We recently connected with Toni Ellwand and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Toni thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I took a risk by becoming an actor.
I come from a Sicilian immigrant family.
We immigrated in 1963.
I was a little kid.
My parents worked in factories, grocery stores,
construction.
Their biggest dream for me was to become a bank teller, get married, make grand kids. They did not imagine I would ever be an actor.

Toni, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I applied to York University’s performance program, was accepted and hence my career began.
I am a proud Canadian actor. The majority of my work has been Canadian made content.
I have worked in theatres in Toronto, Montreal and Western Canada.
I have also worked on films and tv shows in Canada.
I love indie Canadian projects. I have been on the series Bomb Girls, Tiny Pretty Things(shot in Toronto), Mafia Inc a film shot in Montreal and Jasmine Road (Calgary)
These are just a few of the tv and films I have been fortunate to work on.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I believe that giving Canadian content more support through creation funding and by providing distribution support as well as having opportunities to see more Canadian content on all our screens is one of the best things we can do to grow our industry at home.
Also by supporting our industry through financial investments and by going and seeing Canadian shows live as well as on our small screens will go a long way towards growing our business and protecting it against the invasive species from down south that is threatening everything that is Canadian right now. As artists we truly need our ‘elbows up’ at this critical moment in time!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Some of my most creative and rewarding experiences have been acting in Canadian plays, tv shows and films!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @toniellwand
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits

Megan Vincent