00:00 I used to work at Tarot.
00:01 That was my last job before I moved to LA.
00:04 And I still have a note from my manager
00:05 that said, "Follow your dreams."
00:07 And I did.
00:08 The first day I met her and she hugged me and said,
00:11 "I can't wait to work with you."
00:13 I couldn't let go of the hug.
00:15 - So people will recognize you as Dodge from Lock and Key,
00:19 and there's a lot of supernatural action there.
00:22 But with Lioness, it gets really nitty gritty.
00:25 What was it like venturing
00:26 into that action hero territory?
00:29 - It was such a dream come true
00:31 to explore something in the Taylor Sheridan world.
00:34 He's such a prolific writer.
00:36 He wrote Cruise.
00:38 He gave her so much range.
00:40 She's somebody who's so tough,
00:42 but also so incredibly sensitive.
00:45 And you'll find that as the show moves along,
00:48 you'll see how vulnerable she is.
00:49 And it was a dream exploring that
00:51 and exploring that with my heroes.
00:54 That was awesome.
00:55 - Well, of course.
00:56 I mean, you're playing alongside with Zoe Saldana,
01:00 one of the best actresses around right now,
01:03 in Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy.
01:05 What was it like being on set with her?
01:07 - The first day I met her and she hugged me and said,
01:10 "I can't wait to work with you."
01:12 I couldn't let go of the hug.
01:14 That I just love her so much.
01:16 I loved her.
01:17 I've admired her my entire career.
01:19 And now that we've worked together,
01:21 I admire her even more.
01:23 She's just so kind and generous.
01:26 She just texted me and she was like,
01:27 "You're doing great."
01:28 She's just like my biggest supporter ever.
01:31 And that's not what I was,
01:33 not that I didn't think she was gonna be mean,
01:35 but I was just like,
01:36 "Oh, I just wanna be in her shadow
01:37 "and soak up as much as I can."
01:40 But she, you know, she helped me find my,
01:44 she empowers me.
01:45 And I think that's such a beautiful thing.
01:48 And I take that and I hold it in my heart
01:51 and I hope that I can repay that one day with someone else.
01:55 - Did she give you any tips when you were on set?
01:57 - Yeah, she gave me acting tips.
01:59 You know, there are things like on the day-to-day
02:01 that you talk or you kind of see what they're doing
02:04 and you learn.
02:05 But like I said, most of all,
02:07 I was just like to really,
02:08 like the kindness aspect for me,
02:10 which is the thing that most inspired me
02:13 and just how down to earth and genuine and chill she is.
02:17 - Oh, that's amazing.
02:19 And I mean, what a cast.
02:20 Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman.
02:23 So I love Morgan Freeman's voice.
02:26 I mean, there's so many videos that I've watched
02:29 and he's narrated them.
02:30 What's his voice like in real life?
02:32 - It was wild.
02:34 When I met him, he was like, "You, Blake Cruz?"
02:36 And I was like, "Ah!"
02:37 And he's a jokester, which is really fun.
02:43 He's a big fan of Yellowstone.
02:45 So we were talking about that
02:46 and it was my birthday while we were shooting
02:50 and I saw him at the breakfast buffet
02:51 and he sang "Happy Birthday" to me
02:53 and I was like, "Not the Morgan Freeman voice."
02:56 And so that is just a memory that I'll,
02:59 it's a core memory.
03:00 - Yeah, I can imagine.
03:02 It's like, just say anything to me.
03:04 - Yeah, you can hear him speak for days for sure.
03:07 - You must've had some serious training
03:10 going into this show.
03:11 I know with "Lock and Key,"
03:13 there was a lot of green screens involved.
03:15 What kind of training did you do for this movie?
03:17 - A lot of physical training, three hours a day,
03:20 stunt training, weapons training,
03:22 and strength training.
03:25 That was obviously really important.
03:27 Jerry Chaw, incredible human being.
03:31 He was a Navy SEAL for nine years.
03:33 He trained me and he was there with me the entire time,
03:36 like cheering me on.
03:37 And I feel really lucky to have had him.
03:41 And he was a great source for any military questions
03:43 I had as well, which was awesome.
03:45 - So do you know how to hold a gun now?
03:47 - Yes, I do.
03:50 Okay, so I brought my thing.
03:53 - Oh, but that's a pistol.
03:55 Girl, I'm doing the M4s, yeah.
03:58 - Did I bring the wrong gun?
03:59 I was hoping that you could show me a couple of,
04:01 you know, like, if I wanna look like a badass on screen.
04:04 - First of all, you brought the wrong gun.
04:06 Let's start there.
04:06 And second of all, you gotta ask Jared.
04:08 We should call Jared right now.
04:10 - We should FaceTime Jared.
04:11 - We're like, "Jared, how do I hold this?"
04:13 You know, the smaller ones are actually,
04:16 Nicole was talking to this about me
04:17 because she also has a lot of experience with guns.
04:20 And the pistols, they're actually,
04:22 can be more challenging than the big ones.
04:25 Once you have the big one,
04:26 like, you know how everything works.
04:28 Obviously, it's heavy and there's a challenge
04:30 in holding that and like holding it up.
04:32 But those smaller ones,
04:33 'cause you have to have so much more, like, control.
04:36 - Yeah, so you're not gonna--
04:38 - Put it in your pocket.
04:39 Maybe next season.
04:40 - It's so funny, when I was coming in,
04:42 I saw a cop roll beside me and I was like,
04:43 "Pew, pew."
04:44 I don't know if I should be,
04:46 should I be holding this?
04:47 Okay, so you are from,
04:51 I'm gonna put this away, actually.
04:53 So you are from Toronto, welcome home.
04:56 We're in Toronto right now.
04:58 What does your perfect day in Toronto look like?
05:01 - My perfect day in Toronto,
05:02 I, you know, I was saying earlier,
05:04 I'm like, I'm a low-key girl,
05:05 but then I also realize I'm in a sparkly suit.
05:08 So maybe I'm not as low-key as I think.
05:10 But in terms of like everyday stuff that I like to do,
05:13 I just love going to my favorite coffee shop.
05:15 I love Jamie's Coffee.
05:16 I like French Made,
05:17 because I usually stay around this area when I'm shooting.
05:19 It's close to the studio when I've shot here in Toronto.
05:22 I like going to Trinity Bellwoods.
05:23 I like just having a picnic there
05:25 and like sitting there all day with my friends.
05:28 I like going to 416 Snack Bar,
05:30 that's like the usual place that I go to,
05:32 and just enjoying my time with friends and family.
05:35 I don't really mind where we are,
05:36 just as long as I'm with them,
05:38 'cause I miss them so much.
05:39 So when I'm back, I try to hone into that.
05:42 - And I did read that you love coming to Toronney
05:44 when you're in LA.
05:45 - Yes, I'm obsessed with Toronney.
05:47 I eat at Toronney almost.
05:49 I used to work at Toronney.
05:51 That was my last job before I moved to LA.
05:53 And I still have a note from my manager
05:55 that said, "Follow your dreams."
05:57 And I did, and the pasta, 'cause I eat this so much.
05:59 And so in LA, yeah, I eat there quite a bit.
06:04 And so, I know, that's why if they ask me
06:06 where to take Zoya or Nicole, I'm like, "Toronney."
06:08 But they've probably been, everyone goes to Toronney.
06:11 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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