Canada

Interview with Lucy Eckerlin

Lucy Eckerlin is an 18 year old model currently attending college in Montreal, Canada. She first began modeling in August of 2010 and in a short amount of time has become very sought after for her looks, style and attitude. She hopes to become a professional model, and not only that but also a role model! Read more

Interview with Jennifer Nguyen

Please let me introduce myself. My name is Jennifer Nguyen. Born November 18 1987. Yes, that makes me a Scorpio. I know….sounds sexy doesn’t it [haha] I was born in Regina, Canada and the oldest in my family. I have one sister and one brother. We don’t always get a long and really see each other point of view but hey! I still love them to death. My family moved around a lot when I was young so I was really shy. Read more

Interview with Amy Goh

Amy Goh was nourished on moldy stories swept ashore from the moody seas of Singapore. She once believed, as a child, that she was not fully human but was, in actual fact, a cat changeling. She also believed that she could turn invisible and thought the landscape of her house a mythic playground populated by non-existent beings, so this should not be entirely surprising. Read more

Interview with Em Elle

My name is Em Elle and I was born and raised in Calgary. My parents are Chinese immigrants to Canada so they always were very strict about pushing us (me, my sister and brother) to excel in school, piano and other things that “good Chinese girls do.” Read more

Interview with Terri-Jean Bedford

Terri-Jean Bedford is one of Canada’s most notorious citizens—but few know her under that name. As Madame deSade, however, she was Canada’s most famous dominatrix, a well-known public figure. Terri-Jean was born into abject poverty and put into a foster home at age six, where she suffered abuse. She was later moved into facilities for children and lived there until she was sixteen, when she left to make it on her own. She survived by working numerous unskilled jobs, until she entered the world of prostitution. Read more

Interview with Nana Akimoto

Nana Akimoto, a striking elegant Japanese model in beauty and a role model of determination is taking Toronto by storm. Her journey to live the Canadian Dream started back in Japan, where she toiled and laboured as she worked 3 jobs, before and after school to save up enough money to move to Canada. Long days from 5am to Midnight this Japanese Cinderella was determined to have the world recognize her beauty and courage. Her drive paid off as she began to see many opportunities coming her way. Many opportunities were in the competitive modeling industry, in which, she quickly became in great demand by rapidly growing fans. Read more

Interview with Aimee Butler

Aimee Butler began modeling December 2004, in her home country of Australia. She spent the last 4 years living in Asia (currently she is in Shanghai) and has modeled in Australia, Hong Kong, Macau, Philippines, and now China.

Her editorial clients include: China Boating, Jessica, Adidas for Rack, SH, Yoho and Self.

Her commercial clients include: The London Beauty Spa, David’s Jewelry, Fashion TV (FTV), and Photography

FAQs: Portraits (ava), Laotian Coffee, Oxfam.

Aimee is also an accomplished actress and has studied acting at the Adelaide Centre for the Arts (ACARTS), where she completed a full time year long program. Her acting work includes: TVCs, (mini) TV Series, Short Film, Theatre and Musical Theatre.

Aimee, it is inspiring to see all you have accomplished. What advice might you have for other women who might want to explore modeling?

Thank you for your compliment & for asking my advice. EVERY model will find jobs they suit & don’t suit. If you can learn, to NOT take rejection personally, then you will find success in the modeling industry. BEFORE YOU TAKE ANY ACTION OR SPEND ANY MONEY, PLEASE WILL YOU READ THESE TWO BOOKS:

1) The Professional’s Guide to Modeling by Roger Talley

2) Treasure Yourself by Miranda Kerr

I read these books, a long time after I was actually modeling & I still learned many valuable lessons.

You are best known for your freckles, uncommon in Asia. Do you get a lot of requests to do skin modeling?

Yes, people love my freckles & my skin. They love my uniqueness.

How did being Asian affect your modeling? Do you think you were treated differently in any way?

Being Asian doesn’t make it better or worse. There are jobs you suit & other’s you don’t. This is the case for every model. Interestingly enough, I went to a calendar casting & they weren’t expecting any Asians. However, they liked me so much, they chose me too!

I understand you were just picked up by a modeling agency in Canada. Will you be doing more work in North America now?

Yes and also worldwide.

You are from Australia but now live in Asia. How was the transition to a different culture and language?

The Philippines wasn’t so difficult, as they speak English. However, Hong Kong & China have been extremely challenging. I had no idea about Chinese culture & I don’t speak Mandarin, Cantonese or any Chinese dialects. To learn, I read a book called Chinese Business Etiquette, by Scott D. Seligman.

