photography by Daniel Matallana
styling by Caitlin Pope
grooming by Laila Hayani
Can you describe how your early experiences in Mississauga influenced your approach to acting?
I was lucky to attend an arts high school (Cawthra Park Secondary School). My friends, my teachers, and the overall culture greatly impacted who I am and my approach to acting. Imagine walking down the halls of your high school, seeing beautiful art created by your classmates, and hearing saxophones, trumpets, and guitars around the corner. Watching plays, musicals, concerts, and dance recitals, all put on by your peers. It was a wonderful world to grow up in.
My drama teacher, Mr. Swyer, gave me a great introduction to acting. By the end of grade 12, I realized I’d learned so much, but it felt like I was having fun the whole time.
Being in that environment, studying acting for an hour daily, was incredible. It shaped how I saw the world, opened my mind to different ways of thinking and being, and allowed me to approach my work with greater depth, soul, and creativity.
I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am today without Cawthra Park.
What challenges did you face when starting your acting career, and how did you overcome them?
When you start, you need more professional experience. And you are often auditioning against people who do. I was also in this awkward position where I looked too mature to play high school roles but too young to play more adult roles. So, I felt like I was scratching and clawing my way up a mountain. I just committed to working on my craft and taking classes to overcome this. After I graduated from university, I moved to Vancouver to try and switch things up. Being in a different market, continuing to improve my skills, and letting time do its thing allowed me to get to where I am.
How has your Caribbean heritage influenced your identity, both personally and professionally?
It’s just baked into who I am through my family. When I was young, my dad would play Calypso music to put me to sleep. And those are still some of my favorite songs to this day. My parents would read me stories about Anansi the Spider, a core character in Caribbean folklore. They also filled our home with African and Caribbean paintings. Being able to experience all of that from a young age grounded me with a solid sense of self and connection to my heritage. And I carry that with me into my career.
Could you share an experience from your role in ‘The Boys‘ that had a significant impact on your career or personal growth?
From a personal growth perspective, The Boys taught me patience. It was a year and a half between when I was cast and when Season 1 premiered. It’s been six and a half years from when I was cast to when my face was revealed. Not that I was expecting the latter. But just this notion that some things take a long time to bake. They’ll be ready when they’re ready. And until they are, enjoy the process, enjoy every day, and make the most of your situation and the opportunities that come your way.
You’ve played a variety of roles on TV and film. How do you prepare differently for roles in superhero genres compared to more realistic settings?
Honestly, the approach is the same. You connect to the character. You understand what they want. What their strengths, flaws, fears, and wounds are. And then you jump into their experience. You’re working with the writing. The set dressing might change. Your costumes might change. One day, you’re wearing a uniform; the next day, you’re wearing a superhero costume. But the beating heart of any show is the writing. And that’s what you’re working with at the end of the day.
What has been your most memorable moment on set, and why?
So many moments blend together over the years, but it has to be the scene in 308 (the last episode of Season 3) where Homelander kills Noir. It felt like someone was dying that day. It was a distinct feeling. I felt it in the air.
How do you stay grounded in an industry that’s constantly evolving and often scrutinized?
In the first five or six years of my career, I spent more time working on myself than I did on acting. I felt that was more important, and I felt that I needed to. Reading, reflecting, and doing inner work gave me a solid foundation.
Part of that foundation was to recognize that we all have a list of things we define ourselves. It can include our achievements, failures, relationships, appearance, possessions, beliefs, etc. On one level, they affect how we interact with and experience the world, but on a deeper level, none are permanent. All of those things can be stripped away. And when they’re gone, what’s left? It’s the part of myself that I can silently observe. The part of me that is aware.
That perspective helps ground me in the sense that I am not my thoughts on the deepest level, the level that matters. I am not my beliefs, actions, failures, or accomplishments. I’m not what other people think of me. I’m not even what I think of myself. There’s nothing I can do that will make me intrinsically more valuable than anyone else, and there’s nothing I can do that will make me less valuable. Because we all have the same value, we’re all made of the same stuff.
Practices like observing my thoughts and learning not to take them seriously if I don’t want to. Allowing myself to feel whatever I need for as long as I need to feel it. Expressing myself in healthy ways. I breathe deeply and pay attention to the present moment. I am getting in touch with a sense of aliveness in my body. These have all helped me cultivate an inner silence and stillness. On most days, I feel pretty chill.
All that and realizing there’s no object or achievement that can give me lasting fulfillment. Fulfillment and happiness are the results of doing the things I enjoy, and that challenges me to grow. They come from spending time with the people I care about. I could have all the success in the world, but if I didn’t have great people to experience life with, it wouldn’t really matter.
So, all that to say, when it comes to the industry, I focus on my craft and make the moves I need to make. But what matters is that I love what I do, that I do the best that I can, and that I spend my time with good people. Everything else is just noise.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
Any favorite books?
The Power of Now by Eckarte Tolle
A New Earth by Eckarte Tolle
The Book of Secrets by Deepak Chopra
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra
The Voice of Knowledge by Don Miguel Ruiz and
The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
The Power of Myth – Joseph Campbell
The Hero with a Thousand Faces – Joseph Campbell
Favorite Quote?
People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light but by making the darkness conscious. – Carl Jung
Looking back, what advice would you give to your younger self just starting out in acting?
Find a good Meisner teacher. The Meisner Technique really made things click for me. The key to a rewarding, sustainable career is to develop your craft. And your training is often only as good as your teacher. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the teachers who have helped me along the way.
What future projects are you most excited about, and what new challenges are you looking forward to tackling?
Right now, my focus is on The Boys and Ginny & Georgia. I’m gonna be busy on with those two projects for the next year and a half. After that, we’ll see. I’d love to work on something like Pirates of the Caribbean. The original is one of my favorite movies. Then, I’d love to find a cool indie project and hop on another series. What that might be, I have no idea. I couldn’t imagine these two shows before they came to me. So, I’m not even trying to guess what’s next.
What’s your favorite 90s or 2000s song?
Haha half of what I listen to is from the 2000’s. So, I’ll give you a few.
Soul Meets Body – Death Cab for Cutie
Let Me Love You – Mario
Through the Wire – Kanye West
What’s the first thing you do in the morning?
Look at my phone.
What is the last thing you do at night?
Look at my phone.
I know. I have a problem.
