On the complicated role of external validation

What are you working on these days?

I’m starting to work on this theater show, and it’s been such a long time coming for me to finally do theater acting. I’m just so impressed by the whole process—even just starting to write the show with everyone. It’s a lot, but it’s fascinating. Everything moves at a slower pace, so I’m really learning.

Are you also writing it?

No, but we’re actually building the show together since it’s an adaptation of a book, and it’s open. We’re working as actors with the director, just bouncing ideas and building it from scratch. So we’re kind of involved in the whole montage.

And what’s the play about?

It’s an adaptation of the Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson, which is a reimagining of the myth of Geryon and Herakles, blending poetry and fiction into a modern coming-of-age story.

Greek mythology.

What she’s done is turn it into a love story—a heartbreak story between Herakles and Geryon, who is a monster Herakles has to kill to complete his quest. Anyway, that’s the whole story. They’re monsters, they love each other, but then they hurt each other and break up because Herakles breaks Geryon’s heart. And in this story, I’m Herakles.

Oh, I can’t wait to see it. So what is the biggest difference between a stage comedian and a movie actor?

Oh my God, yeah. I had this theater class at Concordia, and I thought it would be easy—like, “Oh, I’ve been acting, I know how to act.” But what you do on a movie set is so rushed, so performance-driven, whereas, in a collaborative theater space, it’s all about presence.

Being in the moment.

Just being present and being brave, embracing the cringiness of theater and not being defensive—it’s like this special state where you’re pushing energy outward while being receptive at the same time.

That’s cool. It’s meditative. Have you ever wanted to be an actor?

I’ve always wanted to be an actor—it’s crazy, but it’s true. My mom was a producer on a local TV show for kids, and I remember watching it, completely fascinated. She took me on set once, and I was like, “Oh my God, I need to do this.” But she shut it down immediately: “Nope, not happening.” Both my parents warned me against it, but I went for it anyway. And honestly, I’m still scared. I get why they were cautious—dreaming is one thing, but this path is risky.

Wow, that’s so cool that you found your path at such a young age while most of us are still figuring it out. What’s your favorite movie of all time?

One of my favourite movies is Little Miss Sunshine. It’s such a fucking good movie. It’s like a perfect movie. It has everything in it. I’m not, what you would call a film bro. I’ve never seen Titanic. Cinema nowadays is too fast.

True, I try to go to the cinema once a week, but I see what you mean. What do you love so much about acting? What draws you to perform?

There’s magic in performance, and I was always fascinated by it. In class, we talked about how movies shape us—like those memes about leaving the theater with a whole new personality. It’s real. We get drawn in, wanting to be the character. That’s what drew me to acting—it felt like the ultimate human experience.

To perform and to be someone else.

Yeah. And to be able to look at it afterward, as many times as you want. And knowing that everyone is looking at it too.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about being an actor?

How people assume actors are like little princesses on set, untouchable. But really, we’re just trying to go somewhere in our minds. A set is such a social place—everyone’s joking, flirting, and just happy to be there. It’s fun, but also exhausting when you have to stay open and engaged, then suddenly switch into an intense scene.

How do you approach a role? How do you prefer mentally? Do you have a ritual?

At the start of the process, there are a lot of steps. Once I know I have the role and work begins, it really depends of the scene. Most of what I’ve done has been drama—lots of crying, sadness, intense emotions. So before going on set, I try to stay in my own world. If I have to be there early, I’ll just find a quiet spot in the back and wait until they need me. Sometimes I’ll have an AirPod in, listening to a playlist I made for that moment, for that character, for that scene—music helps. that resonates.

How does music help you get in the zone?

I have this meditation track—it’s kind of a song by Jon Hopkins called “Sit Around the Fire”. It’s simple, just a meditational speech, but it’s so moving. It helps me step back into my body. Othertimes, I go for something high-energy, something intense that wakes me up and makes me feel.

How do you find chemistry with other actors? How do you build emotional connection?

It’s in the moment. We give each other what we have to and that’s it.

Do you ever take any of your characters home, like method acting? Are you able to detach yourself?

Yes, 100 percent. So far, I can disconnect. But when we shot Red Rooms, it was pretty depressing—especially the nighttime apartment scenes with the poker and the computer. We had a full week of night shoots, and I was actually sleeping in the same building we were shooting. So I’d just go up and down, which made me feel a bit like, “Oof, I’m trapped.”

Speaking of Red Rooms, there was a lot of costume work involved. How much does physicality help you get into character?

I had a wig and contact lenses, I had to wear all that on the first or second day of shooting. Luckily, I had some time to practice at home. Honestly, the biggest challenge it’s just more things to manage in a scene. “Okay, I’m grabbing this. Now I’m putting this on. Oh no, it’s broken. Just hold it in your mouth. My head is itching.” But the structure actually helps. We need structure, we need rules. If my body has to go through all this—wear this, hold that—it gives me a framework to work within.

It’s very immersive. Have you ever struggled to connect with a character you read, like you feel you need more backstory? And how do you overcome it?