In terms of Shanghai, I truly appreciate the assistance, thoughtfully set up for foreigners i.e.

- Street signs written in English
- Free Expat magazines, such as That’s Shanghai
- CCTV broadcasts news in English, German, Arabic, and Russian
- The local Chinese who speak English i.e. at banks, information hotlines etc…

You are learning to write now, I understand. What is your next step?

My next step will be following the advice & instructions I have learned, to be a very successful writer.

What type of writing do you hope to do?

Film scripts & books i.e. Kids, drama, thriller etc…

What do you see yourself doing in five years?

Of course, still writing, modeling & acting.
I will be married for 15 years. My marriage will have continued to blossom, as it always has. In this world, my husband’s love for me is rare, a smiling sunflower, strong & always blooming. We will continue to support, encourage & be wonderful to each other.

I will have a wonderful array of new sub-personalities & be accessing my super conscious at will.

Favorite colors?

Green, Pink, Red

Favorite movie?

As Good As it Gets. Jack Nicholson brings joy & humor, to the meanest characters he plays.

Guilty Pleasure?

Chocolate

Favorite de-stresser?

Sleep

Pet Peeve?

Not knowing where my things are, cause I haven’t paid attention to where I’ve left stuff.

Your “go to” food?

My dad’s Spaghetti

Fun fact about you?

I have been a student Irish Dancing teacher to the wee ones (Beginners).

Website?

www.aimeebutler.carbonmade.com

Interview with Agam Darshi

Agam Darshi is a sought after Canadian actress based in Los Angeles and Vancouver.

She is currently working as a series lead in the sci-fi show: Sanctuary (Syfy/Space) where she plays the tough as nails Kate Freelander, for which she has been nominated for 2 Constellation Awards. Agam was also a series lead in season 1 of Dan for Mayor (CTV) for which she earned a Canadian Comedy Award nomination for best ensemble. She played Aparna in the mega blockbuster hit 2012, and Saphira in the Canadian indie Excited for which she is nominated for a LEO award for Best Supporting Actress. Most recently Agam completed a lead in the ‘UNTITLED MICHAEL SARDO PROJECT’ alongside Carrie-Anne Moss (Matrix), directed by Emmy Winner Timothy Busfield. Other works include a recurring role on The L Word (Showtime), a lead in Haunting on Sorority Row alongside Gossip Girls Leighton Meester, as well as roles in Snakes on a Plane and Final Destination 2.

Agam Darshi was born in England and raised all over Canada: Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and finally settled in Vancouver. She received a BFA in Visual Arts with a focus in photography and Minor in Theatre from the University of Calgary. She then went on to complete an intensive Studio 58 Film Arts program at Langara College, with a focus on Screenwriting, and has been writing and producing films ever since.

Apart from acting and filmmaking Agam is an avid traveler. She is a vegetarian and in 2010 was chosen to be a Champion for WeCanada an environmental organization. In 2008, Agam cofounded: VISAFF the Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival, which was the first of its kind in Western Canada. Agam was featured in Anokhi Magazine’s ‘Sexy & Successful List’ for 2008, and was chosen as one of TV WEEK’s Top 10 Most Beautiful People in BC in 2010.

It is a pleasure to meet you. I am very excited to talk to you and I am sure the readers will be as well. Tell us how you first got involved with acting.

I always loved acting. It’s been a dream and passion of mine since I was a kid and I would direct my cousins and we’d put on performances in front of our families. I minored in Theatre at the University of Calgary. I never thought I’d act as a profession. I thought I’d be a photographer but I always thought I’d do a bit of theatre of performance art on the side.

I moved to Vancouver and took a teacher’s advice who told me to get an agent, which I did. My very first audition was for RenegadePress.Com and I was booked for it. I was flown to Regina, Saskatchewan for three weeks. I was thrilled because I had never been there before.

Four months later I was flown to LA to screen test for an ABC TV show. It was down to me and another girl who ended up getting it but it felt like it was a sign that I was meant to do this. Things happened fast and it snowballed from there.

You grew up in the UK, then moved to Canada and now reside in Los Angeles. How do you like it in LA so far?

I was born in England and grew up in Canada (we moved to Montreal when I was three.)

I like LA. I’m still going back and forth between LA and Vancouver. They are such different cities and challenge and comfort me in different ways. I feel so lucky that I have the opportunity to live in both places. LA is exciting and scary. It’s fast paced. It’s inspiring. People work really hard here, and I appreciate that but I do miss the quiet moodiness of Vancouver sometimes…

You have appeared in many Sci-Fi shows. What attracts you to the genre?

