Tasya Teles

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By: Olivia Vitarelli

The path from finance to comedy is a well-trodden one for actress Tasya Teles. Now, starring as Nat in the new Hulu comedy series Shoresy, Tasya chats with Rival about her acting odyssey, from embracing an atypical upbringing to surrendering her proclivity to overthink.

Growing up in Vancouver, Canada, Tasya credits her parents – and the culture surrounding her – to burgeoning her uniqueness. “I was fortunate to grow up in a very multicultural household filled with Latin music, salsa dance parties, and surrounded by ethnic foods and family friends from all over the world. It wasn’t a conventional household, and I remember as a kid all I wanted was to fit in at school, and have less ‘eccentric’ parents,” she says. “I’d beg for a peanut butter

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and jelly sandwich for lunch at school, rather than the usual vegan curry, or rice, beans, and plantains. I even went through this phase where I obsessed over microwave TV dinners because in my young mind, that’s what ‘normal’ households ate. But looking back I feel so grateful that I had such unique and progressive parents who didn’t care about fitting in, or being ‘normal.’”

Tasya’s parents, through “encouraging [her] eccentricities,” taught her the boon that is embracing one’s differences – especially as an artist. “Gifted artists have the ability to challenge convention by offering a creative perspective on things,” she muses. “If we can’t accept that we’re all unique and special, we lose so much of ourselves trying to fit in. I love being weird, and I love weirdos. I surround myself with as many as possible. It always makes for the best parties.”

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In her final year of school, Tasya says, “I was studying finance, and I was pretty miserable, so I decided to take an acting class as an elective. I had been having this intuitive nagging feeling for years that I needed to explore acting, but felt confused by it. I guess it was fear holding me back,” she surmises. “I didn’t know anything about how to make a career out of acting. My parents had encouraged me to explore many curiosities and career paths, but acting was never one that came up. It was something I was too shy to share with them.”

With “nothing to lose,” Tasya adds, “I finally enrolled in this acting class, and like a light switch that went on, I suddenly felt full of life…I called my mom, and very dramatically of course, I told her that I was dropping out of commerce and going to become an actress! She wasn’t entirely thrilled that I was going to drop out of college, and convinced me to finish my nearcompleted degree, which I think was a good move, but once I graduated I was really excited to start my journey into acting, and I haven’t looked back since.”

Tasya shrewdly notes a takeaway from the experience: “I think if we tune our ears and pay attention to what is working for us and what isn’t, what lights us up, and surround ourselves with good mentors, we will always find our way.” And she did. The actress stars in the new series Shoresy, a spinoff to the beloved comedy series Letterkenny. “Shoresy is a fan favourite shittalking, foul-mouthed, mother-loving character from the Letterkenny series,” Tasya explains. “He’s a hockey player that will fight anyone on or off the ice, and is absolutely hilarious when he heckles (or ‘chirps’), the other players in the league. We’ve never actually seen his face until now, so in the first episode of this new show we finally have the big reveal, and get to meet him, his family, his team, and watch Shoresy take on a quest to ‘never lose again’ – even though his hockey team sucks and has never actually won a game.”

Tasya plays Nat, the general manager of the ill fated Sudbury Bulldogs who “hates losing just as much as Shoresy does.” And while the series remains loyal to Letterkenny in its prototypical wit, Tasya reveals that Shoresy is “more episodic and plot-driven. It has a completely different aesthetic, with a more filmic vibe, which is really edgy and awesome.” As the series progresses, “[Nat and the Bulldogs] embark on a mission to get the team off the ground and finally win some games, at any cost.”

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Naturally, there’s pressure involved in joining the cast of a spinoff series, especially when the preceding body of work is so revered. But Tasya affirms that – even with the burden of expectation – it was “mostly excitement and joy” that she experienced. “Being on set you just had this feeling like there was something really special happening that you were a part of. The cast became close very quickly and it was just a magical energy when the cameras started rolling.” Still, she adds, “There was definitely some pressure. We’d take on upwards of twenty pages a day, which I’ve literally never seen before on set. I would look at the call sheet before bed, and look at the page count for the next day, and would just be like: ‘how are we going to do all of this?’ It was kind of like riding a rollercoaster of laughter, with occasional moments of terror and self-doubt…Having seen the final product, and how everyone is responding to it, it’s really gratifying. It’s the best rollercoaster ride ever.”

Twenty page-days, however stressful, brought the moments that Tasya celebrates for challenging her as an actor – in the best way. “I’m an actor who loves to over-prepare, but sometimes that pressure can make you go crazy, and overthink your choices,” she explains. “On Shoresy there was no time for that, which was really freeing, but also scary. I was reminded that it’s okay to simply be yourself, have fun, and just let go. That freedom is what allows us to be our most creative selves, and is one of the joys of being an artist.”

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As Shoresy reaches screens everywhere, Tasya hopes that it will offer some levity in times of darkness. “I hope [the audience] takes away some good laughs and a reminder to not take yourself too seriously,” she says. “We are going through some crazy times, and the last few years have been really heavy. I think comedy is such a brilliant way of bringing people together and shaking off the day. Plus, it’s a really relatable show. It doesn’t deal with obscure concepts, and doesn’t overly complicate the narratives. It’s a simple show about an underdog hockey team trying to win some games and bring the community together – and who doesn’t like cheering for the underdog?”

In addition to the gift of light and laughter, Tasya says, “I’m most excited for people to see how diverse Shoresy’s family is, and how all the characters constantly take the piss out of one another. We all take jabs at each other, but it’s always done with love. It’s a self-effacing comedy, and has a perfect balance of heart, and cutting humor. I hope people walk away reminded that sometimes we just need to take a breath and laugh at ourselves.”

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