Agape, thanks for allowing us to speak with you. Let’s start at the beginning—can you share a standout memory from your early days in community theatre, and how those experiences shaped your passion for acting?
Thank you for having me! Yeah, I remember one of the first few times I performed in front of people. I realized that I actually have a huge fear of performing in front of people, which is hilarious. But I also loved doing it more than it scared me, so I think that made me fall more in love with acting and performing. Putting aside the fear to do what I love.
Growing up in eSwatini and British Columbia, then moving to Toronto, you’ve experienced a range of cultures. How have these diverse backgrounds influenced your approach to storytelling and character work?
It’s been a huge influence because it’s taught me so many things in terms of life experience. I’ve seen and done things that I maybe wouldn’t have if I didn’t live in vastly different places. And that’s helped me be more compassionate, different stories I’m trying to tell and also helped me understand the viewpoints of all kinds of characters.
What was the biggest challenge you faced when transitioning from stage to screen, and how did you overcome it?
I remember one of my coaches in film school on one of the first couple of days just being able to tell that I used to do theatre cause my acting was big. So, it was a matter of toning everything down cause everything on camera is smaller than on stage.
You trained at Vancouver Film School under acclaimed coaches. What’s one lesson from your mentors that has stuck with you throughout your career?
One of the best things I can take away from having the privilege of training under so many different coaches is being able to take notes and direction from different people. They all had their own methods and ways of teaching, and it was my job to translate that into a way I could understand. So, it was more so just learning how to process different forms of direction, which had been extremely helpful in the real world.
With nearly a decade in the industry, what would you say has been your most rewarding role so far, and why did it resonate with you?
That’s tough; I’ve had the opportunity to work on so many great projects that have been quite meaningful. The most recent role was “Devon” in the movie “Morningside”. It’s a movie about a community of people close to where I live, and it deals with real events that affected so many lives and it was an honour to take part in telling that story.
You’ve portrayed both fictional and real-life characters, such as Simone Biles’ brother. How do you prepare differently for these types of roles, and what have you learned from each experience?
When preparing for a fictional character, you can create the character from the ground up and make your own choices on how they walk, talk, and interact with the world. But when playing someone real, you have to learn from the actual person you’re portraying and add that to the character.
Landing a recurring role on a hit show like Ginny & Georgia is a huge achievement. How has being part of a Netflix series impacted your career and personal growth?
It’s been incredible working on a show of the size and scale of Ginny and Georgia, and you think you know how big something is from the outside, but once you’re in it, you realise, wow, this is gigantic. It’s definitely helped with notoriety, and I think on a personal level, it’s helped me level up my work because on a daily basis I was working with people on such a high level that it raises the floor for everybody.
The industry can be unpredictable—what’s one setback or tough moment that taught you the most about yourself or your craft?
It can be incredibly unpredictable. Looking back, this wasn’t a gigantic setback, but at the time, I was incredibly devastated. I had booked my second role ever, and I showed up to set. They did hair and makeup and we were almost ready to shoot. The director then came to me. I was supposed to be playing a bartender, and they came up to me and said that I looked a little too young to be playing a bartender and they had to send me home. I was so sad, but it taught me that things in this industry move on a moment-to-moment basis, and it taught me to handle situations like that with Grace and with appreciation. Fast forward a couple of years later, I ended up booking another role on that show because they remembered me, and yeah, it also taught me patience.
As someone who’s traveled across four continents, how do your global experiences inform the way you approach new roles and connect with audiences?
It’s a huge privilege to be able to experience different cultures and different kinds of people, and I think it just also helps me understand different kinds of characters that I may portray and the different situations that they may be in.
Looking ahead, what are your biggest aspirations for your career? Are there any dream projects, genres, or collaborators you hope to explore in the future?
Honestly, I love a challenge, and I’m looking forward to playing different kinds of characters. If I were to think of a dream role or project, it would probably be something sci-fi involving time travel or space travel because I find that type of content super fun. I would also love to do something action-packed or adventurous.
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