Acting

After graduating on TV's Degrassi, Annie Clark succeeds in doing it again at U of T

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 16:21:58 +0000

After graduating on TV's Degrassi, Annie Clark succeeds in doing it again at U of T

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 06/23/2022 - 12:21

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U of T grad Annie Clark portrayed Fiona Coyne for four years on the series Degrassi: Next Generation (photo courtesy of Annie Clark)

Sean McNeely

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Annie Clark says playing a student on the series Degrassi: Next Generation came easily to her, but actually being one? That's a different story.

Clark, who portrayed Fiona Coyne on the teen drama for four years, says the confidence she possessed while starring on the show didn't initially carry over into the classroom at the ��Ƶ, where she pursued a bachelor of arts.

“With acting, I go on several job interviews every week and I put myself out there and perform,” she says. “And it's funny because that doesn't make me nervous.

“But raising my hand in class made me really nervous. I guess it’s because I had so much more experience in acting atmospheres. I never felt super confident in school, so I would get so nervous if I had to speak in front of the class.”

But Clark was able to overcome these fears and other challenges she encountered along the way to completing her degree. She graduates this spring putting a cap on a 10-year academic journey in which she split her time between Toronto and Los Angeles to pursue acting projects.

“As I was doing my last exam, it was surreal,” she says. “It took me a while to realize there was nothing left to do.”

Clark has been charting her own path ever since high school, when she opted to continue acting on Degrassi instead of following the majority of her classmates to university. She was on the show during her last two years of high school and what would have been her first two years of university.

Annie Clark on set at her Degrassi graduation episode (photo courtesy of WildBrain Media)

When her time on the show wrapped up in 2012, Clark came to a crossroads.

“I didn’t have a plan after the show ended,” she says. “I did a few movies, but those took a month or two. I felt I needed to commit to something I could focus on for the long term.”

She enrolled at U of T that year, but didn't give up on acting. Balancing the life of an actor with the demands of university wasn't easy, she says. She recalls meeting with an academic advisor, who helped her manage her priorities. “She made me feel like it was okay to make the choice to put school on pause,” she says.

After a hiatus during which she landed TV and movie roles, including a starring role in the 2013 thriller Solo, she returned to university in 2016.

“Things were slowing down acting-wise, and I was looking to focus on something productive,” she says. “With acting, you don't have a lot of control over anything. With school, I was in control of what I was taking.”

At U of T, Clark chose to register for courses on topics that interested her rather than pursuing a major where her courses would be mapped out for her. She explored several disciplines, not surprisingly, beginning with film.

“But I had been working in the film industry since I was 14. So I asked myself, ‘Why am I trying to study something I’m already working in?’”

She then considered other areas like sociology, law and criminology, eventually discovering that the American studies program was the best fit.

“When I stepped back, I realized I was taking courses that fit perfectly into an American studies degree, though it was something I hadn't really considered,” says Clark.

“It was perfect for someone who didn't want to dive into one discipline. I got to take political science courses, English courses, history courses. This degree was so much more about learning than it was trying to get a specific job in a specific field.”

Still, juggling assignments and auditions was tough for Clark, especially since she continued to divide her time between Toronto and L.A., spending the fall semester at U of T while living in California from January to June. “That's why it ended up taking me so long,” she says.

She took another break from her studies and moved to L.A. full-time in January 2020 – just weeks before the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic swept over North America. When the film and TV industries came to a sudden halt, she returned to Toronto to be with family.

Clark resumed her studies again when U of T moved to remote learning – a format that ended up playing to her strengths as a student. She found it easier to focus leading her grades to skyrocket – and confidence, too.

“I never enjoyed school as much as I did in the last year and a half,” she says. “I loved doing it online. I felt much more accountable and less nervous to participate. And it made me feel so good to be productive during such a crazy time. I came out of my shell in a way that I didn't expect.

“I know that wasn’t most people's experience with online learning, but for me it just worked.”

Clark still has a passion for acting and is auditioning for future projects while wrapping up her latest film, Love Hacks, in which she plays the lead role.

“I feel really happy to have my degree, should I decide to change paths again,” she says. “To me, it’s a symbol of my dedication and perseverance. And it's going to be so exciting to walk across the stage at graduation and have my family there.”

