Canada has many talented actors, writers, producers, and other content creators. To help our industry grow, we would like to introduce you to some talented folks who have managed to capture that magic on screen.
This week we spoke with multi award winning actor and voiceover performer Ellen Dubin.
Ellen has so many professional film TV and voice credits to mention but some of those include Lexx, The Collector, Napoleon Dynamite, Skyrim, Turning Red, Dune: Part 1, M3GAN…etc. Ellen currently goes back and forth from Los Angeles to Toronto.
HNMAG: You were born and raised in Toronto?
Ellen Dubin: That’s right, born and raised in Toronto. I spent most of my childhood and teen years there until I moved to the US.
HNMAG: When did you gain an interest in entertainment?
Ellen Dubin: I didn’t start out wanting to be in show business. It came about because I had poor posture, flat feet, and I was a very shy child, so my parents put me into ballet classes. At the end of each year, there was a recital. I just came to life when I was on stage. I was able to overcome my shyness and I loved the connection with a live audience. That’s where I discovered my love for performing.
HNMAG: How old were you then?
Ellen Dubin: I was 12 or 13.
HNMAG: Is it true that ballet performers would smoke to remain thin?
Ellen Dubin: My ballet teacher was an avid chain-smoker. I just couldn’t stand the smell and never ever smoked myself. On the other hand, we did go on the strict Russian Bolshoi Ballet company diet of hard-boiled eggs and tomatoes to stay thin. I got sick of tomatoes and hard-boiled eggs quickly!
HNMAG: How long did you stick with ballet?
Ellen Dubin: That was what I really wanted to do professionally, but ballet didn’t love my body. When I was twenty, I had an audition for a major New York City ballet company. I did a grand plié and my knees gave out. That changed the course of my career.
HNMAG: Did you injure yourself?
Ellen Dubin: Yes. I had a lot of injuries and I grew six inches in one year, so I grew too tall. My body couldn’t take the athletic demands of being a professional dancer.
HNMAG: At twenty, you had a forced shift towards acting.
Ellen Dubin: I enrolled at the University of Toronto. No more eggs and tomatoes, I ate myself silly. I was studying Greek Mythology, Shakespeare and English Literature. I also took some theatre classes and we had to do a show. I discovered that although I wasn’t dancing, the stage work was still very enjoyable. I started touring with theatre productions. I had the dance background and I could sing, so I was a triple threat and started in musical theater.
HNMAG: Before you worked in film and television, you were focused on theatre?
Ellen Dubin: That’s right. Then my agent wanted to me to expand my horizons and I was always striving to do more, so I started auditioning for film and tv roles. It was the start of a lot of sci-fi in Toronto. Having the dance, movement and theatre background, I had an edge for TV auditions. I was able to use my unique look and theater training to get parts in this genre. The first sci-fi series I booked was Lexx.
HNMAG: When were you shooting Lexx?
Ellen Dubin: It was twenty-five years ago. Wow, where did the time go? We just had our twenty-fifth anniversary at New York Wintercon.
HNMAG: You attend a lot of the Comic-Cons because of sci-fi.
Ellen Dubin: Yes, the fans are fantastic. The best fans. They know every line you’ve ever said. Without the fans, we really don’t have our jobs. I love what I do, but it’s the audience reaction that is the most wonderful part of my job.
HNMAG: How did you end up moving to Los Angeles?
Ellen Dubin: I wanted to have even more opportunities. When I moved to LA, I was appreciated more – and got more offers in Canada!
HNMAG: What was one of the most important lessons you learned in Hollywood?
Ellen Dubin: That I’m enough. I don’t have to give them what I think they want or just stick to the breakdown. I should put my spin on it. Once I was finally able to let it go, I could unleash the secret sauce of who I am and what I could bring to a role. I bring humour, a quiet power, and an offbeat approach to the text that’s not always what you see on the page.
HNMAG: How long did it take to finally get to that point in LA?
Ellen Dubin: Wow, that was some ride. I’d say…eight to ten years. For me, because of my skills and look, it was better as I got older. I was more comfortable in my skin and knew what I was about. But, I am always working on that!
HNMAG: You also worked in Vancouver.
Ellen Dubin: One my favourite series was the Collector. It was shot up there.
HNMAG: How did that happen?