I have: Sanctuary, Stargate Universe, Stargate, Kyle XY, and Supernatural…

There is a lot of Scifi that gets filmed in Vancouver. I think because of the ‘moodiness’ of the city. It rains a lot and has an interesting ambience for scifi shows/films.

What I like about scifi is that ‘anything is possible’. Anything. Within the context and world of the show so casting is sometimes more out of the box, which is great. Also, the stories are out of the box. It’s fun to watch and to get invested in the characters and their arcs.

You are also a writer, I understand, and have written a number of shorts and are working on a feature. Can you tell us how it is progressing and a little about it?

mmm…no I can’t! haha. For me, my process – whether it’s writing or painting or acting, it’s so personal. It’s not until I am ready to go into production or put on an exhibit that I feel I should talk about it. Before then, it’s just me being an artist without judgment of what I’m working on. As soon as you speak about your projects, it adds expectations and I think the process of art should be without expectation so that you can allow yourself to fail. That’s when the most wonderful discoveries are made…

You will be attending Con*Cept in Montreal, Armageddon Expo in Melbourne and London MGM Expo back to back. Quite an ambitious travel schedule. Do you enjoy the travel and making appearances?

I only did one convention last year in Vancouver. This whole convention life is very new to me but I am very excited. The Sanctuary fans kick ass. They really do. They are incredibly supportive and curious and respectful. So I’m thrilled to meet them.

Yes, I am a HUGE traveler. I’ve been to all those places before and I’m so excited that I get to go there again. Hopefully though, I won’t be too jetlagged.

With all the traveling you do, what do you do to take care of your health?

Not sure yet! It’s really important to drink tons of water on planes and NO caffeine. I also never travel without my own neck pillow. Carry Vitamin C with me at all times and my special weapon is apple cider vinegar. It kills ALL germs. A tablespoon in hot water in the morning and before bed, and you’re golden.

You just completed a feature, “The Crimes of Mike Beckett”. Can you tell us a little about your role in that?

The story is about a man named Mike and terrible choices he makes in his life in the name of happiness. It’s a dark, ironic film that only someone like Bruce Sweeney can make. It’s been a fantastic experience. He’s a very unorthodox filmmaker and I adore him and hope to make many more films with him.

It stars Nicholas Lea (files) who plays Mike. I play Jasleen Reckett, Mike’s wife. I try to support him throughout his journey until things reach a breaking point. Nick was great to work with too and I grew a lot from the experience.

I have to ask you about “2012″. It was such a huge special effect movie. What do you think of the process and did you find acting in such a huge movie difficult?

It was enormous. The tsunami scene was so grandiose, both in the process of making the film and the end result. They literally built a mountain top in a giant soundstage that we had climbed. It was really fun to make. I don’t mind green screen work at all. We do a lot of it on Sanctuary. It’s fun. It makes me feel like a kid again where all I have is my imagination and I just have to react.

I think fans know you best as Kate Freelander from Sanctuary. How do you like the role and do you think there is any similarity between you and Kate?

I like to call Kate my ‘alter ego’. She is not like me and very much who I wish to be at times. She’s tough. Sarcastic. Says what she thinks and doesn’t care what others think of her. I wish I was like that! I’m far more sensitive and girly than she is but I take solace in knowing that I’m probably closer to her than I think, since she lives somewhere in me.

Have you ever felt your ethnicity was a hinderance to you in getting roles?

I’ve been incredibly lucky. I haven’t. Sure I’ve played the typical Indian girl roles here and there and they’ve been fun but there has been one or two times where I got close but ultimately was NOT cast because I of my ethnicity. I’m sure that happens to blonds or brunettes too.

For the most part, I never have really felt that being South Asian was a challenge. I’ve never seen myself as a ‘minority’ and I think that comes across.

What is next for you? Where do you see yourself in five years?

Gee – I can’t even figure out where I’m going to be in December! I’d like to see what LA holds for me. Maybe it’s a place for me, maybe not. Perhaps I’ll stay and keep working as an actor. I’d like to take a leap and try directing one day…

Or maybe I’ll go back to Vancouver and get my Masters in Theatre. Or maybe I’ll get into holistic medicine. Who knows? Seriously, my life is THAT unsure. But I think I thrive when it’s like this.

Any advice for young actors who may want to follow in your footsteps?

It’s important to listen to your heart and do what you love. Ask yourself why you’re doing it. Fame and fortune, as wonderful as it is, is a bi-product of loving the process.

If you truly love to act or make films, you will find ways to do it – even if the world says you can’t. If you make your own films or write your own shows, eventually the world gets tired and says, ‘”Fine, I guess you can”.

www.agamdarshi.com

http://twitter.com/AgamDarshi