The life of Rajiv: In his new book, U of T alum reflects on the life-changing role he didn’t get

ullahnor — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 13:02:12 +0000

The life of Rajiv: In his new book, U of T alum reflects on the life-changing role he didn’t get

ullahnor Tue, 02/14/2017 - 08:02

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Rajiv Surendra: “This book is what life is all about: how we take awful experiences, turn them around, grow from them and become stronger. I think that’s something we can all relate to” (photo by Luke Fontana)

Cynthia Macdonald

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Cynthia Macdonald

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Pop culture fans remember Rajiv Surendra for his hilarious turn as Kevin G, the rapping “mathlete” in 2004’s smash hit Mean Girls.

In Surendra’s new memoir, The Elephants in My Backyard, he writes about his six-year-long attempt – and subsequent failure – to nab the lead role in Life of Pi.

Below, the U of T alum who graduated in 2009 with a bachelor's degree, shares some of those experiences in an interview with U of T Magazine's Cynthia Macdonald and on camera with Lisa Lightbourn.

U of T was where you studied art history (and, as you wrote in your book, learned how to swim). Mean Girls was also partially shot at the university – and as a first-year student, you got to be in it! What was that like?

Juggling the demands of school with those of the movie was really hard. Call times were really early, and my drama teacher did not see acting in a movie as a legitimate reason to miss class.

Still, being in Mean Girls was great.

It’s gone on to be a cult smash…

It’s crazy how popular it’s become. At one point I asked the lady doing my hair how she thought the movie would fare.

I remember her rolling her eyes and saying, “Come on. It’s called Mean Girls, and it stars Lindsay Lohan – it’s going straight to DVD.”

Not exactly the Nostradamus of hairstylists, right? On the set, a cameraman tells you about this amazing novel. In fact, he says, “You’re in it.”

I’d heard of Life of Pi but didn’t know much about it. When I read it, I saw that the similarities between that character and myself were uncanny.

He was Tamil, so was I. He grew up in a zoo – and I grew up near the Toronto Zoo, hearing elephants through my bedroom window.

So you become obsessed with getting that part. Why?

The only roles for skinny young brown guys were stereotypical: math nerds, people working in call centres, terrorists. It was really frustrating. So when I found out they were going to make a movie of Pi, it felt like the stars had aligned to give me my wish.

You hire a dialect coach, befriend the book’s author and spend weeks living in Maine with someone who’d actually been a castaway. What else?

My parents were from Sri Lanka, but I was Canadian. I needed to dive in and become a teenage Indian boy so I travelled to Pondicherry where the book takes place. I spent a few months at the school that author Yann Martel used as the setting for Pi’s school. I recorded schoolboys’ voices, even watched how they walked.

Then, after years of work, you get an email from Martel. He tells you the director’s going with someone else.

It was like a punch in the face. I needed to run away so I worked as an au pair in Germany. As it turned out, it was the perfect medicine.

Did you see the movie when it came out?

I did, and it was kind of heartwarming. I asked myself, “Do you wish that was you? Be honest.” And I didn’t! I was actually happy that things worked out the way they did, because I learned valuable lessons about life by not getting the part.

But you’re still acting and have a great career as a chalk artist, potter and calligrapher. How did that come about?

There’s a huge appreciation now for things that are handmade, not digitized. These activities started out as hobbies when I was a kid and have now turned into different ways that I make a living. I feel very fortunate about that. (For samples of Surendra’s chalk drawings, check out his website.)

Most memoirs are about success, not failure. Why do you think this story will resonate?

We’re brought up being told that if you work hard enough, you’ll get everything you want. That doesn’t always happen. This book is what life is all about: how we take awful experiences, turn them around, grow from them and become stronger. I think that’s something we can all relate to.

This article was originally published in U of T Magazine; read more U of T Magazine articles

From U of T grad to Rory’s dad: actor David Sutcliffe on the 'Gilmore Girls' revival

ullahnor — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 16:08:48 +0000

From U of T grad to Rory’s dad: actor David Sutcliffe on the 'Gilmore Girls' revival

ullahnor Thu, 11/24/2016 - 11:08

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U of T alumnus and actor David Sutcliffe at the L.A. premiere of Netflix's "Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life" (photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty)

Geoffrey Vendeville

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Geoffrey Vendeville

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The Gilmore Girls revival premieres on Netflix Friday night, and ��Ƶ students are waiting for the much-anticipated return of Lorelai and Rory.

