Mariel Belanger is a Canadian actress who played the role of Taha Aki’s third wife in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Yes, she was the one who sacrificed herself so that her husband could destroy the female vampire that had killed her son (and half the village) in the flashback “History of the Quileutes” scene, as told by Billy Black.QWP: How did you get into acting? What inspired you to go into this field?
Mariel Belanger: I have always loved the feeling live theatre gives you when you’re on stage. I was involved in a few school plays growing up, took drama in high school and got a scholarship to a local theatre school for directing in my senior year. After high school I toured with a local native theatre company. I had a family to take care of and went on hiatus for a few years, getting my education. I went to theatre school for a summer and got re-connected to the overall attachment to acting and slowly made my way into commercials and independents. It’s been a life long passion of mine. I just love being a part of the ‘set family’. Even with 5:30am call times! It’s really the only time a 16 hour work day doesn’t get me down.
QWP: What is the perfect role you would like to be cast in?
MB: The cool mom role. It’s a personal thing haha. No I think I’d love to be in an action movie, tough girl with a gun maybe. The unsuspecting character. But in terms of role models, I think I’d love to be Buffy St Marie. She’s got an amazing story to tell.
QWP: If you weren’t an actress, what do you imagine would be your profession today?
MB: My day job is that of a youth worker. I am fortunate to have flex hours that make it possible for me to go to auditions when needed. Youth work is my other passion. I always try to pass on the experiences and teachings I’ve learned to the youth of my community and nation. Being an actress is a work in progress.
QWP: Congratulations on qualifying ACTRA! Can you tell us a little about it? What is ACTRA?MB: ACTRA stands for Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists. It’s the union equivalent to SAG for Canadian film and television. It’s been a long time coming. You have to have had so many actor credits before qualifying to become a full union member. What it means to me is as a full member I will be viewed more seriously by casting.
QWP: Many seem to agree that the Twilight saga movies have “opened doors” for Native American actors to more modern roles. What are your thoughts on this?
MB: The saga has definitely opened doors for some actors, I can’t say my role was modern because it wasn’t. I think the only real way doors are going to be opened is if screen writers generalize their characters more. The majority of roles are still written for Caucasian characters even though we live in a bi-racial/multi-ethnic society. The writing/casting needs to reflect that more.
Mariel Belanger
Click here to read the rest of the interview...~blackpack
`Robstenfan
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