Interviewing actress Mia Moncler

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you started your acting career?

I’m Mia Moncler, a Canadian actress, performance artist, and digital creator. Performing has always been a huge part of who I am, and my transition into acting happened naturally as I began taking on more creative opportunities in front of the camera.

Some of my earliest memories of performing are taking on small roles in plays as a child and later again in high school. I was never particularly drawn to team sports, but I always knew I loved performing. I explored things like gymnastics and singing, which gave me an outlet to express myself, but they were primarily individual pursuits. Deep down, I really loved the idea of being part of something bigger—working alongside other creative people to bring a shared vision or story to life.

2. What inspired you to become an actress?

I’ve always been drawn to performing and expressing different sides of myself. I love the idea that acting allows you to step outside of your everyday identity and completely enter someone else’s world. There’s something really powerful about being able to make an audience feel something through your performance. Once I experienced that for myself, I knew it was something I wanted to explore further. As I began building my own platform and creating content, that passion for performing continued to grow. I eventually had the opportunity to take on a role in the film Still Alive, which was filmed in Kingston. Shortly afterward, I appeared on The Whatever Podcast. Each experience was different, but they all seemed to draw me back to the same thing: how much I genuinely love entertaining an audience, being in front of the camera, and connecting with people through performance.

Looking back, acting doesn’t feel like something I suddenly decided to pursue. It feels more like something that had been present throughout different stages of my life, and I eventually found my way back to it.

3. Which role has been the most challenging for you so far, and why?

Playing a character has never felt particularly challenging to me. I’ve always found it easy to put myself in someone else’s shoes and understand why they might think, feel, or react a certain way. When you’re looking at a situation from the outside—without being personally affected by it—I find it much easier to see different perspectives and understand the emotions behind someone’s choices.

Interestingly, I find it much more challenging to appear on camera as myself, especially in a podcast or interview where I’m expected to answer personal questions directly. When you’re playing a character, there’s a certain sense of freedom because the audience understands that you’re portraying someone else. Their opinions and judgments are directed toward the character, the performance, or the role—not necessarily toward you as a person.

When you’re speaking honestly from your own experiences, even with clarity & certainty of my responses, the feedback can feel much more personal. You’re allowing people to see a real part of you, and their judgment can feel like a judgment of who you actually are. I think one of the biggest challenges is realizing that you can’t always convince people to see you exactly as you see yourself.

In a way, I’ve found it easier to accept someone’s opinion of a character I’m portraying than their interpretation of who I am. Playing someone else allows me to completely surrender to their story; being completely myself requires a different kind of vulnerability.

4. How do you prepare for a new character?

I start by trying to understand who the character is beyond what’s written on the page. I think about her personality, motivations, relationships, confidence, insecurities, and what she wants in that particular moment. When I step into a character, I kind of just turn Mia off for a little while and let myself become someone else. I don’t really think about how I’m supposed to look, move, or react—the physical and emotional side of it starts to come naturally once I understand who that person is. At that point, it stops feeling like I’m performing. Whatever is happening to the character starts to feel like it’s happening to me in that moment, and I just react to it. I think that’s why acting has always felt so natural to me. I’m not trying to convince myself to feel something—I just let myself go there.

5. Is there a particular performance that you are especially proud of?

I’m especially proud of my performance as Henny in Henny & Homi. It was an important project for me because I was the female lead and had the opportunity to carry a major part of the video’s storyline. From the beginning, I could tell how passionate Bizz Loc, the artist, was about the story I was going to be portraying and how much the smaller details mattered to bringing his vision to life.

After spending multiple days filming, seeing the finished project come together was incredibly rewarding. But what meant the most to me was knowing that I had helped bring to life a vision that someone else cared so deeply about. There’s a different kind of satisfaction that comes from having someone trust you with their idea and then feeling like you were able to give them what they envisioned.

That experience gave me a lot more confidence in myself as an actress, but it also showed me what I love about this kind of work. Being able to step into someone else’s vision, understand what they’re trying to communicate, and help turn it into something people can actually see and feel is incredibly fulfilling. It made me even more excited to see what I could take on next.

6. What have been some of the biggest challenges you have faced in the entertainment industry?

One of the biggest challenges is getting people to see beyond the version of you they may already know. I’ve built an identity as a performer and digital creator, and now I’m expanding that into acting. I don’t want to erase the things I’ve already accomplished—I want to show that I’m multidimensional. Another challenge is simply getting the right opportunities. There are so many talented people in entertainment, so you have to continue developing your craft, networking, creating your own opportunities, and being consistent even when things don’t happen immediately.

7. How do you balance your personal life with your professional career?

I’m still learning that balance. When you work in entertainment and social media, it can sometimes feel like everything could become content or part of your professional life. I’ve learned that it’s important to keep certain things just for myself. At the same time, I genuinely enjoy what I do, so my creative life and personal life naturally overlap. For me, balance is more about knowing when I’m the performer and when I can simple just be. 

