Victoria G Interviews Stephen Joffe

Victoria G: What inspired you to become an actor?

Stephen Joffe: To be honest it happened young, and mostly by accident. There was a talent search that came through my school when I was in kindergarten. They were looking to cast for an international feature. That audition didn't lead to a part but it did lead to an agent, and from there the ball just started rolling. What inspired me to commit to the craft though, to continue pursuing a life in the arts, is just a fundamental belief that we can make the world a better place through catharsis and empathy.

VG: Who are your acting inspirations?

SJ: That changes almost every day. Right now, I'm on a musical theatre kick. Leslie Odom Jr. absolutely stole my heart with his performance in Hamilton. Precision, subtlety, earning his moments. Anne Hathaway as well, for her performance in Les Mis. Stole a three-hour movie with eight minutes of screen time. Incredible.

VG: What is your favorite thing about acting?

SJ: I love disappearing into a character. No matter who you are playing, there is an opportunity to discover something new and exciting about yourself, a stone within you yet unturned. When researching for a role, I also love the opportunity to learn about a community, time, or place that I've yet to understand. Most of all I love connecting with my audience. When you channel a story and feel it land with a witness somewhere deep, nothing compares to that.

VG: What was your first acting job?

SJ: I think it was the Stephen King miniseries Storm of the Century, but you'd have to ask my mom, I started too early to really remember it super clearly.

VG: What is your favorite project you have ever done?

SJ: That's a very difficult question. Recently I did two theatrical productions in Toronto that were incredibly rewarding. The first was a play called Tough Jews, presented by The Storefront Theatre. That one was just incredibly high energy, perfectly cast, and site specific with the audience right in our faces every night. I loved playing Ziggy, he was a nightmare but an exciting one. Overall though, I would have to give the trophy to creating and touring with my band Birds of Bellwoods. Telling my own stories, having an audience sing along with my anxieties, it has helped me grow so much.

VG: What are some qualities you look for in a project?

SJ: Lately more than anything I want to make sure if I am involved in a project it is serving a cause or message I support. I want my contribution to further humanity, and raise up voices that need to be heard. Sometimes that can be pure entertainment, we all need to escape sometimes. But most stories are saying something, and I want to make sure I stand behind what is being said. Also, good writing wins every time.

VG: What is a typical day on set like for you?

SJ: By day three on any project it usually involves napping in the trailer until five minutes before I'm needed, and hiding snacks in an empty coffee cup during lunch so I can take them home at the end of the day and avoid doing groceries.

VG: Which character that you have played so far has been the most similar to you?

SJ: As I said earlier, I think if you're doing the work right you always have this epiphany moment where you go 'wow, it's me. this person is just me.' It's a chicken and egg thing, are you seeing that because you've been in his shoes for so long that you're just projecting this new, daily, lived reality on to yourself? Or did it just take you this long to see it? Alternative answer, probably Jamie Walsh in Alias Grace.

VG: One of your most notable roles was as Peter in the Nickelodeon series, Max & Shred. What can you share about your time working on that series?

SJ: Great cast of talented young people, and thankfully the writer was willing to role with whatever weird nonsense I pulled on set. Peter was mostly a slapstick part, Abbot and Costello style vaudeville kind of thing. So, I would make these super absurd offers and they ended up sticking most of the time. I loved where the character landed at the end of season 1, and I wish we'd had a chance to dig a little further into that.

VG: How would you describe yourself in three words?

SJ: Mostly good intentions.

VG: What are your social media handles?

SJ: @stevie_joffe (instagram, twitter, etc) @birdsbellwoods (instagram, twitter, tic toc, snap, etc)

VG: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

SJ: Starring in a television series I am also on the writing team for, one that involves singing and dancing and breaking the fourth wall. And then touring stadiums with my band between seasons.

VG: What are three qualities every actor should have?

SJ: Curiosity, empathy, and a heavy heart.

VG: Do you have any advice for an aspiring actor?

SJ: If there is any other avenue you can drive down in your life and feel that you are not wasting your talents and abilities, do that instead. I don't say this to be discouraging. I don't say it because an actor should have to sacrifice everything for their work (they shouldn't) and those people might not be willing (they might). I say it because the work is hard, and often without reward, and the world needs more doctors, more humanitarians, more environmental workers, more social support, more change, and naive as I am, I would love to see someone live a life deeply satisfied by that kind of work rather than public adulation.

VG: What's next for you?

SJ: I'm waiting to hear back from a film that was postponed due to the pandemic, and working on a few pitches: an animated mini series and an independent feature. I'm also currently in the studio working on my band's second album, we are waiting on a producer who is meant to come up from LA when the borders open to take it across the finish line. I might shave my head again?

VG: RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS Dogs or Cats

SJ: Trick question, both at the same time.

VG: Batman or Superman

SJ: Have innumerable magic powers or be a rich orphan who attacks the homeless? Superman.

VG: Mac or PC

SJ: Mac! Honestly prefer typewriters.

VG: Apple or Android

SJ: Apple. Full of vitamin c.

VG: Singing or Dancing

SJ: DON'T MAKE ME CHOOSE! Singing because I always end up dancing anyhow.

VG: Action movies or Scary movies

SJ: Scary!

VG: Coffee or Tea

SJ: Coffee every time.

VG: What have you been doing while in quarantine?

SJ: Working on my second album, a screenplay, renovating my apartment, a photography project, reading, learning, trying desperately not to go crazy, how long has it been? I'm sure I forgot something.