Tamara Almeida is a bilingual actor and producer born and raised in Toronto, Canada. She is a first-generation Canadian of Chilean and Ecuadorian descent. Tamara found her passion for performing at a very young age and would go on to participate in various school productions, with ‘Annie’ being her first role at the age of 10. Her resume features a significant body of work in both film and television productions including Degrassi: Next Class (CTV), Odd Squad (TVOKids/PBSKids), Good Witch (Hallmark), Heroes Reborn (NBC), and Warehouse 13 (SYFY). She has also produced and co-produced several short films that have featured at festivals worldwide. She now stars as the young Grandma Tess in the highly anticipated reboot of the beloved ’90s children’s television series Ghostwriter, streaming on Apple TV+. We were very happy to speak to her about the new role and other interesting facts.
Hi Tamara, thank you for granting the interview. Congratulations on your role as Young Grandma Tess in the reboot of the children’s television series Ghostwriter. What appealed to you about the role?
Thank you for having me! I’m very excited to be a part of this show. I didn’t know much about the role of Young Grandma initially other than the fact that I appeared in flashbacks. It was one of those parts I knew very little about yet felt very connected to. I did get an inkling that it was going to be for the Ghostwriter reboot and I was bursting at the seams with the prospect of working on something that was such a big part of my childhood. When I got the call I booked this part, I was beyond excited!
It’s a reboot of a popular TV series so what should audiences expect, and will there be any major differences, particularly with your role?
This being a reimagined version of the original, I find certain elements bear similarities, however, it’s very much a standalone show. There is mystery, and adventure, and cool literature that comes to life. For those who don’t know, this Ghostwriter reboot follows four kids who’ve come together after a ghost starts haunting their local bookstore. They encounter fictional characters who are released into the real world, and they take on trying to solve the mysteries surrounding our ghost and its unfinished business. For additional context, this local bookstore is run by present-day “Grandpa”. We get to see both Young Grandpa and Young Grandma through flashbacks, at different points in their lives. I can’t wait for it to be out to be able to chat about it in more detail!
You play Carmen in the new short film Date Night which premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Shorts Film Festival. Can you provide our readers with a synopsis of the film and your character?
Absolutely, I’d love to! “Date Night” follows Alba (Bea Pizano) who hasn’t dated in a long time, so saying she’s nervous is an understatement. Not helping the situation: feeling old, language barriers, too much make-up, and a deeper fear her daughters don’t want to talk about. I play one of her daughters, Carmen, who is the eldest of the two. Carmen had to take on several responsibilities at an early age to help her parents who had originally immigrated from Columbia. Carmen is headstrong, fiery, and has a complicated relationship with the family. The film does a great job of capturing the vulnerability a parent can feel when navigating conflict with their adult children. A very powerful short, written by Margarita Valderrama and directed by Arlen Aguayo-Stewart, both Latinx. A massive testament to both of these women for their tenacity to bring honesty and complexity to this slice of life film. Once the festival run is complete, I’ll be sharing this on my socials. Keep an eye out!
You’re the voice of Maria Mariposa in Joe Murray’s latest animated series Let’s Go Luna. How does voice acting for an animated series compare to other projects on your resume?
The similarities come in the prep, but the biggest difference is in the delivery. I take my time to make sure that I know exactly what my intentions are since there is no one to play off of, and then on the day, I tend to go as big as I want and have Joe, or the team directs me to make it more conversational or what have you. It’s a lot of fun, and also a bit intimidating to be in a booth all by yourself. I love acting with other people, but there are many instances when you may not get a chance to do that. All in all, I love all the mediums in which I get to act, but I’d say voice acting is the one I leave feeling the most like I just did a 30-minute HIIT workout. It’s the absolute best.
You’ve amassed a significant body of work in several film and television productions. What would you say have been you’re career highlights and why?
I’d say that every time there is a ‘first’, it feels like a highlight. Whether it be that first booking where I had one word, or one line, and then one page, and then multiple episodes, they become milestones in your career. I like feeling the progress in my work. It can also be booking one-line tomorrow where I do something completely different than anything I’ve managed to do previously, that I would also consider a highlight.
