Actress Emily Piggford was recently nominated for a Canadian Screen Awards for her role as Meagan in the award winning web series That’s My DJ. Additionally, she was nominated for Outstanding Actress at the 2017 LA Webfest. She’s also starring in the upcoming new season of The Girlfriend Experience.
A recent graduate of the Canadian Film Centre’s prestigious Actors Conservatory Program, Emily is a native of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. She first found her passion for acting at the age of 11 when she took to the stage. Since then, Emily has appeared in several major TV and film productions including Lost Girl, The Girlfriend Experience, Hemlock Grove, and The Listener to name a few.
We had an opportunity to chat with Emily about her latest projects. Check out the interview!
Hi, Emily! You were nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for your role as Meagan in the award-winning web series That’s My DJ. Congrats! Tell us about the character Meagan.
Thank you so much! Meagan is full of life, hard-working, ambitious, passionate, joyful. In season one, we meet her as a party girl and this bright light. By season two, she has come into her own more, and now works as a promoter in the electronic music scene in Toronto. She is a bit of a sensation junkie, whether she’s getting a high from the music, intimacy or partying. When she falls for a DJ, Hannah, played by Dayle McLeod, she does not hold back.
You were also nominated for Outstanding Actress at the 2017 LA Webfest! That is awesome!
Thank you again!! It was so great being down there for the festival! I treated myself to a VIP pass to allow access to all the panels and screenings and it also allowed me to be on a panel talking about acting in a web series, which was super fun. I’m so grateful to the LA Webfest for including us and awarding us Best Cinematography (shout out to our DP, James Poremba!). The web fests I’ve gotten to attend with That’s My DJ are such fantastic experiences. I learn so much from the panels and the people I meet. Some common discussions are how people made their series and how they can or did take their series to the next level, whatever that looks like. So, there’s plenty of practical advice as well as loads of general inspiration and motivation to continue creating.
You are are also appearing in the upcoming new season of The Girlfriend Experience.
Yes, I was so excited to return for the second season! I think season one is stunning and fascinating. Riley Keough gives an excellent, nuanced performance and I’m completely intrigued by and appreciative of the concept, which involves flipping our ideas about power and sex on their heads. The general structure contrasts a corporate world with the luxury call girl world to reveal the similarities and differences. Season two follows that format– from what I know! I’m really eager to see what season two will be as there is a whole portion of the show that I know nothing about! (This will all make sense soon.) I had a blast playing my fairly buttoned-up character in a dog-eat-dog world. Working opposite Anna Friel was a dream and with writer/director Lodge Kerrigan was a really exciting challenge as his approach appealed to the efficient, perfectionist in me. It’s about very clean, clear, subtle work and it almost feels like a dance with distinct choreography.
When you’re acting, tell us what experiences you draw on to play the role.
One of the many things I love about acting is the variety on every level, including the way I prepare for and deliver a role. My “toolkit” that I can draw from when I’m creating a character or performing has contributions from every bit of training or previous on set/stage or life experience, lesson, mistake, success . . . Some key contributions to my “toolkit” are from the University of Victoria’s theatre program and the Canadian Film Centre’s Actors Conservatory that I completed recently. One “tool” that I incorporate across the board is a physical and vocal warm-up to shake myself out, become grounded, clear, energized. I’m a person who can become easily engrossed in the intellect of a role and it’s so useful for me to drop back down into my body. Once I’m more physically/vocally centered, it’s easier for me to access whatever else I need to perform the role.
You have appeared in some of the hottest shows on television, Lost Girl, Hemlock Grove, and The Listener, to name a few. Is there a project you would like to be a part of that’s currently airing?
For drama, I’d love to be in Westworld. Such a cool concept, wonderful acting challenges, incredible cast, costumes, world… That would be amazing. For comedy I really want to be on Letterkenny! I recently binged the first two seasons on CraveTV plus their St. Patrick’s Day special. I’m so tickled by that show, the cast, the dialogue and scenarios and I hear that set is so fun too, as you could imagine, with a really awesome cast and crew.
