FOR SOMEONE WHO describes herself as a private person, it’s not surprising that local actress Mia Kirshner was a little unnerved about her latest role in the film 388 Arletta Ave. Set to premiere at TIFF this month, the film directed by Randall Cole (19 Months), follows a married couple tracked by a stalker — who watches them via hidden cameras at their home and work.
Kirshner plays a wife with a comfortable life whose husband, played by Nick Stahl (Carnivale), has to outwit the stalker to save their lives. She says the screenplay stood out for her for its fresh and horrific take on the potential dangers of being so connected through technology.
“The script was original and frightening,” she says. “I was drawn to the idea of not even knowing your whole life is being videotaped and then the idea of your life falling apart.”
Kirshner, 36, says the movie, which was shot in Toronto, hits upon certain modern anxieties.
“It’s hard to get privacy and to not be traceable,” Kirshner explains. “Everywhere we go, we’re hooked up to electronics, and there’s something really disturbing about that.”
Kirshner’s breakout performance in filmmaker Atom Egoyan’s Canadian classic Exotica (1994) as an exotic dancer has led to roles in high-profile projects, such as the title character in Brian de Palma’s crime thriller The Black Dahlia (2006) and as a troubled writer in Showtime’s popular drama series The L Word (2004 to 2009).
Less visible to most are Kirshner’s humanitarian efforts, which started with the book I Live Here, a collection of stories about displaced persons in disadvantaged countries.
“I wanted a book to show how crises are viewed from the people living in the situation,” says Kirshner. The book led to the I Live Here Foundation, created in 2005, of which Kirshner is the director. The foundation also enabled Kirshner to “return to high school” — to Lawrence Park Collegiate — where she rallied the students and teachers behind her cause.
The actress’s next project is a slight departure from her role in 388 Arletta Ave. Kirshner will play a wedding planner in the romantic comedy I Think I Do, set to shoot in Winnipeg this fall.
“It’s definitely where I’m at emotionally,” Kirshner says. “The older I get, the sillier life becomes, and you realize life isn’t too bad after all.”