A career highlight that stands out would’ve been working on the short “Motorino” that I produced a few years back. It was a story inspired by how my sister met her husband and the vulnerability felt when meeting someone online. It was the first time I was able to take a very personal idea and make it come to life in that way. It set the tone for what I want out of this career. To tell stories I find meaningful, using characters I’ve developed as a vehicle to share my experiences and understanding of humanity with an audience. Seeing my sister’s reaction to the film (when we screened it in Toronto) was priceless! I’d also have to say that getting to work on Ghostwriter is at the top of the list because it was part of my childhood and my nieces and nephew will think I’m a pretty cool aunt once the episodes air. Also, Heroes Reborn was a highlight on a technical level because that set was unreal, and it felt more like a choreographed dance on the day. It was quite epic.
You’ve also produced and co-produced several short films that have gone on to be seen at festivals worldwide. Is producing just as important for you as being in front of the camera?
It 100% is. It’s different because you have quite a bit of control to tell the stories that you’d like to share, or how you’d like to share them when something is self-produced. I remember hearing an interview with Mark Duplass years ago and it sold me on wanting to do it forever. I also enjoy working with my friends and the community I’ve built over the years in this industry. Getting a chance to riff off of each other and give voice to what we want to see in this industry is very rewarding. I have so many ideas floating around right now and looking to produce a sci-fi series in 2020 (or 2021), and I’ve already begun the preliminary steps of producing a comedy sketch show with some friends at the beginning of the year. It’s terrifying and fulfilling differently, but I’m just as invested in producing as I am in acting. It’s the best!
So, you have a sales and business development background, finding success at a Fortune 100 company. How did you find the transition from sales and business to acting?
I’d say it both helped and hindered in the beginning. It was helpful to have the confidence to reach out to agents, start taking classes, and understand that I was ultimately going to be my product as an actor. That said, I struggled to be able to see that this wasn’t just a business and that to act I’d have to strip away a lot of my protections to be able to sit and be seen. Acting is about truth, and I didn’t grasp that initially. I figured I had the strong desire to act, I was results-oriented, and I had tremendous access to my emotions- how hard could it be? Lol, little did I know. I had a very difficult time finding patience and humility being a novice at work. I had to leave a successful job and begin serving which felt like a complete 180 from my previous career. I was being met with consistent rejection and anxiety for the first time. After a while though, it shifted. I began enjoying the process and started to surrender to where I was. I kept getting my ass kicked in classes, and I stopped trying to be further along than where I was. I made care of me my priority. I did the work to get honest with myself. Looking back, I see the parallels in both careers with an unwavering determination to learn, resilience to keep failing and growing, and the decision to keep seeking out mentors. It was also a nice surprise to discover how my skills in sales and business development translated well for production. It’s been a lot of trial and error, but ultimately this transition taught me much patience, and that being authentic in any industry is a strength.
Aside from your career, you support several worthwhile community initiatives, including FEED YOUR HOOD which focuses on feeding those with food insecurity. How did you get involved in this?
My partner started a program called “Feed Your Hood” a couple of years back. They focus on feeding 100 people for $100. He and two friends get together once a month, make nutritious warm food, and hand it out downtown for those battling food insecurity. I volunteer for them whenever I get a chance.
What other projects should we look forward to seeing you in?
My episodes of Ghostwriter will be out soon on Apple TV+, so expect those shortly! I’ve also worked on several shorts in the last few months that will be out early 2020. The most recent is one called “Baby Making 101” that follows a couple who’ve decided to have a baby. I play Rachel, our potential mom-to-be and we follow her narrative as she navigates this process with her husband Rob. The script has a lot of heart, it’s honest, it’s funny, and gives voice to vulnerabilities I strongly identify with as a woman. I can’t wait to share this one with everyone when it’s out. I’m also focusing on creating and producing this year while continuing to audition and take on more writing. I’ll be sure to update my socials with upcoming projects as soon as I can share them.
Where can our readers find out more about you?
I’m on Instagram @tamararubyalmeida where I post quite frequently, and also Twitter and Facebook as @almeidta but truth be told I don’t go on there or post on those channels as frequently. Come visit!
We wish Tamara well with Ghostwriter and her future projects!
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