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.

What was the most compelling aspect about playing someone like Anna for you personally? Do you relate to her in any way, or what do you admire the most about her?

It was really interesting for me to play someone who is 16 years old, it felt like such an interesting exercise in hindsight to play a high school student and look at her actions and decisions as an adult and try to really take myself back to the place I was when I was that age. I relate to Anna’s nurturing side and her desire to do well.

For the young adults who will be watching, how do you hope they’ll respond to the show and to your character plus the other people in the show?

I’m really just hoping that young people will watch this show and feel seen and heard and represented. I hope that this show will act as a catalyst to open up conversations that need to be had. I hope it will give young people the courage and the space to discuss these issues with the people in their lives.

Why do you think it is important to explore these harder topics and situations that many teenagers are now facing today? What makes Grand Army’s story-telling authentic?

I think it’s important that young people feel their struggles are being heard and are being represented and I think it’s important that adults look at shows like this and understand what the young people in their life are potentially dealing with. It’s important to bring these issues out of the shadows and create a space for conversation and solutions and healing. The story telling in Grand Army is authentic to me because it is messy. It isn’t glamorized, the kids don’t always get it right, they don’t always make the right choice, it isn’t always fun. It’s real, and it’s messy and it hurts and often they fail. That is real life.

If you could go a few years back and give the teenage version of yourself advice, what would it be and why?

To be blatantly honest, I feel like when I was in high school I had so many adults telling me “these are the best years of your life!” with the best of intentions, but I think that really was hard for me to hear because high school sucked. I read a book later in my life that said “if life were to suddenly get easy, I doubt it would happen in High School”, and that felt so relevant to me. I guess I would say to my teenage self, you don’t peak in high school and that’s a beautiful thing. You have your whole life to blossom, have patience with the process. These hallways aren’t the whole world. That might not be the shiniest answer but I think that’s the truth for me.

As an actor, you’ve gotten to play in different worlds– Shadowhunter, V-WARS, The Expanse, etc– do you have a dream project or role you’d love to play one day?

I feel like there are so many roles that I’ve watched brilliant artists do and thought “man I would love to play that”, but the truth is, that role was so special and impactful because it was unique at that time and the artist portraying it was at a particular place in their life that they brought something unique to it. So it’s hard for me to point to any role and say “that’s a dream role”. There are things I would love to do, people I would love to work with, challenges I would love to take on. But I’m hoping that there will be a role, or roles that come my way that when I see that script I feel inspired, and it feels right and I’m at a place in my life where I can bring something to it and the story is relevant and that would be a dream. That’s all I can really hope for. I don’t think I can draw that out at this point.

Thank you so much for doing this interview! For our final question, if you could choose one super power, which would it be and will you use it for good or evil?

I’d love to be able to learn/adopt any new skill I wanted. I would obviously use it for good, what are you talking about– the world needs no more evil. We’re set there.

Follow Sydney on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Actor and creator, Vasilios Filippakis, talk to Defective Geeks about the brilliant origin story of the title his new series, FAK YAASS– and if you wanted to find out what his dream project would be, keep reading below!

Hello, Vasilios, thank you for talking to Defective Geeks! FAK YAASS looks absolutely hilarious and heartfelt. What inspired the title and how does it tie-in with the themes of the show?

Hey there! Thanks so much for taking the time to ask me some questions about the show. I love shows that are exactly that, have heart but make you laugh out loud. I was serving a table at my night job and I happened to serve these wonderful Greek ladies and their mother. We got chatting, I told them about the show and how I wanted a title with a pun. I tossed the ideas of something with gyro, or souvlaki but still couldn’t figure it out. Later when I got back to the table, they said “what about FAK YES!” So that’s how I get the title! Fakes– pronounced “fah-kehs”– is an authentic Greek lentil dish. We put a play on the words and created our title FAK YAASS. I owe those ladies a free dinner. 

Actor, Sydney Meyer, is known for playing Helena Blackthorn in Shadowhunters, a show beloved by fandom. Soon, you will see her in a new series called Departure as well as Netflix’s V-WARS alongside Ian Somherhalder.

Tell us about your new upcoming television show, Departure, and what was it like working with a cast that includes Archie Panjabi and Christopher Plummer? Who is your character, Sophie? 

Departure is an exciting mystery mini-series centered around a flight disappearance. It’s absolutely beautifully shot, so cinematic, and it has all these rich entwining storylines that keep you guessing until the last episode. It’s a beautiful, exciting, emotional series. The cast was incredible. It’s funny, when I was maybe 14 I went to Shakespeare school at Stratford and I remember seeing Christopher Plummer in The Tempest and being absolutely blown away by him. He was an actor I so looked up to and respected. So being on a show with him was just an absolute dream come true for me. Archie is so fabulous and such an amazing woman to be around as a young female artist. She is so incredibly skilled and intelligent and kind. She’s just remarkable to work with, and to be able to do scene work with her and learn from her was such a gift. She’s truly an inspiration to me.

Veronika Slowikoska began acting at a young age, trained in improv with Second City Conservatory, and has been seen in Degrassi: Next Class and See No Evil. You can soon watch her in What We Do in the Shadows is one of the most anticipated comedy-horror series which premieres March 27th on FX. Find out more below!

I have to say, I am excited to watch the What We Do In The Shadows television series! Tell us about your character Shanice, and what kind of role will she be playing along the vampire shenanigans.

Shanice is an insecure, sassy, LARPer (Live Action Roleplayer). She’s the nerd-ier side, but so am I!