00:27This is Tim Wassberg from Fest Track on Surf TV.
00:29I'm here in Toronto, Ontario for the Toronto Film Festival.
00:33In Alaska, yeah, Woody.
00:35When I first read the script, Inuit Features, Dark Brown Eyes, Christmas Lifestyle, Sweaty Palms.
00:43Is that what it said?
00:44Is that what it said?
00:45Really?
00:46In the description.
00:47Yeah, the script.
00:47Yeah.
00:48And I was like, why are they describing my life right now?
00:52And so when I first talked to Vinny and Yav, they were like, just let it come to you.
01:00And so every scene, in the behind the scenes, sitting down, people are like, you okay, Leo?
01:08You okay, Leo?
01:10And everyone knows I'm a jolly guy.
01:12I like to think I'm an awesome guy.
01:15But when people know when I'm locked in, they're like, okay.
01:19They always want to make sure what's up because as an actor, everyone's job is to make sure I'm okay.
01:24Yeah.
01:25And I get to perform on screen.
01:27And so I think I've just been the black sheep a lot of my life.
01:31And that's what's powered me to where I like.
01:36It's where I've become now.
01:38And I used Vinny.
01:42No, Yav gave me a book about acting techniques.
01:46Then I had Zoom calls with Jill Morrison, who is an acting coach.
01:51There was another lady who I talked with in person when I was in Vancouver with another, the Manu character.
02:02Yeah.
02:04Yeah.
02:14Oh.
02:16Oh, shit.
02:33They are trying to shut down the valve on the north side.
02:36A lot of oil until the next pump station.
02:39120 gallons per minute.
02:48And there's just these moments that are beautifully quiet and serene, very internal.
02:55That's what Noomi, I mean, what you said Noomi said about your eyes.
02:59Because, I mean, I've talked to her many times before.
03:02And I'm going to talk to her for this.
03:05She's about how can you show the internal without overdoing the external.
03:09With the hyperventilation, that was one of the music scenes.
03:12I think that's the only time I used music.
03:14All the other times.
03:15Yeah, the Honda scene.
03:18I learned the point of just reacting.
03:23So, and Jill, she said, acting is to do, to play.
03:28And it's a youthful drive in me.
03:31I'll tell you something Yav sent to me, the reason why he chose me, which is a lot very important
03:36for these actors.
03:37It was like, why did you chose me?
03:38You know, you want to know why?
03:40He said exactly what you said.
03:41My eyes are just moving.
03:43My brain, you can see when people know I'm thinking about something.
03:58You've got to lift before the misdeeds the rotors.
04:13Like, you've got to lift before.
04:14I'm like, I'm talking about the mid-mast.
04:14You've got points around you.
04:32I remember I did a screen testing where I was actually in front of a camera for the first time
04:37the GP and I remember he went in front of me and I remember my eyes had to focus not
04:43looking into
04:44the lens but around it um but to go into that energy to that mode where I'm like okay the
04:50scene is this
04:52that's something I I'm still trying to find sir um it's something unnatural to me it's like
05:00when I was my coach is growing up I'm I'm stubborn I'm strict I'm a prick I'm like I'll say
05:05what I
05:06want I remember y'all saying that are you a prick I'm like yeah I can be a prick sometimes
05:09like I'll
05:10say what I want and I'll be I'm transparent I'm real that's why I think a lot of people
05:14like and so um my coaches I'm like I'm stubborn and I'll do my play because if I'm rerouting to
05:22a
05:22route where a coach says do this and it feels unnatural I do I played volleyball a lot I played
05:28team sports five on five plus hockey or basketball I'm six two I'm skinny I'm I have that I have
05:33that
05:34drive and um for the honda scene for these scenes where I react to something they just said okay
05:41react to it rather than I would be like okay leo is gonna react to this honda and it was
05:46like
05:47oh big and then uh okay I could say shit man like these little adjectives um
05:55yeah I'll say honestly it's something I'm still tapping into as a young self I'm
06:02I love this question though because it makes me explore what I got to understand how I do it too
06:07because I'm gonna be honest I don't think I understand how I did it sometimes it just was
06:13like it just happened um and I keep seeing everyone's on Facebook on reels on Instagram and
06:19I see these videos I'm like this is how I done it and this is and I'm like oh okay
06:24I think I've done
06:25not be two before
06:25breach breach
06:29entry progress
06:38Alpha 3 bedroom 1 clear
06:45Alpha 2 bedroom 2 clear
06:59everything was physical everything I was having the time of my life I've never been to Vancouver
07:06is my hometown um being on the ice like it's I'll say this okay here's a good answer yeah if
07:16it's my
07:16job to do this acting if it's my job to um play this character and like
07:23in portray emotions happy sad anger frustration disgust then to me that's easy it's easy because
07:32I worked five years music uh training it feels like almost 10 you know people do this for decades
07:41yeah and it feels easy because I'm not taking no for an answer no more uh and if director wants
07:49another take I'll give a hundred takes if director wants I said to y'all we had what the for
07:58the whole
07:58movie in Alaska it's what 60 days of filming in Halloween this amount of days I said I'll go for
08:04a year if I have to and I looked them into my eyes and they believed me like are you
08:10crazy and it's
08:11like I think people like the craziness is what kind of gets me to is like I'm very I'm so
08:17competitive
08:18I think that's what it is like playing games with my friends it's like when we lose I'm like come
08:24on
08:24let's win um when my family or some setback gets us down we're low on food we're low on them
08:33come on
08:33we're like come on anything we do we got to do it
09:04when you're making a movie you know and I've been on sets I've been on productions and the thing is
09:10it's a freight train that once it starts moving it goes and it's a community I mean you know and
09:16when you're obviously a musician sometimes it's it's a solo thing but the you know it's interesting
09:21being with that community in my community we filmed in April okay and we were in the hotel and
09:29some faces recognize me and like what are you doing here I'm like I'm here filming a movie
09:34and they're like really did that in Alaska one I'm like yep and they get the spark in their eye
09:39like
09:39whoa like yeah okay you're doing it now and I said two three years prior I said I'm gonna do
09:45it
09:46and you can see and then so I went to my room and I was like I felt this weird
09:51feeling in my heart like
09:52whoa I finally they finally kind of um acknowledge recognize that Leo's doing this um and so yeah
10:01in terms of that community feeling I felt that my expectations is honestly yeah I would love to get
10:07recognized more from Canadian directors whether it's international or Canadian yeah I would like to
10:16just yeah continue to show off my profession and acting and getting gigs with music
10:46you
