Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Utopia Falls’ Kate Drummond

While most people struggle to find their passion in life, Kate Drummond had two. She started her career teaching elementary school, and it was a conversation with a young student that inspired her to pursue her second passion: the arts.

It was then that Kate took a leave of absence from her job and began building her illustrious career, which includes credits like Wynonna Earp, Ghostwriter, Heartland, Dark Matter, and most recently, the sci-fi hip-hop dystopian drama Utopia Falls.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of chatting with Kate about saying goodbye to teaching, why it’s never too late to follow your dreams, and of course, Utopia Falls.

Career

PC: You’re an actress, director, producer, and writer. How did you discover your passion for the arts and storytelling?
Kate: I was born with it. Truly. I was a wildly creative kid and was constantly putting on shows in my neighborhood, doing lip-sync competitions with the local kids, writing stories and plays, running detective agencies out of my bedroom. I’d stand on my bed every single night and sing the national anthem to my stuffed animals at full volume. Yeah, I was that kid. [laughs] I was also very unfocused at school, so my parents and teachers put me into sports as a way of helping me to channel all this energy. Sports ended up being a major part of my life—my main focus—and I competed from the time I was eight until my twenties, all through university. Needless to say, I was very happy to reunite with my artist in my thirties.

PC: You started your career as an elementary teacher and transitioned into the industry. Walk us through that decision.
Kate: It was the hardest decision of my life. It’s funny—most people struggle to find what their one passion is. I had two. So I took my first acting class when I was thirty, and I was already about eight years into my teaching career at this point. I loved acting so much. It was like I’d found what had been missing my whole life. I was hooked. I’d take acting classes and do community theater at night and teach my students during the day.

A little side story; I remember really early on when I started acting, I had to jump out at lunchtime to do a quick audition for some government industrial video. I told my students where I was going, and after lunch when I returned, they surrounded me. They wanted to know how it went! One even asked me, “Miss Drummond, did you win?” I told them that I had gotten very nervous, forgotten my lines and didn’t think they were going to choose me for the part, which they didn’t, and later that day, I had all these homemade cards and notes on my desk from my students, telling me to not worry: “You did your best,” etc.

So for the next five years, I just kept taking acting classes and training. I started booking small parts in local movies of the week and eventually started booking bigger parts out of Montreal. But still, my main focus was teaching, and I never imagined that I would leave the classroom.

One day, I was teaching my students a unit on Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. My students were from all over the world, some from very difficult backgrounds, and we were making our own dream posters. It was creative chaos in the classroom that day! I was telling my kids that they could follow their dreams, no matter what, and that just because the dream might feel too far away, that it’s still reachable. It was a powerful day. One of my students came up to me and asked me, “Miss Drummond, what’s your dream?” I said that besides teaching my students, my dream was to become an actress. She just looked me square in the face and said, “Then why aren’t you doing it?”

I was now twelve years into teaching and had just taken my first course to become a vice principal. I was set in my career but now everything felt different to me. I really felt like I needed to pursue this other passion, and I also wanted to be a real example for my students.

I asked my school board for a year off without pay to move to Toronto and see this through. I mean, I can do anything for a year, right? And I knew I had a teaching job waiting for me when the year was up.

I sold all my things, packed up what I could in my truck, rented out my house in Ottawa, and made the move to Toronto. The first year ended and my school board asked me if I was coming back, and I asked for another year. I hadn’t really had enough time. The second year came up: same thing. After three years, my school board asked me to either resign or return.

The day that I told my school board that I was officially resigning was the hardest day. I must have cried 400 liters of tears that week. But I knew that I had been led to this chapter of my life. This was a fork-in-the-road moment, and I needed to see it through. It also felt like a bit of a test from the Universe: if I wanted it badly enough, I couldn’t hedge my bets anymore with one foot still in the door of teaching and one foot in the door of acting. I had to be all in.

That was nine years ago. Oh my gosh! Nine years!

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Kate: I have had so many incredible mentors and teachers in my career—in Ottawa, Toronto, Los Angeles, New York—and they have all played a part in helping me to find my footing in this industry and some helping me to become the most truthful version of myself as an artist. I hope that if they are reading this, they know who they are. So many. My main mentor, however, is Lewis Baumander, here in Toronto. It’s quite a gift when you find a mentor who really knows you. Lewis has known me from the time I arrived in Toronto, wide-eyed and terrified, to now, where I’m standing confidently in who I am as an actress. Whenever I have a role or an audition that is pushing boundaries for me, I will work with Lewis, and together, we are always able to find a little more truth and bravery in the work. I love the collaboration. It keeps me in a position of serving the arts, if that makes sense. I never want to think I’ve “gotten somewhere” or “completed the training.” It’s a constantly changing art form because I am changing daily as a person.