8. Have you ever learned a valuable lesson from a character you portrayed?

Playing Henny reminded me how much can be communicated without saying anything. Sometimes a look, a pause, or a small reaction can tell the audience more than dialogue can. It taught me to trust subtlety more and not feel like every emotion needs to be exaggerated for the camera. That’s something I want to continue developing as I take on more roles.

9. Who are some actors or actresses that have inspired you throughout your career?

I’m inspired by actresses who have strong individual identities but aren’t afraid to completely step outside of themselves for a role. I admire performers who can be glamorous and commanding in one project, then vulnerable, uncomfortable, or almost unrecognizable in the next. To me, the most inspiring careers are built on range, longevity, and a willingness to take risks. I want to build a career where people never feel like they know exactly what I’m going to do next.

I think versatility, willingness, and determination are what ultimately set certain performers apart. You have to be willing to go that extra mile and not become so concerned with how people might judge a particular character or project that it limits what you’re willing to explore as an actress.

You have no control over how an audience chooses to feel about a character or their story, but you do have control over how much work you put into understanding that person. I don’t believe I have to personally agree with a character’s choices, beliefs, or emotions in order to portray them honestly. My responsibility is to understand where those feelings come from well enough that, when I step into that character, the performance feels natural and truthful.

That ability to separate yourself from a character while still fully committing to their reality is something I really admire in other actresses, and it’s the kind of range I want to continue developing throughout my own career.

10. What do you enjoy most about working in film and television?

I love the transformation and collaboration involved. You have all these different creative people—actors, directors, cinematographers, stylists, makeup artists, editors—bringing their own skills to one idea. Then you get to see something that existed only as a concept become a finished piece of work. I also love being on set. There’s an energy to production that makes me feel at home, especially when everyone is focused on creating something memorable.

11. How has the industry changed since you began your career?

Because I’m still relatively new to acting, I’m experiencing the industry at a time when the definition of an entertainer is changing rapidly. Actors no longer necessarily have to stay in one lane. Social media and digital platforms have created opportunities for performers to build their own audiences, create their own projects, and show their personalities outside of traditional roles. Coming from a digital creator and performance background, I actually see that as an advantage. I can bring together acting, performance, fashion, and content creation rather than feeling like I have to choose only one identity.

12. What advice would you give to young people who dream of becoming actors?

My biggest advice would be not to wait until you feel completely ready or until someone gives you permission to call yourself an actor. Take the small opportunities, audition for things that scare you, get comfortable in front of a camera, and learn from every experience you can.

I also think it’s important not to become so consumed by other people’s opinions that you limit yourself. This industry involves a lot of judgment and rejection, and if you allow every opinion to determine how you see yourself, you’ll constantly question whether you belong. Focus on becoming better at your craft and being someone people genuinely enjoy working with.

Most importantly, be willing to start somewhere. A small role can lead to another opportunity, a connection, or simply teach you something you’ll carry into your next performance. You never really know which experience is going to open the next door.

13. Are there any upcoming projects that you are excited to share with your fans?

There are definitely things I’m working toward that I’m excited about, but I’m also learning not to announce everything before it’s ready. I also believe that just because a project is finished and released doesn’t mean the work surrounding it is completely over. We’ve wrapped Henny & Homi and the video is officially out, but to me, the release isn’t necessarily the end of a project—it’s an opportunity to continue building on it.

I’m still going to be drawing attention to Henny & Homi, sharing more from the experience, and doing my part to help the project reach as many people as possible. I think when you’ve put time, energy, and passion into something, you owe it to yourself and everyone involved to give it the best chance you can. I don’t want to simply move on the moment something is released. I want to make the most of what we created and continue expanding its reach before I close that chapter and move on to the next one.

I’m also continuing to expand creatively through performance, digital content, fashion, and entertainment. I want people who have followed me for one side of what I do to gradually discover all the other sides of me as well. I think this next chapter is really about showing people that range, and I’m excited for them to see where it takes me.

14. What would you like your legacy to be as an actress?

I would love for my legacy to be that I was never afraid to transform, take risks, or challenge how people saw me. I don’t want to be remembered for playing one type of character or staying in a lane because it was comfortable or expected of me. I want people to look back at my work and see range.

More than anything, I want my performances to make people feel something. They don’t necessarily have to love every character I play or agree with every choice that character makes. If I can make someone understand a perspective they’ve never considered, feel empathy for someone they normally wouldn’t, or simply forget for a moment that they’re watching someone act, then I’ve done my job.

And personally, I’d like my career to show that you don’t have to fit perfectly into one category to be taken seriously. You can evolve, surprise people, and continue becoming different versions of yourself without losing who you are. I hope I’m remembered as someone who was willing to take those chances.