At Hollywood North, we like to have conversations with as many talented performers and creators as we can. Nora Kopsa comes from a family of professional actors and is now finding her own path.
We had a conversation with Nora about her career, aspirations, and the Canadian Film and TV industry.
HNMAG: You grew up here in Vancouver.
Nora Kopsa: I did, yes.
HNMAG: Your parents are both in the industry.
Nora Kopsa: Yes. My dad grew up in Toronto; my mom grew up in Alberta.
HNMAG: When did they move here?
Nora Kopsa: When my father was in his forties, and my mom was in her twenties.
HNMAG: Did they warn you about the pitfalls of being in the film & television industry?
Nora Kopsa: They did!
HNMAG: It didn’t work.
Nora Kopsa: No, it did not. I didn’t think I was going to go into it either, but here I am.
HNMAG: How did it happen?
Nora Kopsa: I was into dance when I was younger, so acting wasn’t my first choice. I did a little auditioning when I was younger. I had the same agent as my mom. I didn’t book anything at that time. I found it was a little too stressful.
HNMAG: How old were you?
Nora Kopsa: I must have been eight or nine.
HNMAG: Oh, very young. What agency was that?
Nora Kopsa: I was with Lucas.
HNMAG: Wow, as an eight-year-old, you were with one of the top agencies.
Nora Kopsa: I stopped auditioning but played a couple small roles in professional plays and I did some theatre in high school. I did the short film program where I was acting in some films.
HNMAG: Which high school was that?
Nora Kopsa: Templeton Secondary. They have a fantastic film program led by Corin Browne. I was in it from grade eight through twelve. I would make my own short films. I was in a few short films my friend Lyra Murphy directed and produced that won awards at various festivals, she and the crew went on to win awards at other festivals such as Run N’ Gun.
HNMAG: From that, you decided to continue with that as a career.
Nora Kopsa: I really liked it. From a festival I was in, I got a scholarship to study acting at the Vancouver Film School (VFS). I did that in 2024. Acting kept coming into my life.
It was an honour.
HNMAG: Are you now back with Lucas?
Nora Kopsa: Yes.
HNMAG: Are you getting a lot of self-tape auditions?
Nora Kopsa: It’s getting busier. Mostly commercials right now. I get a couple a week.
HNMAG: You’re non-union then.
Nora Kopsa: Yes, I’m non-union.
HNMAG: Prior to 2003, there were a lot of commercial union auditions. Then one day, it all dried up and most companies, even huge corporations, went non-union. The choice you’ll have to make, once you start booking union parts, is whether or not you want to continue with non-union commercials and verticals or get fewer parts through the Union of British Columbia Performers (UBCP). Is there anything that you will be working on soon?
Nora Kopsa: I will be producing and starring in The Seagull with my mom, Lucia Frangione. We booked Performance Works for March 1-21 2027 with a great cast and an Ukrainian director, Andrii Krupnyk.
HNMAG: Chekhov.
Nora Kopsa: Yes, I’m so excited to work on a classic with great writing and fascinating characters.
HNMAG: There are more films and TV series that are now set in Canada. That has been the struggle for years, as Vancouver is a US service town. We’re always playing Seattle. Will the trend continue that Canadian places will play themselves more often?
Nora Kopsa: I really hope so. I have been seeing it happening. Now everyone who works in the industry is really craving Vancouver-set productions. As well as Canada-set productions. Things that show off our cities. Everyone loves shooting here. It’s so beautiful. There are so many different options.
HNMAG: What are you looking forward to in the near future in Film and TV?
Nora Kopsa: I’m looking forward to the young filmmakers who are coming up. The students at VFS, Capilano and Emily Carr as well as those who are making shorts on their own. They’re very passionate, and they appreciate Vancouver. People move here, and they want to stay here.
It’s both exciting and challenging to be an emerging actor in Vancouver right now. There is a lot of non-union work in commercials and verticals, but once you get your three union credits, you must make a decision about which path you’ll take. Nora Kopsa is a very talented and passionate performer. We look forward to catching up with her soon to see where her career has taken her.