Actor Veronique Pierre says up until a few years ago, there weren’t a lot of roles for Black actors on Quebec screens, but something has changed, and she’s busier than she’s ever been in her long career.
“Before, I would audition one, two, three times a year. I now audition one, two, three times a week,” she says, crediting the change to more directors, producers and writers intentionally casting and writing roles that include diversity.
Pierre says she had dreamed of becoming an actor since the age of 16, although it took some convincing for her Haitian father to accept this was a viable career path. She enrolled in Dawson College’s drama program to develop her skills and learn English since she says many of the opportunities for black actors were in English-speaking productions.
With a lack of opportunities at home, she went to Toronto and L.A., where she got …