Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Snowpiercer’s Fiona Vroom

Hollywood triple threat Fiona Vroom has been on the fast track to success ever since she started in the biz. With a résumé that includes projects like Altered Carbon, The True Heroines, Bates Motel, The Man in the High Castle, and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Fiona has proven she’s a commanding presence both in front of and behind the camera. And the next destination on her journey finds her playing Miss Gillies in the highly anticipated TV adaptation of 2013 film Snowpiercer. Pop Culturalist caught up with Fiona to chat all things Snowpiercer.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts?
Fiona: I started studying ballet when I was five years old. I studied it for twenty years. I fell in love with storytelling from a dancer’s point of view. I was very passionate about being on stage. It gave me such a thrill. When I was about thirteen, I started studying voice and classical opera and then musical theater. I was totally hooked and decided that’s what I wanted to do. I enrolled in the Canadian College of Performing Arts and studied all three: acting, singing, and dancing. The rest is history.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Fiona: My mom has had a huge influence on my career. She’s a musician and an artist. I remember from a very young age watching old movies with her. She knew all the names of the actors. It was a nice thing that my mom and I did together. And of course, she would drive me to all my dance and singing lessons. She was a very nurturing part of my artistic side and my early development.

PC: You have had tons of success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Fiona: For me, what really catapulted my career in a big way was a show that I created in 2013 called The True Heroines. I was a cocreator and one of the stars of the show. It was a web series. That show put me on the map as a producer and as an actor. It got people’s attention in Vancouver. We were nominated for a Canadian Screen Award and a Leo Award, which we won for best series. We were a little ahead of the time. People didn’t quite know what to do with short content back then. I like to imagine that we paved that road. We were trailblazers for short content, which is very popular now.

PC: How has your work behind the camera made you a stronger actor and vice versa?
Fiona: When you can understand production and story as a whole, it makes your role as an actor seem less important, meaning the pressure comes off. You are there to tell the story, but there are so many other parts connected to getting the actor on set. Everyone’s role is so important. What I love about the film industry and what I love about being an actor is the collaboration that it takes from every department. It’s a beautiful collaboration of creativity.

PC: What’s one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you started your career?
Fiona: There are a million things! [laughs] Every day you learn something new. This is a business where every day is different. You can’t teach it all in acting school. You learn something new as you go every day. I find that with acting too. The more you get to know yourself—the deeper you go inside—the more you have to offer when you’re a storyteller. It’s a constant process of learning. I consider myself a forever student in this business.

If I could tell myself something fifteen years ago, I would tell myself to have patience. It’s the journey that’s important because there is no end. It’s a journey. Enjoy it. Relax!

Snowpiercer

PC: You’re starring in the upcoming Snowpiercer. Tell us about the series and your character.
Fiona: The series is based on the graphic novels and the film directed by Bong Joon Ho, who just won the Oscar for Parasite. He directed the film [Snowpiercer] in 2013. So this series is based on that same franchise. It starts with humans trying to fix our climate problem. The remnants of humanity inhabit a perpetually moving train with 101 cars. It’s circling the globe to remain running. There are four thousand people living on this train for seven years now, after the world became frozen. It’s a story of class warfare, social injustices, and a lot of politics about survival. On the train, there are first-class passengers who paid for their tickets and paid to have their own cabin. Then there are all the classes in between, all the way to the “tailies,” who are basically left with nothing. They don’t even have windows. They haven’t seen the daylight in seven years. They’ve been left to eat bug bars.

My character, Miss Gillies, is a school teacher. She sits around second class. She’s quite prim and proper. She’s educated and in charge of all the children on board. Everyone from kindergarten to grade twelve, but it’s only the higher-class citizens who are able to go to school. Like most of the characters on board, Miss Gillies has a secret. There are so many secrets on the train. You don’t know which way people are going to sway. Are they good? Are they evil? You have to stay on board the train to find out where the journey goes.

PC: Like you said, Snowpiercer tackles a lot of heavy and relevant topics. Does that bring a different weight to the project?
Fiona: It brings a lot of meaning. Dealing with the topic of class and social injustice is a very relevant topic, even in today’s society. This show will make everyone feel something, even if it’s claustrophobia. [laughs] The sets on board the train were built to size. They’re practical. Every car on the train that you see has been built. The only special effects are of the outside frozen world. They actually have some really cool effects of a frozen Vancouver and different parts of the Earth that the train goes through.

But the heaviness of the topic of war and how everything needs to stay in balance for this train to keep running and for people to stay alive is extremely relevant, especially in these COVID times and the pandemic. Everyone has to do their part right now. Just stay home to keep everyone else safe. I’m certainly doing my part by staying inside and social distancing. But on this train, it’s the same sort of feeling. You have to do your part in order for it to run smoothly.

PC: How did you prepare to step into your character’s shoes? How similar or different are you to her?
Fiona: I always try to bring myself to my work. We’re all unique. There’s no one else who can portray it like you do, so bring yourself. I absolutely love children. I love working with children. I’ve worked on a couple of shows with children, and I always had a ball. I always try to be a mentor to the kids because we all have to work together. It’s long hours and days. I try to make everyone’s job easy and help out the children. So I do actually play a teacher on and off set because I need the kids to be able to listen to me. I got a lot of inspiration for the part from my sister, who was a kindergarten teacher for ten years. Now she’s a child psychologist.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Fiona: Right now, I’m binge-watching the first season of Ozark, but a show that I often go back to is Fleabag, even though it’s only two seasons. I love that show so much, so I’ll often just put it on. And The Mindy Project. I love Mindy. I think her writing is super smart, super funny. And I like shows with a strong female lead.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Fiona: Dirty Dancing. Hello, Patrick Swayze.

PC: Favorite book?
Fiona: The Glass Castle

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Fiona: West Side Story is probably my favorite musical. Rent also. I saw Rent on stage in 1996, and that was the show that made me want to do what I do.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Fiona: I’m a real fan of rock bands from the ’90s, so a lot of ’90s garage bands. You’d probably be surprised to see on my list, like, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer. But I also was a huge fan of California surf bands, like Ozma. And under-the-radar bands.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Fiona: Lucille Ball

To keep up with Fiona, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Catch Snowpiercer every Sunday at 9/8c on TNT.

Photo Credit: Charles Zuckerman // Hair and Makeup: Leah Roberts // Digitech: Zenna Wong // Stylist: Janet Adrienne