Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellie Ellwand.

Hi Ellie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?

My family is a major influence on life as an artist. My parents are both actors plus my mom is Italian, which meant that the spirit of expression, and the encouragement to express so were huge family values growing up.

I started acting young, and at first I mainly saw it as a reason to escape elementary school but soon it became a full fledged passion. One of my first roles was playing Sally Cat in the animated children’s series, Busytown Mysteries on CBC Kids, which is based on the Richard Scarry children’s books. There, I was working with this stacked cast of pro actors and I learned so much about process and talent. Soon I started working in film and theatre as well and found I couldn’t get enough of performance. I studied acting at the National Theatre School which allowed me to explore all facets of the craft.

Since then, I have been working all over Canada in film, TV and theatre, with a special interest in contemporary work playing characters who challenge a moral binary.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

Being an actor often feels like navigating a tiny boat through unknown and choppy waters. There is the instability, the rejection, and the comparison which is all painful. But then you win a part which is a great high, followed by the pressure to prepare: this is the creative work of acting which involves studying a part and making all sorts of choices within that to render a character with as much nuance as possible. The overall effect of this career feels like an emotional rollercoaster at times, but the eventual joy of collaboration with other artists and adrenaline of performance once you eventually get to your mark, is unmatched.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

I’m most interested in playing characters who are morally ambiguous, people who can’t be easily classified into the binary of good or evil. I am constantly seeking out these roles particularly in contemporary works, as it aligns with my values around trying to expand audience’s empathetic capacities as well as disrupting traditional perspectives of womanhood.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ellie.ellwand

Image Credits

Andrea Verginella Paina, Marianne Duval, Aleksandar Antonijevic