Sometimes the backstory isn’t enough—or it feels limiting to my character. Or maybe there’s a lot of action and information in the script, but nothing that really tells me who this person is. If it’s just an audition and I can’t talk to the director, or writer, or even read the full script, it’s hard to pull something out of nothing. So sometimes, I just invent a backstory in my mind, making it make sense with specific imagined moments. Like, if my character sees their ex in a chaotic scene, I might imagine he’s wearing this hat he always wore—the one I gave him. Little details like that make it feel real, even if they’re nowhere in the script. I even try to create false memories.

Once you understand the character, how do you remember the entire script?

It’s so hard. I like to break the script into sections and make it make sense—attach memories to it, visualize what I’m talking about, and see it happening in my mind. It’s all about the logic of it—what comes next, how it flows. When you truly know the story, your character’s lines just click. I draw, I take notes. I always have my little journal which I write notes with the text. I write the text and I write little notes and I draw it. But I like to draw my characters, like, my character in different states of mind. And sometimes it’s a house, sometimes it’s a human body.

So what’s the favorite character that you’ve ever played in a movie? And which movie and why?

Red Rooms was my biggest playfield. I also had supporting roles in Deux Femmes en Or and Mile-End Kicks. We took Deux Femmes en Or to Sundance, which was incredibly moving. Meeting people who had lost their homes in the LA fires made me acutely aware of the tense climate in the U.S. at the time. I felt lucky to be there, attending panels, mingling with industry creatives, and meeting people I never would have otherwise. The film’s director, a young queer woman, navigated this world with such grace—it made me proud. We even won the Jury Special Prize!

How did it feel to see this film get so much praise and win awards?

It felt fucking incredible. It gave me real hope for our cinema industry here—like, wow, this is rare. A Quebec film blowing up like that? Crazy. Just the fact that I’m living this, even in the smallest ways, feels like a dream. Not to be dramatic, but if I died tomorrow, I’d be happy with my career. Some movies become iconic over time, but now, everything moves so fast. Seeing it pop up on reels, as dumb as it sounds, is exactly what keeps younger audiences watching real films. We have to meet them where they are.

When I saw you I was also super stoked and proud of you! I heard that recently you played in Mile End Kicks alongside Jay Baruchel and Barbara Ferreira. Tell me about it.

It was so fun, so crazy—just incredible. When I auditioned, I thought, “If I don’t get this, I’ll die.” The stakes felt that high. But it wasn’t just any film about America or whatever—it was a Canadian movie about a Quebec story. That made it even more special. It’s about this Mile End girl, and I was born there. It just felt right. The script was funny, and beautifully written, and I knew this world.

And Barbara Ferreira—oh my God, such a star. And of course, Jay Baruchel is iconic. I was totally starstruck. But honestly, Barbie taught me so much about the industry—how intense it can get. She’s on a whole different level. It’s admirable how some people not only survive fame but thrive, even with everyone watching and talking. I’m not at that point yet, but seeing the buzz around Mile End Kicks made me feel so proud. It’s incredible.

What was a piece of advice Barbie gave you?

She’s so good. The fact that she chose to do this—an indie film—when she absolutely didn’t have to—that says a lot. She just loves movies. And she’s smart—she gets involved as a producer whenever she can. I saw that and thought, “Yeah, I need to do that too.” I love understanding how a film actually works—what’s happening behind the scenes, who’s making it all come together. I want to be part of the whole process, to support the bigger picture. But all this feels very exciting yet, also very scary.

What’s the scary part?

I’m scared of doing something wrong and then not being loved anymore. There’s a power dynamic in that. I want to be great, I want to be loved. And that’s the thing about acting, right? People say actors want to be loved so badly they’d die for it. I’m trying to step away from that performative need for validation—some people will love me, some won’t. I’ll just do my best.

I can tell it’s probably one of the most competitive industries.

It’s also very political.

Tell me more about it.

The industry is political. We’ve seen speeches get deleted at the Oscars because they don’t want certain messages out there. There’s something deeply wrong in the world right now, and yet here we are, making movies—it feels surreal.

How do you handle bad criticism or setbacks?

I can handle it. I haven’t had too many “oh my God, those were awful” moments. What gets me is hearing someone say something about me behind my back. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it breaks my heart.

I’m sorry to hear that, as a creative and artist, this really impacts me as well. But let’s celebrate how far you’ve come, you’ve been killing it! What’s a piece of advice that would give to your younger self now that you’re more mature in your career?

Knowing when to speak and when to listen. Being generous with your energy and time. Building connections with everyone. That’s the hardest part—making friends, but also knowing your limits. Some relationships aren’t quite friendships, but they’re not just co-workers either. They exist in this in-between space, and you have to be careful with that. Be careful and go slow, but be present and be real.

What’s your dream project?

I’d love to do mockumentaries. You can direct it.

Let’s do it! What would the mockumentary be about?

It could be could be us entering a cult or–

Or you pretending to be an it girl in New York! Talking about going international, where do you see yourself in five years?

I hope to have my family close and to have financial freedom—that would be incredible. Not just for the money itself, but to take care of my family. Acting feels like there’s no in-between—you’re either really broke or really rich. Hollywood is not my end goal. I just want stability and the ability to support the people I love. I also want to start giving acting classes for local talents.