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! 

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.

At eight-years-old, Carina Battrick’s rising success as an actor shows her passion for performing. Her upcoming film– Viggo Mortensen’s directorial debut– Falling will be set to screen at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival this month. Read more about Carina and the movie below!

Hi Carina! Tell us about your upcoming film, FALLING– what is it about and what role do you play in it?

Falling is a family drama spanning over many generations. It is a story of the relationships we form with our loved ones and how those connections affect the life we lead as adults. In this film, I play the role of younger Sarah and what I really liked is how the relationship between my character and her father is portrayed when she grows up. How small moments that we might think are not big at the time can really have a big impact on who we end up becoming 30 years later.

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! 

Jeff Teravainen went from music to acting, and currently stars as Gerald in Hulu’s Original Series, Utopia Falls. The new sci-fi show explores a dystopian/utopian future in a very unique way that has not been done before. Jeff talks about the show and what makes it stand out from the rest.

Hi Jeff, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions! UTOPIA FALLS is so much fun to watch, it’s so different– how would you describe the show to someone who hasn’t watched it? Can you tell us about your character in the show?

Thanks for having me! First off, I will say it is NOT a dance show or a musical! It’s a great sci-fi show with some cool musical elements. Utopia Falls is set 400 years in the future after humanity almost ended. It is an amiable place on the surface. For example, there are no issues with race etc. However, there is a lot of nefarious things going on underneath it all, which the public knows nothing about. When my daughter Aliyah finds a cave in a restricted area full of artifacts, music, history, things start to change very quickly. Things are not as they had been seen. 

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. 

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! 

Renée Wynter is a powerhouse singer-songwriter and her brand new single, Speak, is now available on Spotify. She is also the founder of Wynterland, a fully integrated music production company which she founded with her family. Find more about her new song below!

Hello Reneé, congratulations on your new single, SPEAK. What was behind your vision for this new song and what compelled you to write it? 

Hello, thank you so much I appreciate it! The vision behind Speak was to get people to have a conversation when you’re having issues in a relationship. Instead on sending a subliminal message on social media, pick up the phone. It’s interesting how many people expect their partner to be a mind reader.