As U of T super fans host Gilmore Girls marathons on campus and get ready to watch the new season, U of T News tracked down a U of T connection.

David Sutcliffe, who plays Rory’s sometimes-absent father and Lorelai’s on-again-off-again boyfriend, graduated from U of T in the early nineties. The 47-year-old actor – born in Saskatoon and raised in Grimsby and St. Catharines – was recruited to play basketball at ��Ƶ.

He reminisced about his university years and chatted with U of T News about the new season and what's ahead for his character, Christopher Hayden.

What was your major at U of T?

I was an 'English lit' major at Victoria College.

I actually stayed in the same residence house as Donald Sutherland, whom I just worked with (on Milton's Secret), which is kind of an interesting piece of trivia.

I was told when I moved in – even before I thought of becoming an actor – that the most famous resident was Donald Sutherland. So when I worked with him, we talked about it a little bit.

I read once that you were on the Varsity Blues basketball team but that a back injury led you to take up acting

Exactly. I was on the Varsity team at U of T, but in my second season, I started having a lot of back pain. I was diagnosed with a herniated disk. And it just became chronic.

I was living with a guy who was a playwright, and he won this writing contest. Now, I had all this free time – this time that I had used for practicing and sports. I was looking for other things to do. He asked me to audition for a play. I did, and he gave me a small part.

I was hooked right away. I did all kinds of theatre around U of T, at Victoria College and Trinity College.

Actor and U of T alumnus David Sutcliffe (seated at the bottom right) played on the Varsity Blues basketball team during the 1989-1990 school year (photo courtesy of Varsity Blues)

What's your fondest memory here?

We had some great parties. I'm not really a party guy, but we were the house that threw the best, wildest, craziest parties. It was fun to be part of that university experience.

The two years I played for the basketball team were really exciting. I met a lot of good guys there and feel sad I wasn't able to continue. And of course all the theatre I did at U of T. I did tons of shows all around. I directed shows. It was exciting. You're with people – everybody's young, you're trying to figure it out, and you're discovering things together – it's a special time.

I want to ask you a very serious hypothetical question now: If Rory chose to go to university in Canada – no bias here, but assuming she'd go to U of T – what college would she be in?

I don't know, man. (Laughs) I hoped she'd go to Vic, where I went. But I don't know, she's a smart kid – she would probably go to Trinity, right? If you go to Yale, like she did in the show, then probably she'd go to Trinity.

Do you have any advice for young aspiring Canadian actors?

You've got to follow your own path and be in it for the right reasons. You have to be really good, and you have to be honest with yourself if you have the raw talent. The people who are in television and movies, and work consistently, every single one of them is a really, really, really good actor. There are so many good actors who work in Los Angeles, and it's extremely competitive.

How does it feel to come back and be part of the revival?

I don't have a big part in it, but the show was a big part of my life and my career. I don't think any of us really understood at the time what it was or what it was going to become.

It's nice to revisit it with the ability to have an appreciation for what it is. When you're working on it, it's work, right? It's 12, 14 hour days. You just kind of get through it. And the show wasn't that popular when it was on the air. It had a very passionate and loyal fan base, and it was well-reviewed, but it wasn't like, you know, CSI or something. But it stayed, and it became a part of the cultural fabric. It became a classic.

It's nice to know you are a part of something that touched a lot of people's lives, and that it was meaningful.

How do you explain that it's become such a cult phenomenon?

That's a good question. If people knew the answer, they'd be making these kinds of shows all the time. It's kind of like lightning in a bottle. It starts with (show creator) Amy Sherman-Palladino. She's a visionary. You combine that with perfect casting with Lauren Graham (who plays Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel (Lorelai's daughter Rory). And then all the townspeople were just great. Something magical happened.

Beyond that, I think there's something about the show that was about a return to a simpler time, about family and community. In our fast-paced world filled with technology and complications, there's something soothing and grounding about those ideas.

What kind of direction did you get while playing Rory's father?