I feel incredibly blessed because since I arrived in Toronto at the age of 35, I have had an immense amount of people in my corner. Casting directors have been rooting for me and have always been incredibly supportive, and my agents along the way have nurtured and guided me as well. Without everyone on board, I think my career would look very different than it does today.

PC: You’ve had tons of success in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Kate: Oh, definitely the moment when I arrived in Toronto. I was thirty-five, had just a few credits on my résumé, and I was looking for an agent. I remember meeting with this one agent, and I told him my story: where I was from, what my goals were. I told him that I was meant to be an actress and I was determined to make it in the biz. I was so excited to be in Toronto! He barely looked at me, studied my resume and headshot, and then slid it back across the table and said, “I’m sorry, but at thirty-five, you’re too old to dream of becoming a movie star.” I’m telling you, it ignited something in me. I feel like it was the Universe’s first test for me: a “How badly do you want this, Kate?” moment.

Utopia Falls

PC: Tell us about Utopia Falls, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Kate: Utopia Falls takes place in the future in a utopian society called New Babyl. It follows a group of teenagers who are chosen to participate in this very prestigious and revered talent competition called the Exemplar. Shortly after they are chosen, they accidentally discover a hidden archive that exposes them to history and culture that they’ve never seen before, and it causes them to question everything they’ve been taught about the world, about New Babyl, and most importantly, about themselves. The show is so intricate in its storylines. So many things happening. It’s a drama—a coming-of-age story. It’s a story about power struggles and control. It’s a story about cultural respect. It’s a beautiful series that celebrates diversity and self-expression based on a foundation of music, dance, and cultural expression.

PC: Authority Phydra is the antagonist in the series. Is there more freedom when you’re playing the “villain”?
Kate: Yes, Authority Phydra is definitely the antagonist of the series! She is the head of the New Babyl Police Force and is responsible for ensuring that all citizens adhere to the laws, cultural expressions, and philosophy of New Babyl. So needless to say, when the teens start acting differently and expressing themselves in ways that don’t represent the cultural norms of New Babyl, Phyrda’s got big issues with that!

It is so much fun to play the villain! And to do it truthfully, and believably, you have to sort of surrender to that side of yourself in real life. I mean, I’m not like Phydra in my moral code—my beliefs—and I think people would say I’m a lot nicer in real life! But I am super passionate about things and injustices, so I get to dial that intense fire up inside of me and just unleash it. It’s so liberating. It’s also really fun to be the obstacle that the heroes have to overcome. I like being intimidating. [laughs]

PC: Authority Phydra is a firm believer in order and tradition. How will that be tested as Aliyah, Bohdi, and the rest of the teenagers discover the Archive? Will we see her change her beliefs?
Kate: There is no grey area when it comes to what Phydra believes in and stands behind. Her whole life has been devoted to the laws and ways of New Babyl, so to question that would have Phydra questioning her very being. She has loved, lost, and even caused great pain over her plight to protect New Babyl, and I know it is what she believes is right. It’s not like Phydra thinks she’s keeping everyone prisoner or is trying to be an awful person. She just really believes there is a right way to live, express yourself, and think, so she’ll stop at nothing to ensure that the New Babyl way is protected.

I think Season 2 will bring some things into the light for Phydra, but I can’t say for certain. I mean everyone has their kryptonite. I guess we will have to wait and see what Phydra’s is.

PC: That stance also creates a lot of interesting dynamics between the characters. Which of Authority Phydra’s relationships was your favorite to explore and why?
Kate: Oh, such a hard question. The dynamics with Chancellor Diara, played incredibly by Alex Castillo, were so fun. It’s a challenge when you have female-female dynamics. Two powerful females, dancing around each other and confronting one another. It was always so fun to find new tactics to get what I want because Diara is a very strong and powerful woman herself.

But I also loved my dynamics with Bohdi, also played incredibly by Akiel Julien. He has dirt on Phydra, so the cat-and-mouse game that we play throughout this first season is so very juicy. He’s a formidable opponent!

PC: If the series is picked up for a second season, where would you like to see your character’s storyline head?
Kate: I would love to dive into Phydra’s background a bit more and find out more about her time in Reform, her parents, as well as who the father of her child is and what that relationship was or is like. All these things that were hinted at in Season 1—I’d love to explore them more. I want Phydra’s vulnerabilities to be revealed. She is the way she is based on her experiences in life, so I’d love to pull back the curtain on that.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Kate: Impractical Jokers

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Kate: Transformers—any of them.

PC: Favorite book?
Kate: The War of Art

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Kate: Phantom of the Opera

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Kate: Girl Talk

PC: Who play you in the story of your life?
Kate: Jennifer Garner

To keep up with Kate, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Stream Season 1 of Utopia Falls on Hulu today.