HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2019-07-25, Page 27THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2019. PAGE 27.
On July 14, locals watching
the award-winning series The
Handmaid’s Tale might have noticed
a familiar face as Blyth-area native
Kelsey Falconer took centre stage
with her character, Ofandy.
In The Handmaid’s Tale, based on
Margaret Atwood’s novel of the
same name, handmaids are given
names based on the name of their
commander – in this case her
commander was named Andy. In the
dystopian story, handmaids are held
against their will and used to give
birth to children, as many women of
the world no longer can.
Falconer’s Ofandy was at the
centre of several scenes in “Unfit”,
the eighth episode of the third season
of the show, depicting the elaborate
birthing ceremony, featuring over a
dozen cast members. Ofandy,
however, would eventually birth a
stillborn baby.
Shot back in February over the
course of a few days, the episode
aired in Canada on July 14; a few
days earlier in the United States.
In an interview with The Citizen,
Falconer said the days were long and
gruelling, beginning at 5 a.m. and
ending after 8 p.m. Not only that, but
giving birth in a setting where her
character was not medicated at all
the scenes were intense with plenty
of screaming and Falconer assumes
she completed about 20 takes
during the film shoot. Falconer
said she nearly lost her voice
by the time her scene was finished.
As a young woman who has yet to
have a child, Falconer relied heavily
on reviewing previous birthing
ceremony scenes from the show and
practising in her car (not wanting to
scream at full volume in her Toronto
apartment).
While Falconer has spent the last
three years acting in numerous
prestigious projects, she says that
being part of The Handmaid’s Tale is
truly a highlight of her young career.
In her scene were Elisabeth Moss,
the star of the show, and Ann Dowd,
both of whom have won Emmy
Awards for their work in The
Handmaid’s Tale. Being able to
connect and work with those two
women, Falconer said, was amazing.
Falconer said that being part of
one of the great shows on television
right now (The Handmaid’s Tale
won the Outstanding Drama Emmy
Award in 2017 for its first season
and was nominated in 2018 for its
second) is also a real feather in her
cap.
Falconer said she knew she wanted
to be a performer since she was a
child. She says she’d “annoy” her
family with her singing and dancing
when she was younger, asking her
parents to turn off the television or
the radio so they could listen to her
sing instead.
She then began working with
Londesborough area-native Shannon
Scott who, for years, ran her own
acting workshops aimed at children
interested in the world of drama.
Before she was 10, she played one
of the lead roles in Scott’s
production of Hansel and Gretel.
After public school, Falconer
would go on to complete one year at
the Goderich District Collegiate
Institute (GDCI) before transferring
to H.B. Beal Secondary School in
London to take part in its standout
performing arts program.
Falconer earned her post-
secondary education in United
Kingdom at the Royal Conservatoire
of Scotland in Glasgow. Currently
ranked as the sixth-best performing
arts school in the world, the
Conservatoire was rated in the top
three when Falconer attended.
While she felt she received an
excellent education in Scotland,
Falconer said she knew she wanted
to return to Canada to take a run at
becoming an actor, not just for
professional reasons, but to also be
closer to her family.
She began working professionally
in Canada almost instantly, playing
the role of Josie Pye in Anne of
Green Gables at the Charlottetown
Festival in Prince Edward Island.
The role was a dream come true,
Falconer said. Anne of Green
Gables, she said, is truly a piece of
Canadian history and she soon found
she was part of a sisterhood, meeting
other actors who had played the role
of Pye in the Charlottetown Festival
in previous years. She would also
play the starring role in a new
musical produced at the festival that
season.
She would go on to pad her theatre
résumé after the festival, playing
Sophie Sheridan in Mamma Mia!at
The Globe Theatre in Regina and
appearing in numerous productions
at The Grand Theatre in London.
Acting in Toronto, Falconer was
focusing on theatre, but television
opportunities began to crop up.
She was in one episode of the
CBC comedy Workin’ Moms and
then snatched the role of Ofandy in
The Handmaid’s Tale.
Falconer has now landed her first
true recurring role, which she has
been filming for several months.
While she’s not yet at liberty to share
details, Falconer says the series is
being produced by a well-known
streaming platform and should be
coming out soon.
The Handmaid’s Tale is shown
through Crave TV in Canada. For
more information, visit crave.ca.
Blyth-area woman shines in ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ role
PARADE:9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Main Street from Fire Hall to Seaforth Arena
PHOTOS:
10:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Seaforth Arena
Ryan O’Reilly
Seaforth Stanley Cup Parade
Thursday, July 25
You’re invited to
Earl Young’s
90th
Birthday
Party
Saturday, July 27
1-4 pm
Wingham Legion
Country & Western
Music
Potluck supper
Entertainment Leisure&
Making strides
Blyth-area native Kelsey Falconer has had a productive
three years as a Canadian actor. Whether it’s the
Charlottetown Festival or recent television roles, she’s been
impressing audiences and casting directors all the way to a
role in the revered The Handmaid’s Tale series and a
recurring role on a new series she can’t discuss just yet.
(Photo courtesy of Mug Photography)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
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