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 Vancouver actor, writer, producer, and stand-up comedian Larke Miller.
Larke has too many professional film and TV credits to list but some of those include The Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Comedy Now!, iZombie, Grease – Rise Of the Pink Ladies, Scaredy Cats…etc.
HNMAG: How did you become interested in performing when you were young?
Larke Miller: I was an artistic child. I was super excited about acting, putting on plays, and telling stories.
HNMAG: What was your earliest work in Film and Television?
Larke Miller: I pushed my mom to put me in acting classes in elementary school but I was too tall to play most parts. I didn’t actually start working until my teens and I started playing adults.
HNMAG: What was one of those roles you played as a teenager?
Larke Miller: I was a mobster’s girlfriend in A Few Lousy Dollars.
HNMAG: That was with Benjamin Immanuel.
Larke Miller: Yes and I was on Highlander. I also did a TV commercial for White Spot.
HNMAG: Then you went to study in LA.
Larke Miller: Yes, I went to study at the Groundlings. Vancouver didn’t shoot many comedies back then and I was just pegged as a character actor.
HNMAG: You were more interested in comedy at the time?
Larke Miller: I wasn’t so much, but nobody was interested in me outside of comedy. I imagined I could be like Meryl Streep one day, but most people thought I was quirky and suggested I focus on comedy.
HNMAG: Ok, that led to the Groundlings. Did that influence you to become a stand-up comedian?
Larke Miller: I was more of a natural stand-up comedian than an improviser. I wanted to express my observations in life, but I was too nervous about being on stage by myself. The move to LA made it easier for me to try stand-up. In Vancouver, I had been going to comedy shows since I was sixteen. I worked with a lot of comedians. Everyone in the comedy community here knew me. The stakes were much higher if I didn’t do well.
HNMAG: So it was easier to do it in a place with more anonymity.
Larke Miller: Yes, I knew a comedian who was running shows at a youth hostel in Hollywood. He told me that the audience was made up of German and Japanese tourists that I’d never see again, and they didn’t understand the language well enough to laugh, and the Australian staff would be too busy talking amongst themselves to pay attention. It was a very low bar.
HNMAG: It sounds like a tough room.
Larke Miller: Yes, but I actually killed it. After my first show, people wanted to book me for other shows right away.
HNMAG: What did you use from your acting experience that helped you with stand-up comedy?
Larke Miller: Performing is about being authentic. Audiences have a good intuition about whether a performer is genuine. They can tell when you are not being real. They pick up on a performer’s emotions and they really notice any inconsistencies.
HNMAG: Having authenticity and truth is what really carries over into Stand-up.
Larke Miller: I’ve been asked to help other comedians write and I’ll come up with something I know is funny if I say it, but it doesn’t work coming from someone else, because it’s not their voice.
HNMAG: When you came back to Vancouver, did you focus more on doing stand-up comedy?
Larke Miller: When I came back, I started working right away doing stand-up. It was great because I imagined that I was going to have to work my way up from the bottom. I was treated as a success story due to my American credits. Within a year, I shot a special for the Comedy Network called Comedy Now.
HNMAG: That led to more work in Film and Television.
Larke Miller: Yes, I started booking acting roles.
HNMAG: You also write, produce, and direct.
Larke Miller: Yes, I create my own work as well. I can’t just sit and wait for a part to come my way. I also need to write what I’m feeling and what I want to tell the world.
HNMAG: How did Pluto happen?
Larke Miller: I didn’t know what I was really getting into. After I wrote my short, another filmmaker told me I just needed to set a date and go ahead and do it. I borrowed some money as well as my own investment, I went forward to do it. Later on, I found out that the filmmaker who encouraged me to go for it, didn’t do so with their project. I went forward to do it without crew, post-production, and distribution connections. Thankfully I found a wonderful cast, and a number of others became a part of the production team. Then in post, I was fortunate to find Matt Frame for special effects, and to help edit Pluto. A movie is made three times. Once when you write it, again when it’s being shot, and the final time in editing. Often you wind up with a different story. Matt really took the time and consideration to honor my vision. Pluto turned out well and was well-received at many festivals, it premiered at the Just for Laughs Festival, and was accepted to every sci-fi festival that I submitted it to. The pandemic prevented me from moving forward to expand it to a feature. It’s still a goal though.
HNMAG: What’s something that has stayed with you performing on set?
Larke Miller: I work with animals a lot. I’m very passionate about animals.I’ve worked with Crystal the Monkey (Hangover Part II) multiple times. One movie was originally called Russel Mania. It was a bit of an homage to Rocky. It was about a boxing Jack Russel and Crystal played the trainer. I was in a flashback in a lab. I was playing a 1980’s scientist.
HNMAG: Did you have big hair?
Larke Miller: Yes it was quite interesting. They gave me huge hair and a leopard print under my lab coat. There were two monkeys on set when I first walked in. The monkeys saw my big hair and immediately acknowledged me as the alpha primate. They screeched and bowed their heads. Crystal has been awarded the equivalent of the animal Oscar. She’s an amazing actor. She hits her marks without ever looking, and is better at taking direction than most humans.
HNMAG: What’s the most challenging aspect of being a film and TV actor?
Larke Miller: It can be an emotional rollercoaster. I try to forget about a role after the audition, but sometimes you will be put on hold for the project. At that point, you start imagining the future. The hard part is when they keep checking if you are available, when you want to put it out of your mind. Part of being a professional actor is being conscientious about your schedule. It makes it difficult for stand-up comedy. Stand-up comedy gigs tend to be booked months in advance, while most acting is booked very close to shooting. They say if you want to book a role, plan a trip and pay for your flight, then you’ll be offered a role for those dates.
HNMAG: What are you working on now?
Larke Miller: I have a true crime documentary series called Meow Too. #meowtoo. I’m very passionate about animal welfare. I had a very sobering experience about two years ago when I brought my cat Tiger Lily to a veterinary clinic and later discovered that hundreds of other people complained of similarly negative experiences with the same clinic. Lily died at the clinic, it was a very traumatic event. I’m documenting my quest for justice.
HNMAG: Is that the first episode?
Larke Miller: I’ve only done one episode before we wound up in a legal battle. The first episode is the background and an introduction to another victim, Wendy who was subjected to a botched de-barking surgery. Wendy did not survive after suffering suffocation for over two months. Twenty years later, de-barking surgery was finally banned in British Columbia. Justice is very slow for animals. I am hoping to shine a light on all of this through my podcast.
Larke Miller is a very funny Vancouver actor. She comes across as very sweet and innocent but she is much more insightful and experienced than she might let on. Larke has an extremely low carbon footprint and cares more about other creatures and this planet than most activists. We are rooting for Larke and can’t wait to tell you about her next great adventure.