Ellen Dubin: I was in Vancouver working on a show about firefighters in the forest. I did a self-tape audition. I had dirt on my face and my hair was a mess. I just had a half-hour for my lunch. It was the only time I could record a video for a series regular role. Often when you’re working, you don’t have time to worry about the audition and you don’t get in your head. So the audition is very relaxed and connected.
HNMAG: Who were you on the Collector?
Ellen Dubin: A reporter/journalist who tracks down the male lead on the show. My character was also a single mom and my son might have been the son of the devil.
HNMAG: You were ACTRA and SAG but you worked in Vancouver under UBCP.
Ellen Dubin: Yes, and paid taxes in BC. I lived there for three years.
HNMAG: What is the big difference between Los Angeles, Toronto, and Vancouver?
Ellen Dubin: Rain! There were a lot of outdoor scenes in Vancouver, But good acting is good acting no matter where. There is this divide and animosity towards performers from other places. I don’t care where people are from. Some people would complain about the East infiltrating the West. What the hell is this? It’s one country! I like the restaurants in Vancouver. I had a good time eating there and Los Angeles has lots of chicken salads and frozen yoghurt! And Los Angeles teaches you the most about the business of show.
HNMAG: What was one of your favourite jobs in Toronto?
Ellen Dubin: Lexx was shot in Halifax, Germany and Thailand but I got cast out of Toronto. It was such a treat to work and explore new countries at the same time. It put me on the map in the sci fi world and I am forever grateful for that.
HNMAG: How about LA?
Ellen Dubin: I’d have to say the voice work. My most recent is Dune. Fantastic to be part of that iconic world. I started getting a lot of voice work about twelve years ago when I signed with my Los Angeles voice agent. One of the coolest jobs was doing voices for the Disneyland Theme park. The great thing about voice work is it doesn’t limit you based on a look or your age. I can be three years old, a reptile or a queen.
HNMAG: You did voice work on Pixar’s Oscar Nominated Turning Red.
Ellen Dubin: That was a humungous session with people from Pixar over Zoom and Source Connect while I recorded it at my home studio in Toronto. There were also actors from all over. But they wanted us to have a Canadian sensibility since it took place in Toronto.
HNMAG: Turning Red was set in Canada but it wasn’t eligible as a Canadian production because the studio was American. Don’t we just want more Canadian movies regardless of who is making it?
Ellen Dubin: A hundred percent. There’s such wonderful Canadian talent that needs to be utilized more. We have unique stories to tell.
HNMAG: Are you doing anything else right now besides the video games?
Ellen Dubin: I have a recurring role on a wonderful PBS kids show called Elinor Wonders Why. I voice the warm wise Farmer Bear.
HNMAG: One significant film you were in was Napoleon Dynamite.
Ellen Dubin: We just celebrated the twentieth anniversary! It was shot in Preston Idaho, and most of the cast and crew were from that town. Preston just had a festival devoted to the movie. I booked Napoleon Dynamite because of Lexx. One of the producers wrote for the sci-fi magazine Cinescape. He did an interview with me about that show. Years later, he sent me the script. And the rest is history!
HNMAG: Was it scale?
Ellen Dubin: It was SAG ultra-low low budget. I made a $100 a day. But my agent was smart enough to make sure I would get residuals. It was nuts, I had the best time. I did one of my first movies with Efren who played Pedro. It was called Tammy And The T-Rex. When we saw each other in Idaho, we laughed our heads off. For both of us, our first movie in LA was that crazy movie. Small world to see him again on Napoleon.
I never would guessed that it would become as successful as it has.
HNMAG: Did it enter a festival?
Ellen Dubin: It was at Sundance. That’s where it won the Audience’s Choice Award. Fox/Searchlight picked it up and it won many more awards after that. It’s become the comedy of its generation.
HNMAG: Hollywood should learn a lesson that there can be success with smaller-budget movies. It would be better if they made more movies instead of putting all their eggs in the remake and sequel basket.
Ellen Dubin: It’s true! You can see what can be done. And Canada can definitely do it!
Sometimes you have to take a long journey to finally realize that there’s no place more special than where you started. Ellen’s career is long, with some amazing film, television and voice over contributions. The story doesn’t end here. She keeps working by being open to new opportunities and investing her time and efforts to become more proficient. Let’s hope that Ellen will also be part of the Canadian Film and Television evolution.