Vancouver is a major Film and Television hub. Not only does it have amazing locations, talented crews, and year-round shooting conditions, but it also attracts the best International performers to make it their new home.
This week we spoke with New Zealand-born actor and writer Sophia Johnson.
HNMAG: When did you start acting?
Sophia Johnson: Oh Gosh, I actually started when I was eleven or twelve. I was scouted for a modeling agency in New Zealand but ended up doing a lot of commercials, so I still started it that way, but then when I was a teenager, I got really into Shakespeare, and that was why I decided to do acting.
HNMAG: How did you become interested in Shakespeare?
Sophia Johnson: We didn’t have television shows in our home but we had a video player and my dad found a box set of all Shakespeare’s plays for ten dollars. Those movies were what I watched.
HNMAG: That’s a steal. It’s like nine dollars Canadian.
Sophia Johnson: Yeah, I know exactly! I just really loved it and when I was deciding what to do for a career, I just thought it had to be something to do with Shakespeare.
HNMAG: Have you ever played Ophelia?
Sophia Johnson: Yes, I have, and Desdemona.
HNMAG: Oh great. Were you working as a professional actor in New Zealand?
Sophia Johnson: Yeah, some theatre, but once I started working, it was mostly film & TV. I think it’s sometimes weirdly easier to get into film & TV than theatre.
Vancouver is more of a film & TV town than theatre. Theatre doesn’t really pay for most people.
HNMAG: You were on the series Shortland Street.
Sophia Johnson: That’s a New Zealand soap opera. It’s a hospital drama.
HNMAG: Not just a few episodes, you were in thirty-two episodes.
Sophia Johnson: I had a big role in it.
HNMAG: Oh good.
Sophia Johnson: Yeah, that was my first teenage job, a romance role.
HNMAG: You were eighteen when you got that?
Sophia Johnson: I was nineteen.
HNMAG: Did that help you move to Canada?
Sophia Johnson: No, Canada is pretty easy to move to if you’re in the Commonwealth. I got a working holiday Visa.
HNMAG: Now are you a citizen of Canada?
Sophia Johnson: I am just about to do my citizen test this week.
HNMAG: Did you think Vancouver was the place to go because you knew that there were a lot of film and television productions?
Sophia Johnson: I had one friend here. They were a comedian who I met in New Zealand. When I was looking at going overseas, I had some friends who went to London and came back pretty miserable. Others had gone to LA and came back pretty broke and pretty miserable. I spoke to my friend about acting in Vancouver. I said hey, what’s it like? How often are you auditing? They told me, a couple of times a week. That was a lot more than New Zealand.
HNMAG: Yeah.
Sophia Johnson: I was looking at pictures. I saw the pretty mountains, the Ocean and the lakes. I made an impulsive decision because I thought I could always change my mind if I didn’t like it when I was there. It seemed a gentler step than LA. I did go to New York before I came to Vancouver. I really wanted to study with The Barrow Group. I took some classes there.
HNMAG: How long did it take you to get an agent once you moved to Vancouver?
Sophia Johnson: Once I emailed, about a week.
HNMAG: Wow, that’s great! Did you sign up with Aaron right away?
Sophia Johnson: Yes, Aaron Alexander. There was immediate chemistry. Aaron is cool and he also represents a lot of comedians.
HNMAG: Perfect. So you were you doing stand-up in New Zealand as well?
Sophia Johnson: Yes, and also working as a writer a bit.
HNMAG: Did you write for film & TV?
Sophia Johnson: I wrote for Seven Days.
HNMAG: Was that a series in New Zealand?
Sophia Johnson: Yes, it’s a panel show. It’s writing jokes from the news that week.
HNMAG: Do you have a show that you’re trying to pitch right now?
Sophia Johnson: Yes, yes I do. I’m working with my friend Dave. He is also a comedian. We’re hoping to get it together by the end of the year.
HNMAG: Are you woking on anything we should know about?
Sophia Johnson: Yeah, actually, I am planning to record a comedy special in February.
HNMAG: Vancouver Audiences should check what’s happening and then go see Sophia Johnson live. Vancouver is mostly a US service town for Film and TV. In New Zealand, productions are set in New Zealand more often.
Sophia Johnson: It is.
HNMAG: Are we moving closer to the New Zealand industry, having productions set in Canada, and if not, how do we get there?
Sophia Johnson: Yeah, I think we are. I was actually pretty surprised when I moved here from New Zealand by how few Canadian productions there were. It does seem to be changing. Television is changing worldwide due to major streaming services offering a convenient International service. People can choose something from anywhere in the world. Look at the success of Baby Reindeer. It was the number-one hit in the US and internationally. That would not have happened before streaming. American markets are quite open to watching something that’s made somewhere else with foreign accents. The key is it has to be good.
HNMAG: Never mind where it is set, as long as it is good.
Sophia Johnson: People are interested in quality. I love Shetland. It’s Scottish. It’s relaxing to watch something that takes me to a whole other country. Canada has a lot to teach the world. Its culture and history are fascinating. It’s a fascinating place.
It was great to speak with a New Zealand actor, writer, and comedian who moved to Vancouver in hopes of getting immediate work, and she got it! Sophia is smart, beautiful, funny, creative, and ambitious. She is gaining more success and making things happen for her career. We look forward to enjoying her work on big and small screens everywhere.