Amy Sherman-Palladino is pretty specific. She has a vision, for sure – more than a lot of other showrunners I worked with. In terms of the language, we couldn't go off script at all. Every “and,” “but” and “if” had to be in there. It was like doing Shakespeare, and I understood because the language was specific and had a rhythm to it.

What did she tell me? In terms of the overall arc of the character, mostly that he was in love with Lorelai – always was and always would be – and wants her back. That's his objective throughout the series.

Even in the new season?

We're at a different point. I think that'll always be there for him. But at a certain point, life kind of moves on, and you have regrets. I think he's reconciled to where it's at right now. I think there's sadness there for him, some loss. Probably for her too because the chemistry was there. We all have those relationships that are filled with emotion, passion and love, and they're complicated. But you have this feeling, like it's not meant to be.

I crowdsourced a few questions from Gilmore Girls' fans: Are you on Team Luke? A lot of fans have mixed feelings about Christopher. How do you feel about the character?

It's funny. I have mixed feelings too. It's hard to separate myself obviously, but it's been years. When you're playing a character, you tend to root for your character. I love Luke. I think he's amazing on the show. (Actor) Scott Patterson is so funny. He's so smart. Their chemistry is amazing, but there's something – I don't feel it all the way in terms of their relationship. I actually feel Christopher and her are a hotter couple.

With that said, Chris is a nightmare. It depends what you want. If you want stability, a nice guy, you go Team Luke. If you want fire and passion, I think you go Team Chris.

Next crowdsourced question: What was your most memorable moment working with the late Edward Herrmann (who played Lorelai’s dad)?

The scene I remember is in the first episode I was in, in the first season – “Christopher Returns.” There was a big scene where our parents get into a fight. My parents and Lorelai's parents get into a fight in the drawing room of their house. That scene took about a whole day to shoot. I didn't know who Ed Herrmann was, but by the end of that day, listening to him tell stories – he has worked with everyone and had been in so many amazing movies. It was fun to be around a Hollywood legend.

Donald Sutherland was the same way. He's 81 years old, and the guy's on fire every day. He can't wait to get to set. He's so passionate.

Amy Sherman-Palladino is rumoured to have planned the show down to the last four words. What are the last four words? Can you at least say if fans will get a happy ending?

I can't say. (Laughs) I don't know anything about the last four words. I know nothing. I know nothing. I do know. I will say that – but I'm not saying [anything].

Will there be more episodes after this season?

I will say I think people are hopeful. I don't think it's a definitive "no." I think it's very possible that there could be more.

Actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, a former U of T drama student, stars in the CBC comedy 'Kim's Convenience'

ullahnor — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 18:50:24 +0000

Actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, a former U of T drama student, stars in the CBC comedy 'Kim's Convenience'

ullahnor Mon, 10/24/2016 - 14:50

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Paul Sun-Hyung Lee stars in a new CBC comedy about a Korean-Canadian family

Scott Anderson

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Scott Anderson

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He talks about the biggest role of his career as 'Appa'

Actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, the star of CBC’s new comedy Kim’s Convenience, has never been as busy with work as he is now. He says this as if he can’t quite believe his good fortune, having stumbled across a role a decade ago – Appa, the Korean owner of a convenience store in Toronto’s Regent Park – that’s gone on to define his career.

Lee, who is Korean-Canadian, helped playwright Ins Choi develop the character, and has been playing Appa almost continuously since 2011 when Kim’s Convenience debuted at Toronto’s Fringe Festival.

Lee talked with U of T writer Scott Anderson. Even as he welcomes his success, Lee says he finds it all a bit surprising, given his humble entry into acting through U of T’s drama program in 1991, which he attended until 1994 (he never completed his BA), and initial wariness about entering a profession in which he thought “everyone was absolutely insane.”

How he got into acting

Going into drama was a bit of a lark. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

The audition to get into the U of T drama program [now known as the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies] was held in the basement of University College. There was a huge group of kids who had obviously taken high school drama. They were very serious about it. Some had their shoes and socks off and were stretching, so I started doing some lunges, trying to fit in. It was my first exposure to the performing arts and I thought everyone was absolutely insane. We had to line up and move across the room choosing a particular movement and a sound to accompany it.

At the end, we all got into a circle and the instructor – Ken Gass – gave us a line to say. We had to step into the centre of the circle, say this line and step back out. The line was, “What a horrible, miserable, terrible day.” I thought, “This is perfect!” I did it with such venom. I spat on the ground at the end.

