Up and coming actor Risa Stone stars in the thrilling short film Man Eater set to make its world premiere at the 2017 ReelWorld Film Festival as part of the ACTRA Shorts Program on October 15th, 2017 at Famous Players Canada Square Cinemas (2190 Yonge St) in Toronto, Canada. The screening will begin at 1:00 PM followed by a Q&A.
Man Eater tells the story of a privileged young woman who matches with an eligible bachelor on a dating app thinking she’s met her match but abruptly discovers that her dream guy isn’t at all who she hoped he was. The short is directed by Shawn Gerrard.
Born in Toronto, Canada Risa Stone found her passion for acting at the young age of seven when she began to attend film and acting camp at the Harbourfront Centre. It wasn’t until the age of 17 when she decided to pursue acting as her full-time career. From there, Risa attended York University where she eventually obtained a Bachelor of Arts. After graduating, Risa honed her craft further by training with some of the top professionals in the industry including Lewis Baumander, David Rotenberg and Angela Besharah.
Since then, Risa found herself featured and starring in several projects including the short film S.A.M which screened at several festivals including Figueira Art Film and SoCal CIFF as well as the feature film The Manifesto produced by Will Woods whose work has been showcased at Cannes director’s fortnight. Coming up next, Risa Stone can be seen in a leading role in the feature film Space & Time. The film also stars Amy Jo Johnson, Alex Paxton Beesley and Andy McQueen. Other projects to watch out including feature films STD and Ha Shoah.
In addition to working in front of the camera, Risa Stone is also a writer and producer. Outside of the film and television industry, Risa is an avid fitness fan practicing Pilates, running and boxing. She is also passionate about traveling and eating healthy. Understanding the importance of philanthropy, Risa fuels her love for animals by working with the charity the Dog Rescue INC. She also supports the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC), a Canadian non-profit providing resources on eating disorders and weight preoccupation.
We had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Risa. Check out the interview below.
Hi, Risa! Thank you for speaking with us. “Man Eater” sounds like an awesome movie. Tell us about your role and character.
Man Eater is a commentary on the Millennial generations relationship with social apps. I play the lead role, Hayley, a young woman looking to meet a man who will sweep her off her feet. This is by far the biggest project I have ever taken on. I have been on set for long durations of time, but this is the first project that I wrote, produced and starred in. It was a ton of work but after seeing the final cut I can say that it was well worth it. Nothing is better than creating work and seeing it through from start to finish.
Did you do any research for your role and character?
I had actually never used a dating app prior to making this film. I have always preferred meeting men in person, but I decided that for me to write accurately I would have to test out some of the apps. A little participant observation shall we say. I created an alias profile and got down to business. A few months later I actually ran into a friend that said they saw my profile but didn’t know what to make of it all because the name was off.
Do you have a funny dating experience you can share?
I think the funniest dating experience was when my dinner date pulled over on the side of the street to take a leak in the middle of the city. We had just met a few days ago, it was a first date and after we finished dinner, the mystery man thought it was okay to turn a corner and pee in public…needless to say, there was no second date.
WOW! LOL On that note, is there a role you would like to play in a film?
I would love to play a Bond Girl!
We could see you as a Bond girl! Well, congrats on receiving one of the leading roles for “Space & Time.” Tell us about your role and character.
Thank you! Being cast in Space & Time was a huge career step for me and getting to play D.D. was so much fun. She is one of those characters that actresses dream of playing because you can really make a meal out of her. She embodies the manic, Millennial, pixie dream girl. She’s candid and primal and lives the way we all wish we could at times. I can’t wait to share her with everyone.
Is there anything you would like to add that we haven’t asked?
Sure! Be sure to check out my IMDB and Instagram handle below for all up to date details on my career happenings!
Connect with Risa:
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm7770983/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/risa.stone