Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Nurses’ Natasha Calis

Natasha Calis needs no introduction. The dynamic young actress has quickly made a name for herself through the powerful and diverse characters she’s brought to life on the screen. Her credits include blockbuster films and hit television programs including The Possession, The Firm, Supernatural, and The Good Doctor.

Currently, she stars as Ashley Collins in the must-see procedural drama Nurses. The series follows five rookie nurses working on the front line who have dedicated their lives to helping others, while figuring out how to help themselves.

Pop Culturalist caught up with Natasha to learn more about her career, Nurses, and how the series has taken a new light due to the pandemic.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting?
Natasha: It’s something that’s always been within me. Even before I knew what acting was, I was doing it. I’ve always been a performer. I took this really deep interest in studying movies when I was really young. I’d watch movies over and over again, then I’d depict the main character and recreate that person in my own way—this was when I was six. It’s something that has really always been in me. My parents saw this, but they didn’t want to put me in acting necessarily and ruin the passion that was naturally developing. They waited for me to approach them once I figured out that this is actually something I could do. When I was seven, I asked them if they could get me an agent and take this a step further. The rest is history.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Natasha: That’s a good question. Meryl Streep is incredible. I completely look up to her and everything that she does. I love studying her movies from when she was younger. I also love studying Nicole Kidman, Amy Adams, Michelle Williams, and Viola Davis; those are all people that I look up to. I really love watching and learning from people on screen and from movies and performances that move me.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success throughout the years. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Natasha: I would say my biggest movie was The Possession and also the most challenging role that I had an opportunity to play at such a young age. Looking back, that experience will always stick with me because it was such a unique project to be a part of and I worked with the most amazing director: Ole Bornedal.

I learned so much about what I was capable of and the depths I was capable of going to as an actor. That really opened up a new dimension in my acting. This was when I was eleven, so I think that really helped me take my acting to the next step and prove to myself and people around me that I was capable of handling such a challenging role. I discovered that I love challenging myself and sinking my teeth into a character and being really hands-on with it.

Nurses

PC: You’ve got a new series out now. Tell us about Nurses and your character in the show.
Natasha: Nurses is a medical drama about five rookie nurses who are fresh out of nursing school and thrown into a fast-paced life in a downtown Toronto hospital. We follow these young nurses who are struggling to juggle everything—their personal lives and their work. We also follow them in discovering that nursing is so much more than just the medicine and everything they learned in school. It’s even more so about compassion, empathy, being there for your patients, and being their emotional support as well as their medical support. That’s basically what the show is about.

My character is Ashley Collins. She’s super fun to play. She’s edgy and doesn’t have a filter; she’ll say what’s on her mind and doesn’t really care what other people think. When you first meet her, she might not be the most likable character, but there’s a lot more than meets the eye. As the series goes on, you get to know her more and see that she has a huge heart.

PC: You’ve said in previous interviews that you and Ashley couldn’t be more different. As an actress, is that more or less challenging? How does that change your prep work?
Natasha: I don’t know if it’s more or less challenging, but it’s definitely more fun. I had a good time discovering the character. When I first started to prep for Ashley, I was like, “Oh my gosh. She and I don’t have anything in common,” but then as the series went on and as I started reading more scripts, I started getting to know her better and I realized we had more similarities than I originally thought. She has a huge heart. She’s super loyal to her friends and the people she cares about. She would do anything for them. She has a dry, sarcastic wit, and I was like, “I definitely identify with that.” It was really fun getting to know her and discover that, okay, we’re a little bit more similar than I originally thought.

PC: Like you were saying, when we meet Ashley, she has a really tough exterior, but we slowly start to see those walls come down. How did you prepare to tackle her journey over the course of the first season?
Natasha: Even before I had the offer for the role, I had a meeting with the director, the showrunner, and the producer. I always wanted Ashley to have a vulnerability to her. She’s had a hard life and upbringing. She was gay in a very Christian family in a very small Christian town. She was always the black sheep, not only in her family, but also in her town. She fled and started her own life and doesn’t have a relationship with any of them; she never looked back. I knew she was going to be vulnerable at her core. That past, that life, that upbringing shapes you as a person.

She puts these walls up and acts tough as a defense mechanism for her brokenness inside. I had a conversation with the director and showrunner, and I presented this idea that she has this tough exterior but deep down she’s actually very vulnerable. I think they loved that idea. They showcased that in the writing as the season went on.

PC: The series originally premiered in Canada, where it was incredibly well received, and now it’s made its way to the States. What has that meant to you? What do you think is resonating with audiences?
Natasha: It’s a dream come true. When we all first signed onto this, it was really exciting that we are all Canadian and it’s a Canadian show, but now that it’s in the States and on NBC, that’s been a dream for all of us. We couldn’t have asked for a better network. We’re all super grateful for that.

I think what’s resonating most with audiences is that it’s finally a medical drama that puts a spotlight on the nurses. A lot of the other medical shows out there right now follow the doctors around and don’t really give credit to the nurses, and now more than ever during this pandemic, it’s really important that we showcase all the moving parts in the hospital, especially nurses who just work so hard. We’re finally getting them the credit they deserve, which I think people appreciate.

PC: You just finished filming Season 2 during the pandemic. Has this project taken a different weight just given the year that we’ve had as a society?
Natasha: We started filming Season 2 before COVID, like right before COVID, and we got shut down an episode and a half into filming. We didn’t pick things up until July. It was really interesting, starting a show in one place and then picking it up and finishing it in a different place. There were so many new protocols and a new pressure. We really wanted to do it justice and make sure that everyone was safe in the process. We didn’t want to put any of our three hundred-plus crew in danger. It was challenging emotionally and mentally, but I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to go through this experience with. It’s such a proud moment that we were able to film the show so safely. Season 2 is amazing. I’m excited for people to watch.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Natasha: The Kardashians.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Natasha: Hannah Montana.

PC: Favorite book?
Natasha: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Natasha: Hairspray.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Natasha: The Beatles.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Natasha: That’s a hard one. Oh gosh, I have no idea. I’ve never even thought about this. Actually, I’m going to give that one to my little niece. She’s seven, and I see a lot of me in her, and she’s quite the little performer, so I feel like I would give her the responsibility to play her super cool auntie.

To keep up with Natasha, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Nurses every Tuesday at 10/9c on NBC.

Photo Credit: Noah Asanias