WHEN WE FEATURED Ksenia Solo on the cover of the Richmond Hill Post in 2005, she was a budding actress with big ambitions. Today, with an ever-expanding resumé, her story’s a little different. She’s no longer on the cusp of “making it” — she’s already there.
Living in Richmond Hill, Thornhill and North York growing up, Solo’s career got a jump-start when she starred on the hit TV series Renegadepress.com. Through her character, Zoey Jones, Solo “moonlighted” as an intrepid e-zine reporter, taking the same brazen approach as her Degrassi peers in tackling teen issues. That’s to say, Zoey Jones never shied away from a challenge.
The same, perhaps, can be said of Solo herself. After completing high school in the GTA, the actress packed her bags for New York City, studying acting, dancing and photography. Moving, again, to Los Angeles, Solo began auditioning for — and booking — a slew of powerhouse parts. Most memorable, for Solo, was the actress’s audition for a role in director Darren Aronofsky’s TIFF-premiering (and Oscar- nominated) film Black Swan.
“When I heard [Aronofsky] was doing a ballet film, I freaked out,” says Solo, now back in the GTA, where she’s filming yet another season of acclaimed TV drama Lost Girl. “I said to myself,‘I have to be in this movie.’”
After aceing a first and then a second audition, Solo says: “The rest is history.” Translation: she got the part. That is, she was cast by Aronofsky as Veronica, one of Natalie Portman’s character’s antagonists.
“It was a surreal experience,” she says. “I got to work with a killer cast. And I loved working with Natalie Portman. I’ve looked up to her since I was ten years old.”
Even on days when Solo wasn’t scheduled to work, the eager actor — betraying her directorial ambitions — would wind up on set.“It’s always been my dream to be behind the camera. So I’d visit the shoots on my days off and just watch how Darren [Aronofsky] could make his magic happen.”
After Black Swan made its Canadian debut at TIFF (“the red carpet was crazy!”), Solo landed a role in a Steven Spielberg–produced TV series (Locke & Key) and yet another part in a star-studded film — The Factory, with John Cusak playing the lead. For now, though, Solo’s happy to be back in the GTA, reprising her Gemini-nominated role in Lost Girl and periodically visiting her homes-away-from-home for auditions in New York and L.A.