Praneet Akilla proves that it is never too late to pursue what you are truly passionate about as he joined the cast of Netflix’s OCTOBER FACTION. He is a rising young actor who loves science fiction, and you can watch him on screen and on the stage. Learn more about him in our interview below!

Hi Praneet, please tell us about yourself and your journey into acting. Where did it all start and what inspires you to be so passionate about being a part of the entertainment industry?

I’m an actor, singer, and filmmaker based in Vancouver/Toronto. I fell in love with storytelling and acting at an early age, watching movies, plays, and musicals. I would then re-enact them in my bedroom, in front of the bathroom mirror, pretending I was the action hero of my own movie. While others spent their free time playing outside or playing video games, I would study behind the scenes videos of how movies and tv shows were made. I loved the idea that with my words and actions, I could tell stories, and make people feel, cry, laugh. Growing up, I would act in many school musicals/plays, but in a South Asian household there is a stigma against the arts being a viable career option. I was good at math and science so I went and studied Chemical Engineering at McGill University in Montreal. When I graduated, I took a leap of faith. I quit my engineering job, went straight into auditioning for acting jobs for film/tv/stage and haven’t looked back.

The lovely Arista Arhin is best known for her role as the young Michael Burnham on Star Trek: Discovery, where she delivers a strong and emotional performance. She spoke to Defective Geeks about the challenges and inspiration for her work, as well as her upcoming show, Bajillionaires. Read all about it below!

Thank you so much for answering our questions, Arista. It is so exciting that you get to portray Young Burnham in Star Trek: Discovery! Can you tell us what it’s like working on this series and knowing that it’s part of this huge, sci-fi universe? 

It felt unreal and a little startling when I first got cast for the show knowing that I was now part of one of the most iconic TV shows of all time. When I first started filming, I felt under pressure to deliver a great performance knowing how huge the franchise was and not wanting to disappoint any of the fans. Yet, after a lot of positive feedback, it really meant a lot to me to know that people enjoyed watching me on the show. I was very happy to have been invited back to Season 2. 

In this episode James and Giselle highlight three episodes of ‘Black Mirror’; ‘San Junipero’, ‘U.S.S. Callister’, and ‘Hang the DJ’. They discuss the strengths of these episodes, their relevance to today’s world, and why even when there is a “happy” ending in a ‘Black Mirror’ episode it still makes them want to rock back and forth and cry in a fetal position.

Olunike Adeliyi is a rising star, nominated for her role in BOOST for Best Supporting Actress by the 2018 Canadian Screen Awards. Her strong presence can also been seen in Darken where she plays a warrior, and the upcoming feature, Chaos Walking alongside Tom Holland (Spider-man: Homecoming) and Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens). Get to know the talented actress in our interview below!

Tell us about your upcoming feature film, BOOST. What can you tell us about your character, Amina Nour?

Amina is a hard working woman, caring for her two sons, and trying to keep her family together and out of harms way. She reminds me of my mother, an immigrant to Canada trying to make a better life for herself. Amina found she had to work ten times harder than most people who are originally from Canada, to prove she deserves to be a part of the Canadian fabric.

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We always love talking to a fellow nerd and Kelly McCormack is a huge sci-fi, fantasy and video games fangirl—she is lucky enough to join one of SyFy’s biggest show, Killjoys, in season 3! She spoke to us about her experiences, her inspirations as a writer and her future projects including CBC’s The Neddeaus of Duqesne Island and Sugar Daddy.

And of course, you will find out what super powers she chooses. Her answer may be the best one yet!

Are you excited to join the cast of Killjoys? Zeph sounds like she will bring a lot of fun to the characters and story. Can you talk to us more about her? What has been the best part of joining the series?

I am beyond excited! I can’t believe how lucky I am to be joining this incredible cast and to play a character as fun as Zeph. She’s a farm girl turned awkward science nerd loner with no filter and the deepest passion for biological science. I’ve always been a huge sci-fi fan, so to be in a spaceship on set and be handed a new and incredible space prop for every scene by the art department was a surreal dream. I felt like I was in a video game half the time. But hands down, the best part of joining this series has been joining this special family of actors and creatives. They are a hilarious, kind and passionate group of people.

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We spoke to actress, Roseanne Supernault, about her upcoming movie, The Northlander which explores Indigenous culture in a dystopian and science fiction world. She is a strong voice for representation in media and also works with youth as a facilitator for suicide prevention. After reading this interview, I think you’ll agree with us that Roseanne is a real life Wonder Woman!

I watched the trailer for The Northlander and I am pretty excited about this film! I’ve watched fantasy and science fiction shows for years and I always think it’s worth discussing that a lot of them are still lacking representation. I think it’s great that The Northlander explores a different perspective through Aboriginal characters. Please tell our readers about it and about the character that you play.

The Northlander is a Dystopic Adventure Sci-Fi that takes the main character on a mission for his people and along the way he meets my character Mari, a Huntress. Both of us are searching for identity and belonging, and in the midst of it all become entangled with the nefarious and nomadic Heratics who seem to want something from both of us…

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Despite the episode title, this show is really all about the movie, Star Trek Beyond, with our guest host, Richard Martinez (SPOILER ALERT). Listen as we discuss where this movie succeeds and where it falls flat.

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Tamsen McDonough currently plays Lucy, the most cheeky AI spaceship in the galaxy, in SyFy’s KILLJOYS. She brings in a lot of fun to the show, keeping things spicy for the main characters (and maybe a little weird sometimes, check out the episode ‘I Love Lucy’…). Get to know her in our interview below! She is hilarious, dorable and apparently, has a thing for egging things.

Tell us about your current show, KILLJOYS and your character, Lucy.

The Killjoys is a comedic and dramatic action TV series set in space. It follows a trio of bounty hunters, known as Killjoys, who chase deadly warrants through the Quad, a distant area that is near the start of a violent class war among multiple planets. And their mode of transportation is the sleek and sassy AI spaceship, Lucy. She’s been called the fouth Killjoy and loves her humans… no bias but I think she’s amazing!

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