Natalie Tannous, or as I like to refer to her, my TV Wife, has been a very close friend for over a decade. From our first scene together I could tell that I had been given the rare opportunity to work alongside a very dedicated, talented and generous partner. There were no emotions she couldn’t convincingly convey, sometimes with very little or no text at all. It’s been a joy to watch her career take off and reach new heights as directors from all branches of our industry – television, film, commercial and stage – have come to realize what I’ve known for years: Natalie is an incredibly gifted and natural performer! No matter the production genre, be it comedy or drama, or anything in between, having Natalie be part of your cast can only make it better! Seems like everyone has been made aware of that fact because she’s very busy and I don’t get to see her as much as I’d like to! But hey, my loss is Quebec audiences’ gain… 🙂
-Written by Joseph Antaki, actor
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Which ’hood are you in?
I swore to live in the city because I like Montreal despite its continual construction and most importantly, I refuse to cross a bridge to get to a 5-minute audition! With that in mind, I have lived in the plateau and in Rosemont-Petite-Patrie and am now in the District Central area. Gentrification is calling this the next hub for artists of all kinds and although it doesn’t have the charm of Petite-Patrie –yet! It holds lots of gems. Most importantly, I manage to avoid traffic!
What do you do?
I am happy to say that my hard work, patience and tenacity have paid off. I act. Full time! Film and TV (although mostly French so far, I am still hoping to finally get a role in an Anglophone production as I am perfectly bilingual and part of the MENA/BIPOC pool!), theatre (mostly English but finally had my break on the Francophone stage!), web series and commercials. I also participate in simulation work with various professional departments that seek the talent of actors to prepare their future students or employees to deal with various situations. The improvisation aspect of it is quite fun and mostly, I see the impact of my work in someone’s profession.
I also started writing in 2006 and have since developed a few scripts including a feature film Queen of Denial and a web series based on Pascal Rafie’s play La recette de Baklawa, Rhizomes. I wrote, directed and produced two short films Le dernier au revoir and La prière. Besides rehearsals, performances and shoots, I spend my time studying, auditioning, training with my fitness crew, resting and writing. Oh, and cooking of course! Gotta take advantage of my Middle-Eastern roots and their amazing cuisine!
I love that my work is my passion and I can dive into various complex characters and experience life through different lenses. I love that I can make people see, feel and experience things when they watch a film or a play. There is nothing like the human connection and touching people deep down in their soul and making a difference.
What are you currently working on?
As I write my answer, I am looking at various projects: on TV, a shoot for Sorcières where I play a very proactive social worker, another shoot on season 2 of L’Empereur where my character of Me Tremblay returns to defend another young woman victim to an abusive man, a voice over for the iconic Mme Coucou in the children’s show Passe-Partout, a shoot for Manar El-Akhal’s short film Dialogue des absents where I interpret a mother trying to mend things with her daughter during a road trip and rehearsal for the opening show of Centaur Theater’s 2023-24 season where I will portray a very alcoholic vegan veterinarian Michelle Spencer in Drew Hayden Taylors’ play AlterNatives. I have never been this busy and I am thrilled about it!
Where can we find your work?
You can find demos and info on Agence Bridget Dechene, Entreacteurs, Casting Workbook and Vimeo.
Otherwise, you can watch feature films Les Chambre Rouges by Pascal Plante, Antigone by Sophie Deraspe, Le temps d’un été by Louise Archambault, Montreal Girls by Patricia Chica, The Sticky Side of Backlawas by Mayanne Zéhil, the beautifully animated film Dounia et la princesse d’Alep by Marya Zarif and André Kadi where I had the pleasure of lending my voice to a few characters, Eaux Troubles/ Broken Waters by Pierre Gregory and short films such as Vie de Ruelle by Ara Ball, Leila and L’adoption by Aziz Zoromba, Sheryl, Linda et Katrina by Ibticeme Benalia. Web series Rima et Jacob by Luis Petranko (nominated in the category « Best Supporting Actor » at the Sydney Web Fest) and Nomades by Yannick Savard are available online and you can also watch my performance in Jean-Vital Joliat’s videoclip of Water by De Ville. (nominated in the category « Best Actress» at the Prisma Rome Independent Film Award and Film in Focus, International Film Festival.)
Coming soon are features Le dernier repas by Maryse Legagneur, Le ventre de Bassima by Babek Aliassa and short films Before We Were Told by Baraka Rahmani and Dialogue des absents by Manar El-Akhal.
As far as TV credits go you can soon see me in L’Empereur, Sorcières, La Candiadate, Avant le crash, Après le Déluge and Passe-Partout. Some of my past credits include Subito Texto, L’heure bleue, Unité 9, Les Honorables, and L’effet secondaire as well as episodic appearances in Mirador, Mémoire Vive, Chaos, Le pacte, 6 degrée, L’échappée, Haute Démolition to name a few.
Unfortunately, stage is a live art. So the past credits of State of Denial, Refuge (in Halifax), Province, The Baklawa Recipe (nominated for best actress at the 2018 META awards), Birthmark and Mama (for which she won Prix Première Fois at Duceppe’s awards 2022) are past. However, here is your chance to see me on stage; First, in AlterNatives at Centaur Theatre from October 17 to November 5, 2023. Then, in various Canadian cities (Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Jonquière, Alma, Dolbeau, Ottawa, Caraquet, Moncton) as I will be part of the Canadian tour for the French version of that show, AlterIndiens. Finally, I will perform in Porte-Parole’s Rose and the Machine and the National Art Center in 2024.