I got into the program. And what happened was that learning from Ken in my first year at University College ignited inside of me a passion for the performing arts that I’d never had before.

On his own family

It’s uncanny how so many of the scenes in Kim’s Convenience mirror my own family. That’s what drew me to the play. Like the characters of Umma and Appa, both of my parents were teachers in Korea who couldn’t teach when they came to Canada because of language.

Like Umma and Appa, my parents had a store, and we lived above it. My parents wanted me to go into a profession where I wouldn’t have to struggle or worry about money. To see me go into a field that is all about struggling was devastating to them in some ways – though they were more supportive than Umma and Appa are to their daughter, Janet, who is a photographer. Now that I’m a dad, I can understand the courage it must have taken for my parents to pull up stakes in their homeland and move to another country so that their children would have better opportunities in life than they did.

For me, Kim’s Convenience is all about family. It’s about love. It’s about acceptance. It’s about sacrifice. It’s about how different generations are able to say, “I love you,” to each other. That is the thing that has touched so many people, whether you’re Korean or not, and whether you’re from an immigrant family or not. This family never, ever doubts that they love each other. My own family – my two boys and my wife – is the end all and be all for me. My eldest is 12, in Grade 7, and my youngest is six. You see a reflection of yourself in your children, and you see a reflection of your parents in yourself.

Besides my family, I’m passionate about movies and comic books. I’m a self-professed geek. In the last few years, I’ve rekindled my love for Ghostbusters, and right now I’m building a fully functional – well not fully functional – proton pack that lights up and has sounds. It doesn’t actually throw nuclear-accelerated particles, but it’s something to do instead of buying a motorcycle or a convertible. I loved the Ghostbusters remake, but the amount of vitriol that came out because it was an all-female cast was absolutely shameful. I thought all the actors were fantastic.

Is Appa a "stereotype"?

I’ve lived with Appa for almost 10 years. He is this crazy, Archie Bunker-esque, irascible, boisterous, stubborn, jackass man who has an incredible amount of love for his family. There’s nothing overtly malicious about him. He truly believes he’s the smartest one in the room. But because I’m portraying an Asian character with an accent, people quickly jump to, “He’s a caricature,” or “He’s a stereotype.” And that’s unfortunate, because Appa is not a caricature. He’s a fully realized character with hopes and fears, faults and strengths. He’s not a stereotype. He’s an archetype. I’m immensely proud of this character. I love playing him, and I’ve always tried to approach him with as much honesty, humility and authenticity as I can.

My first leading role where my ethnicity wasn’t foremost was on Train 48, an improvised soap opera that aired on Global TV in the early 2000s. Randy Ko was the first three-dimensional character I was allowed to play on television, and I’m proud to say he became a fan favourite – at least among the sci-fi geeks. For a long time that community was never portrayed positively on TV. I see faint echoes of that – of giving voice to people who for so long have not been heard – with Appa and the Korean community.

Audiences are hungering for diversity. Look at that Exodus: Gods and Kings debacle. How can you possibly set a movie in Egypt without casting Egyptians as leads? But director Ridley Scott has the audacity to say he can’t cast people of colour because no one would know who they are.

The community woke up and said, “F— you, we’re not going to watch this movie.” And the movie tanked. These practices are no longer acceptable. The world is much smaller now. We can see fantastic actors from different cultures on Netflix at home. We are a multicultural society. It matters who the producers, directors and writers are. When you have diverse people making the decisions about what’s being made, you’re going to see more diversity on screens as well. The situation is way better than when I started acting 20 years ago. But it’s 2016, and we still have such a long way to go.

Next year is going to be insanely busy for me. And it’s going to be all Kim’s Convenience. We’re taking the stage production to Halifax, Toronto and Montreal. Then Soulpepper is taking Kim’s Convenience to off-Broadway in New York for a month-long festival of Canadian Soulpepper plays. We might also go to Korea to do a tour of the play. At the same time, I’m hoping we’ll be able to do a second season of the show. I’ve never been this busy professionally in my life!

Kim’s Convenience airs at 9 p.m. Tuesdays on CBC.

(This article originally appeared in U of T Magazine)