted story that– while living in a world of supernatural horror– is firmly rooted in the characters and their relationships. It also focuses on topics that relate heavily to society, which I love. My character Geoff is definitely a bit rebellious, and likes to do things his way. He has absolutely no issues with who he is and with being himself, which is great to see. However he definitely has to navigate some pretty rough waters throughout the season and its interesting to watch him handle such vulnerable situations.

Tamara Almeida changed her career path to pursue her passion and now stars in AppleTV+’s reboot of Ghostwriter. She has also been seen in Degrassi: Next Class, Heroes Reborn and Good Witch. Find out more about her journey as an actor in our interview below!

Hi Tamara, thank you for answering our questions! Tell us about yourself and your journey towards pursuing acting as a career. What or who inspires you?

Hi Defective Geeks, thanks for having me! Like many others, I grew up with a strong desire to be creative. I went the long route and had a completely different career in sales before becoming an actor. I’d been terrified to commit to an industry I knew nothing about, but once I started taking classes, I was hooked. I left my career, and it’s been a lot of training and learning over the last decade. There is a lot of opportunity in this industry to diversify and find where you fit. My business experience led me to want to produce, and my technical background has led me to editing. I love storytelling, and am inspired by watching artists in different industries evolve. I’m inspired by the work ethic of Beyonce, she’s someone who is always letting her work speak for itself, and never stops making an effort to top her last efforts. Then there are Brit Marling and Phoebe Waller-Bridge who are content creators, writers, actors, and producers. They inspire the work I want to do, and Waller-Bridge in particular creates the type of content I am so blown away by that she’s the ultimate goal. Watch Fleabag, Crashing, Killing Eve, and anything else she’s done because she’s a genius! 

Actor and musician, Kenny Wong, bravely shares his own emotional experience through the short film, DYSTONIA, which premiered at the Toronto Shorts International Film Festival. Read more about focal hand dystonia and how it affected his journey as a creative person below.

Tell us about your short film, DYSTONIA, and how is it based on your own personal experience?

Dystonia is about a young violinist who, while attending university, is diagnosed with Focal Hand Dystonia and is forced to deal with the consequences that result from this incurable condition. The story was originally written as a feature film and we took a number of scenes from that script, reworked it, and made a short version of it. In my second year of university, I was practicing six to eight hours a day for my performance exam when I started feeling some tightness in my left hand. I didn’t think much of it until one day, during a violin lesson, my teacher noticed that my ring and pinky fingers were curled under my instrument. I would restart, trying my best to keep the fingers up… but to no avail. I broke down, knowing something was terribly wrong. And sure enough, the doctors diagnosed me with Focal Hand Dystonia, an incurable condition that I still struggle with to this day. 

The highly anticipated show, produced by Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries), V WARS premiered on Netflix and actress, Kimberly-Sue Murray, stars in this vampire world as Danika Dubov. Her character exudes sexiness as well as being a complete badass– learn more below in our interview with Kimberly.

Congratulations on the premiere of your new show, V WARS, on Netflix! What is the show about and what role does your character, Danika Dubov, play in the series?In your opinion, what makes V WARS different from all the other vampire shows or movies?

Thank you so much! V Wars, based on Jonathan Maberry’s anthology and comics, is about an ancient pathogen that escapes the melting glaciers and infects anyone with the mutated gene turning them into vampires. A war breaks out as Dr. Luther Swann tries to find a cure to save his best friend, son and the rest of humanity. I play Danika Dubov, a vampire and Michael Fayne’s love interest throughout the show. She’s smart, resourceful, strategic and a great asset to Blood Nation. She and Michael have a great bond and hold each other up. While all of this is happening, Mila, who despises who’s become, is on a mission to seek revenge. In an earlier version of the script, Ava O’Malley stabbed Danika and killed her, I guess she couldn’t stand the influence Danika had over Michael. I’m glad we stuck to the book’s ending for Danika and Mila, it’s an incredibly tense moment between the two sisters. What happens next, I honestly have no idea! 

Jordan Power launched his podcast, SHAME ON YOU, this year where him and his co-host explore the idea of shedding shame and living openly and honestly. Read more below about the show and Jordan’s other projects.

Hi Jordan, welcome to Defective Geeks! Tell us about yourself and where did the idea for your podcast, Shame On You, come from?

I’m a published writer, comedian and LGBTQ+ activist based in Toronto. I’m most known for being the co-host of Shame on You podcast. The podcast is an exercise in self exploration. We wanted to imagine a world in which we eliminated any residual shame we had about being gay. The best way to kill shame is to expose it through vulnerability. As such, we spoke in a no holds barred way on the podcast. It seems to be going pretty well. 

Shirin Ariff’s empowering and heartbreaking memoir tells the story of how she experienced and survive trauma and abuse. When she re-married her second husband and moved to Canada, she was kept as a slave in her own home and endured her husband’s abuse. She hopes to show hope with her writing to other victims, learn more about her journey below.

Hi Shirin, thank you for discussing your memoir, The Second Wife, with us. Please tell us about yourself, where you are from and what your book is about. What inspired you to write it?

Hello! I was born in Kolkata, India and live in Toronto, Canada. I am a proud mother of four beautiful children, an award winning author, an inspirational speaker and women’s empowerment coach. After braving immigration to Canada and surviving cancer, I committed to helping women find their inner strength and become their own guiding force. My book is a memoir with a bit of self-help activities to make it interactive for the readers. There are several reasons for writing this book. I wanted to be heard. I wanted to leave a legacy of no abuse for my children. I wanted to be the voice of all those silently suffering women who are going through what I went through. I wanted the men to know the impact on us women when they hurt us.