You’ve also starred in several film productions. Tell us your favorites.
Three of my favourite experiences all happen to be on films that premiered at TIFF. I loved working on Slater Jewell-Kemker’s “Still.” Both she and my co-star, Giacomo Gianniotti, are so incredible to work with– giving, present, patient, imaginative. I learned a lot on that project, specifically on ways that I could sustain highly-emotional performances and also how to perform in the freezing cold as we shot for four days in snowy woods, haha! A useful skill to hone in Canada. I also just think the film itself is quite beautiful and tragic.
I worked with our DP from Still, Daniel Grant, again on another film that I really enjoyed being part of: Guidance. I really dig the film and I had an awesome day in goth makeup, improvising with the wonderful creator/writer/director/star, Pat Mills. I came on set and he said, “Okay we’re going to get a couple takes of the scene as-written and then we’re just going to improvise. Sound cool?” He’s wonderful. It was so much fun.
Last one I’ll mention is Jeremy Ball’s Frost. There was no dialogue on set, which I actually really enjoy as a large part of my performance foundation is in alternative and dance-based theatre, which often has do dialogue. We were also performing on cool sets against a green screen, which was super fun and, again, brought me back to my theatre roots. My jaw dropped when I attended the first screening. They created an incredible world, not to mention the flying robot. I also got to play a brave, badass character with great wardrobe and makeup and we had an amazing team! Jeremy is to talented and kind and it was awesome working with DP Guy Godfree as well who is also brilliant and has been putting out such consistently beautiful, impressive work. He recently won a CSC award for Best Cinematography for “Maudie” and Jeremy is working in VFX on “American Gods.” I love seeing good, gifted people do well and I’m so grateful to call so many of the people I’ve worked with on all three of these films my friends.
What has been your favorite performance to date?
OH NO! TOO MANY! Favourite . . . Honestly I loved playing Meagan in That’s My DJ. That is the project, character, people and experience that I’m most connected to, having been involved in it for the past four years. Also to have produced the last two seasons adds a new layer of devotion for sure. I get to be so bold and playful as Meagan, which is really liberating. I’m so grateful for what I learned about acting, filmmaking and myself, being part of TMDJ and I’m proud of the way my work evolved season to season. I’ll always love Meagan and have her with me.
What types of roles do you hope to be cast in the future?
I’m excited for the next character I can do who has a great well of power within her, whether she keeps that power simmering like lava below the surface or she doesn’t even realize it’s there, yet. I’d like a physically challenging role as well as I’m missing dancing right now. I started in musical theatre and transitioned to drama and then alternative theatre and now I’ve been predominantly on screen for the past 5 years or so and I’m excited to be on screen in a role that requires some distinct physicality or theatricality.
Thus far, what has been the best experience working in the industry?
I truly can’t pick one. Each experience has required something different of me or brought some different gift to my life. I’ve really loved working on season two of The Girlfriend Experience for the role I played, the way of working on set, what the series is trying to do/say. I loved That’s My DJ for how full of life and energy it is on every level. I loved working on the CBC’s Michael: Every Day because my character Beth was so much fun to do, the whole team and series is great and that was my first experience block shooting, which was invigorating. The experiences range from more in-depth and holistic to very precise and technical and I really love it all!
What do you like to do between productions?
Yoga. Watch movies. Get caught up on all the new shows. Be domestic.
Do you have any upcoming projects that we haven’t mentioned?
The third and final season of That’s My DJ will be out on June 19th!
Complete this sentence, if I had an opportunity to do anything I want, I would do ___________.
Of course to learn Japanese, study up on Japan and my own family history and take at least a month to travel there with my family.
Connect with Emily:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/empiggford
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empiggford
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5069067
Feature Image Credit: David Lopez.
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