Sima Sepehri is an actress and producer, known for The Hardy Boys (2020), Star Trek: Discovery (2017), and Condor (2018). In addition to her acting, Sima is also a rising stand-up comedian and currently runs a weekly stand-up show in Toronto called Tiny Grievance Comedy. The show champions women’s voices and diverse acts and features local acts. We had the pleasure to catch up to discuss her current projects
Sima, thanks for taking the time to speak to us about your work. How and when did you decide to embrace a career in acting?
I decided I wanted to act later in life actually. I had a career in advertising and then I decided it really wasn’t for me. Then I started taking some classes and then slowly transitioned over
Please tell us more about your training as an actor.
I trained with a lot of different coaches and mentors. I did various types of classes from Meisner to scene studies to on-camera. If I am being completely honest, I found a lot of acting coaches to be sort of these guru types who were not necessarily invested in your growth but more so invested in keeping you in their classes. I think the actor/acting coach relationship can be a very tricky one and my advice to all young actors is to make sure you feel safe and if a coach is messing with your self-esteem, get out of there immediately! My biggest mentors and inspirations have been my friends who are successful actors and filmmakers. I think the best people to learn from are people who are actually doing it.
Actors are attracted to parts for various reasons. What do you look for when choosing a character or researching roles?
I think it’s really important to have roles for women that are not just cliché or playing a trope. I like the three-dimensional aspects of a character. I love characters that are flawed because that makes them relatable.
You have a significant body of work in film and television including Gridlocked, Private Eyes, Condor, Strays, Hudson & Rex, and Star Trek Discovery. Is there a role or performance you’re particularly proud of and, if so, why?
I was actually in this short film called Christmas Mubarak and it’s an immigrant story about a young couple assimilating to a new culture in Canada from Iran. I absolutely LOVED this little short because it was Persian leads, Persian writers, directors, and producers involved. It is a really sweet story that is very relatable to any immigrant or newcomer. And I am very proud to be working alongside other Persian artists.
We can see you in the second season of the mystery drama series ‘The Hardy Boys’, airing now on Hulu. Please tell us more about your role and what we can expect.
I play Angela Todd, a cunning corporate executive who goes rogue. She is after this ancient relic that holds a lot of power. She is on assignment from her company Stratemeyer Global to find this relic aka “The Eye” but she has plans of her own. She’s a real badass. A bit of a sociopath if we are being honest. I loved playing this character because it is so much fun to play the villain or bad guy. And rarely do you see women in these roles. It’s always men.
Alongside your acting, you’re a successful stand-up comedian. The recent Oscar controversy seems to have aroused debate over how sensitive comedians are, and how audiences react. Has the now-infamous incident prompted you to consider your material or how you interact with audiences? Moreover, have you experienced any particularly awkward situations?
I have definitely had my fair share of hecklers in the audience trying to throw off my entire set. The whole thing at the Oscars was such a shame because Will Smith has wanted an Oscar for so long and his behavior is outshining all his hard work. With all that being said there is absolutely no excuse for you to put your hands on anyone. A lot of times you do get drunk audience members who think they can behave in whatever way they like. I don’t stand for that personally. I recently had to call a woman and her boyfriend out at Comedy Bar for being obnoxious and ruining my set. They were talking throughout the entire show and there were some racial undertones in what the woman was saying during my set, and I just don’t stand for that. I confronted them and they left the show.
Please tell us more about your weekly stand-up show, Tiny Grievance Comedy.
Tiny Grievance Comedy is a show that I produce in Toronto to showcase my favorite comedians. I tend to focus on highlighting more diverse acts. But it is a passion project that I am very proud of. I feel like I am creating this little community where I bring together my friends who are all so amazing and supportive of live comedy and my favorite comics in the city.
What other projects are you working on?
I have a television series in development with one of my best friends. It is my dream project. I can’t say too much about it but it is the thing I am the most proud of and it is something I’ve been working on for a while and if everything goes as planned it’s going to be the best thing I have ever done.
Where can our readers find out more about you?
I post regularly to my Instagram account @simasepehri_. I update it regularly with the shows I’m on and some comedy clips.
Image styled by WearPowerrr and photographed by A F Photography
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