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.

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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.

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. 

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! 

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!