What was your first ACTRA gig? MK – Oh, my goodness. This is going to show either my age or my memory. Or both. I’m pretty sure my early ACTRA gigs were Background work. That was a time when you had to complete a certain number of contracts doing Background in order to receive a membership. What was your most memorable role? MK – I was doing stand-in for Amreeka (2009). One day, in the mid-afternoon, I was standing back during the shooting. Around the corner, there was a separate crew building a set for a night time scene. I watched them for a few minutes. I had this wonderful thought and feeling come over me. We were making magic. I know that doesn’t answer the question of a memorable ‘role.’ But if I hadn’t been a member of ACTRA, I wouldn’t have been in that position to be able to be a part of the magic of movie-making. What is your dream role? MK – A dream role? Well, if you’re gonna dream… dream big. My dream role would be something along side Meryl Streep or Carol Burnett. Like I said – dream big. Other dream roles closer to home would be to be a part of stories that reflect the Canadian North, both historically and for the future and to be part of stories that are about the Indigenous Women that were and are a part of Turtle Island. My dream roles would be those that continue to tell stories. How has being an ACTRA member benefitted you? MK – ACTRA has been a huge benefit. I’ve never had a concern when I’ve been on set and I think a big part of that comes from being a member of ACTRA. Whenever I’ve signed a contract, I am…

What was your first ACTRA gig? JB – “The Battle of Mary Kay” – actor level, a scene with Parker Posey and Rebecca Gibson. I had no idea what to expect. What was your most memorable role? JB – Not sure what was most memorable for audiences, but on “The Capture of the Green River Killer”, I had to eat as many cookies as I could in a very short period of time. Of course, for the turn-around, I had to remember every bite for every line! Stomach ache that day – why oatmeal?!! What is your dream role? JB – One in which I am encouraged to be creative. How has being an ACTRA member benefitted you? JB – ACTRA helped me when a production company tried to hire me and not pay wages. I learned a great deal about labour rights and regulations then. What do you look forward to most in serving on council? JB – It is a privilege and an opportunity to be involved with an organization that makes a significant difference in the lives of artists. I am looking forward to educating members and non-members about ACTRA. June 2017…

Congratulations on the work you have been getting recently. Can you tell us about your experience and role on Mr. Snowman? Thank you. Oh my goodness, it was an absolute blast! The character I played, “Isabelle” was written as such a confident, quirky and warm person. She is completely comfortable in her own skin (and unique wardrobe) and she knows exactly who she is. It was a dream to play! The cast all got along immediately and the chemistry made it easy for us to play long time friends. The crew was amazing! Doug Mitchell, our fantastic director, was so great to work with. He really let the actors play and find the characters and connections. He knows a film set in and out and he clearly loves what he does so the energy was contagious. There was this wonderful buzz and everybody seemed to enjoy themselves. It was so inspiring to watch the cast and crew take such pride in their work and showcase their artistry. Honestly, it was the most fun I’ve ever had on set. When did you become an ACTRA member, and what was your first union gig? My first union gig was a national Best Buy commercial in 2006. That was a very cool experience and fortunately for me, it aired a lot-even during the Superbowl! But funny enough. I only became a full member last year, even though I’ve had many permits throughout the years. I started out my acting career in Toronto and spent a lot of time between there, Vancouver and Calgary. I also travelled a lot studying and doing improv festivals so I wasn’t in one spot very long consistently. It made more sense for me at the time just to work and to get permits when I needed them. When…

Congratulations on a busy year! You’ve recently wrapped on Mr. Snowman. Can you tell us about that experience and role? Working on Mr. Snowman was amazing! I had a chance to be a lead on it so it really allowed me to get involved and invested with the project. I can’t say enough about the fantastic cast and crew led by our amazing director, Doug Mitchell. The heart everyone put into it will really show in the finally product. When did you become an ACTRA member, and what was your first union gig? I became an ACTRA member in 2012, I believe. The first union project I can remember doing was the second instalment of the Don Cherry Story, The Wrath of Grapes. I played a terrible hockey goalie which was perfect for me because it really showed off my lack of ability to skate. How has being a member of ACTRA benefited you? Being an ACTRA member in Manitoba has really helped me build my resume. It put me in the room with productions who may not always look to cast Winnipeg actors. It also protects us from getting taken advantage of by making sure the projects filmed here compensate us with fair pay and treatment. I also believe that even though the focus is on members, building that member pool is important. That means helping out the people working towards joining which I think Manitoba does well. What has been your favourite or most memorable role thus far? I don’t know if I have a most memorable role because each role lands me in a different place and helps me grow in a different way. I have always had a great time working with Don Mancini on the Chucky movies. I try to surround myself with people who…

Congratulations on your role in Lovesick, which has been playing festivals and recently screened at Cinematheque here in Winnipeg. Can you tell us about that experience and that role. Thank you 🙂 Lovesick was fun because we had that really beautiful balance between “we gotta get this done” and… “let’s try something new”. Which was really nice, and something I credit Tyson for. I think that type of balance is something you don’t get too often. I mean- you can ask everyone else on the project and I think they’d agree. When did you become an ACTRA member, and what was your first union gig? I became an ACTRA member almost 10 years ago. I got fluked in when my background commercial became an SOC spot. (I was soooo excited). But my first auditioned union gig was for Todd and the Book of Pure Evil. What was really unique about that, was I was the guest star on that project. And I was SOOOOOO sick for two weeks prior to the call-back, that when I got myself down to the audition room, I think I got it because I didn’t have enought “thinking” to get in the way. I had no choice but to “just be”. And it worked! 😀 How has being a member of ACTRA benefited you? Pfff. So many ways. Let’s see here. Having the standards of our union to fall-back onto when I’m feeling unfairly treated on set. It’s allowed me to speak up and be clear about my boundaries. Also, I’m SOOOO grateful for our MIP’s, CIPIPs and Resume agreements. It allows us (especially Winnipeg Folks) to be able to work with amazing directors, and get experience, skills and connections that we wouldn’t be able to get if we didn’t have those options available to…

You won the ACTRA Manitoba Award this year for your performance in “A Warden’s Ransom; CONGRATULATIONS! Tell us about that experience and that role. My character, Amy, spends the entire 1 hour and 24 minutes running time of that film trying to be useful and help all the characters around her while she herself tries to survive and be strong during a time of great chaos and a fundamental breakdown in the system. Now, if you know me, you know that at my core, I believe in being helpful and want to live a life of service to everyone that crosses my path, so that part was easy. But the strength in a time of great fear and perceived danger? Well… What people outside of the production don’t know is that at the exact time, my own life was under its own sort of breakdown. My father was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma during my audition process and he started his chemo the day before my first day of shooting. The universe had conspired to bring me home to go through that head on, to grow through that pain and become a stronger person, and gave me a stage to pour that entire experience into a character that was experiencing the same thing. On top of it, the universe blessed me with a figurative and literal cast and crew of humans in my life to give me a safe place to open my heart and be as vulnerable as my character needed to be. The human kindness, encouragement and inspiration to hold still, accept help and stand in my own power that I received from Onalee Ames, Adam Stone, Diane Neal, the incomparable Dave Brown, Jeff Reyes (my other co-star) the cast and crew, the entire Winnipeg film community,…