Q&A: Inuk actress proud to share North of North

An Inuk actress says she “just can’t wait” to share her TV debut when North of North arrives on screens this week.

Zorga Qaunaq, a multidisciplinary artist who grew up in Igloolik, Nunavut, and now lives in Ottawa, plays Millie in the new comedy.

The first two episodes of the eight-episode series launch in Canada on Tuesday, followed by weekly episodes. Canadian viewers can watch North of North on CBC Gem, CBC TV and APTN.

The show will launch globally on Netflix in the spring.

Filmed in Iqaluit and set in the fictional Arctic community of Ice Cove, the comedy series follows young Inuk mother Siaja as she builds a new, independent life for herself.

Qaunaq says the show is heartwarming, funny and depicts the North from an Inuit perspective.

“I’m so glad to be a part of being able to tell this story that I know a lot of my peers can relate to, and not just like in my region, but all across the Arctic,” she says.

“I’m very excited to hear our own stories be told – in a funny way. I’m excited to see a comedy show.”

Qaunaq describes the purple-haired Millie, who works at the community centre and is friends with Siaja, as “loud and proud” and “very stylish and sassy.”

“I like to think I’m a little wacky and wild but I think Millie is a little bit more,” she says. “I think she’s a lot more adventurous and a little more impulsive than I am.”

Created and produced by Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril of Red Marrow Media, North of North features both new and familiar faces.

Viewers may recognize Anna Lambe, who stars as Siaja, from The Grizzlies, True Detective: Night Country and Trickster.

Other cast members in North of North include:

• Maika Harper as Siaja’s legendary yet secretive mother Neevee, known for Law and Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, Burden of Truth, and Kim’s Convenience;
• Braeden Clarke as the charming southerner Kuuk, known for Little Bird and Outlander;
• Jay Ryan as surprise visitor and environmental consultant Alistair, known for It: Chapter Two and Mary Kills People;
• Mary Lynn Rajskub as problematic senior administrative officer Helen, known for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and 24;
• Kelly William as Siaja’s self-absorbed husband Ting, known for Portraits from a Fire and Motherland: Fort Salem;
• Doreen Nutaaq Simmonds as judgmental Elder and community centre receptionist Elisapee, known for True Detective: Night Country;
• newcomer Bailey Poching as Siaja’s sweet friend Colin, the community centre’s communications coordinator and radio DJ; and
• Keira Belle debuting as Bun, Siaja and Ting’s adorable seven-year-old daughter.

Cabin Radio spoke with Qaunaq ahead of North of North’s December premiere in Iqaluit.

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This interview was recorded on December 16, 2024. The transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Emily Blake: What interested you in this project?

Zorga Qaunaq: I heard about this project from Stacey. She’s a mutual friend of mine and we kind-of worked in similar circles for different things. She just told me the synopsis of something she’d been been working on for a while and instantly it resonated with me, because it’s a story that relates to so many people in the North, and it’s told from the perspective of someone that is us.

So as soon as I heard about it, I wanted to see the show immediately and I wanted to get involved in the show in some capacity. So I emailed the producers regularly, like, “I can get coffee for people or anything, I want to be involved.” And then the auditions came up and I’ve always wanted to act so I auditioned, and they just kept asking me to come back until I got the role. And it’s my dream job now.

I’m so glad to be a part of being able to tell this story that I know a lot of my peers can relate to, and not just like in my region, but all across the Arctic. So I’m very excited to hear our own stories be told – in a funny way. I’m excited to see a comedy show.

Can you tell me a little bit about Millie, the character that you play?

I am playing one of Siaja’s friends who works at the community centre. She’s very loud and proud and doesn’t really care about what people think. She’s very stylish and sassy, and she was a very fun character to play.

How similar or different is Millie from you?

I like to think I’m a little wacky and wild, but I think Millie is a little bit more. I think she’s a lot more adventurous and a little more impulsive than I am.

But I am an artist and she’s an artist in the show. That wasn’t shown too much in the first season, but she is an artist, as many, many Inuit are. I personally am an artist full time, and I’ve been doing it for about a year now. So in that way, we’re similar. And I used to dye my hair a lot of bright colours like Millie, she has purple hair. My hair is brown right now, but yeah, we’re pretty similar.

What kind of art do you do?

I do hand poke tattooing – mostly for Inuit tattoos, like traditional tattoos – some lino block printing, I’m doing a little bit of digital art, and I make a lot of seal skin and other types of natural material earrings and jewellery.

I understand this has been your first acting role. What has the experience been like?

Excellent. It’s so fun.

The first day, I got to do a lot of improvising, which usually is something you do after you’ve had some experience. But because I had no context as to how scary it was, I was just having a lot of fun, and I couldn’t believe I was being paid to be there and just play and follow the script and the direction.

I just love being part of a big project, an intense project, with all these people – being a giant nerd, part of a bunch of other nerds, working on something really hard to tell a story. It was so cool being a part of a big team and knowing where the story came from, and imagining all the people that are going to be able to see and enjoy the story. I felt so good to be a part of such a big team.

I’ve been very lucky that I’ve gotten to be a part of it and, tooting my own horn, I’m very impressed with how easy it was for me to act, and I’d love to keep acting. I just love the energy on set, and I love encouraging other people to try it out and have fun.

What was it like getting to film this series made by Inuit in the Arctic?

Oh, I can’t imagine it any other way.

We filmed in Iqaluit, which is essentially a big city in Nunavut. You could live in Iqaluit and just forget that you’re in the North, because there’s a lot of stores and restaurants and everything, and easy access to internet, easy to get in and out of the community, pretty much. So you can feel like you’re living in the city, but you also have the option of going out on the land a little bit more, getting involved in some more traditional activities and stuff.

We did a little bit of everything here, which is great for me as an Inuk filming here, because I’ve lived in Ottawa for the past 20 years. So it was really nice to be able to be in Nunavut, and be around people speaking my language, and seeing all the other cast members that are of this territory too being able to be involved with all that.

My favourite part were all the giant scenes where we had a lot of community involvement. So, like a celebratory scene or outdoor festivities scene, the community would be involved. We had a lot of local extras come and be involved and that was so much fun to be able to do those things. It really felt like a real community event, which is great. And for all the crew who aren’t from here, they really got to see how people live up here. So that was really cool.

I can’t imagine the show being filmed anywhere else.

What are you hoping people take away from the series?

Oh my goodness, it is so heartwarming. No matter who you are, you’re going to relate to the show, because there’s all these human connections that people make.

There’s a lot of stories and stuff being told about the North, but a lot of them are, like this cold desolate place being told from a perspective where people haven’t been to the North before. So I’m hoping that you’ll get to see what Inuit here see.

We’re so warm and happy and we’re really, really funny people, and we enjoy laughing and enjoy having fun and partying, having community events together where we have big parties and games and stuff. I really hope that people can take the connection and the care out of this show. It’s so funny and it’s so heartwarming.

Is there anything else you wanted to say?

I’m just so excited for this show.

Ever since I heard of it, like I said, I couldn’t wait to see it, and I’m finally going to see it today. There’s a premiere in Iqaluit, there’s a community screening in Iqaluit here, and I’ll finally get to see the episodes for the first time, and I’ll get to see everyone’s reaction to the whole project.

I just can’t wait to share it with everyone.

Correction: January 7, 2025 – 10:27 MT. An image caption was corrected. The caption previously listed Keira Cooper but the person seen is actually Hope Akeeagok, a double for Keira during parts of the shoot.