Film role a real scream for Scotland, ON woman

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Devyn Nekoda says she has had a lot of support along the way to building a successful acting career.

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That support has helped the 22-year-old Scotland, Ontario woman reach the big screen in the movie Scream VI.

“It’s been overwhelming in the best way,” said actor Devyn Nekoda, who, when arriving at the Brantford Cineplex on March 11 with her parents, was met by about 100 friends and family members to watch the slasher flick. “They came to surprise me. It was really great to have them behind me and supporting me.”

Nekoda credits her parents, Doug and Danielle Nekoda, grandparents Marion and the late Donald Skitch, and dance instructor Lisa Naves-Abonyi for helping shape her into the person she is today.

“I don’t think I’d be doing as well in this industry as I am, without them,” she shared.

Following in her mother’s footsteps, Nekoda began lessons at the Lisa Naves Dance Academy in Simcoe at the age of two and was dancing competitively by age six.

“At first, I wanted to be a dancer in film and television when my mom reached out to agents Frank and Peter DaCosta. Then the whole acting career started as well.”

She recalled auditioning for a part in the film Isabella Dances into the Spotlight when she was 12 years old.

“I went to the audition only having to show them a 30-second dance and I had one line: ‘Let’s go get ice cream,’” she explained. “I was so nervous to do that because I had never acted a day in my life.”

Nekoda said the director ended up asking her to read one of the lead roles because she looked like what they were hoping to cast.

Though she was hesitant due to her lack of acting experience, her father encouraged her to give it a shot. And bribed her with a promise of grilled cheese afterwards.

“I ended up booking that role and fell in love with acting.”

A string of back-to-back roles in television series followed: Degrassi: The Next Generation; Annedroids; and Backstage.

But by age 15 her “beginner’s luck” came to a halt.

“When I started to hear the no’s come in, I thought this is what it’s like to be an actor,” she said. “That was really hard for me as a 15 or 16-year-old thinking I’m not good enough.

“Looking back, I truly believe that everything that is meant for me will come to me. That’s the mentality you have to have in this industry. That one yes can totally change your life.”

More roles ensued in recent years, as Nekoda appeared in 10 episodes of Utopia Falls in 2020, followed by six episodes of Ginny and Georgia in 2021.

She attributes much of her success to her dance background.

“I was a good, technical dancer but I think what made me stand out on stage was my stage presence and my facial expressions.”

In Utopia Falls, rather than making use of a stunt double, Nekoda did her own fight scenes, drawing on her training in kickboxing and a Brazilian martial art.

“I had to beg them to let me do that because obviously there’s a lot that can go wrong,” she explained. “I take direction really well, and it was almost like choreographing a dance to me.”

The actor dreams of a role in a Marvel action movie some day because she loves doing her own stunts.

“I think doing Scream VI was the first role that I really had that was to my age, a more mature character, which was something very new to me,” she said. “I think after spending the last 10 years doing roles that were younger than my age, I was really excited to do something like this.”

For the first time in the Scream franchise, Scream VI is set in New York City, and features a queer relationship with Nekoda portraying Anika Kayoko.

“It’s bloodier, it’s gorier, and it’s much scarier than the other Screams,” she said. “It’s really good. I’m not normally a horror fan but I really like the movie.”

The actor says one good thing that came out of the pandemic is that most auditions are now done virtually.

“When I first started acting, my grandparents were my biggest help. They would pick me up from school, drive me to Toronto for a five-minute audition, then take me to the dance studio, and back home.”

Nekoda says people would be surprised to see her day-to-day life.

“I have a very normal life. I have a nannying job right now; I read a lot; I’m outdoors a lot,” she said. “I was in New York for the premier of Scream this past week and then I flew home, and the next day I was nannying for a family.”

bethompson@postmedia.com