Meet Natasha Bartholomew | 2024 TFS Student Graduation Speaker

This year’s Toronto Film School Student Graduation Speaker is Natasha Bartholomew – a 28-year-old Acting for Film, TV & the Theatre alumnus from Barrie, Ontario.

Bartholomew began her acting career at age 10 after signing to a Toronto-based agency, but left the industry soon after to focus on her education. After completing her university degree and a college post-graduate certificate, she worked as Community Support Worker and Addictions Treatment Professional for four years, before deciding to once again broaden her education by attending a more multi-faceted school.

In January 2023, Bartholomew began her journey at Toronto Film School, where she had the opportunity to work on a handful of student projects – offering her acting skills in front of the camera and her voiceover skills behind it. This past March, she also celebrated her debut theatre performance in TFS’s production of Departures and Arrivals, directed by Johnathan Whittaker. She graduates from TFS with a CGPA of 4.25.

Bartholomew’s special skills include impressions and accents, comedy, dancing, singing and various athletic training. Since graduating from TFS, Natasha stays connected with the school and industry through various volunteer opportunities.  She also works as a TA at a local acting studio, where she continues to hone her craft. Natasha is hopeful to sign with a Toronto agent in the very near future.

Bartholomew recently sat down to reflect on her time at TFS and her plans for the future. Here’s what she had to say:

What made you decide to pursue your passion for acting?  

It might sound typical, but I’ve always wanted to be an actor. I always had a very theatrical and performative nature, and I dabbled in the industry when I was 10, but I guess I always thought it was more of a hobby. They don’t exactly encourage the arts at career fairs when you’re growing up. That being said, I went to university and college and worked in the social services field for five years knowing that I wanted to work closely with people of different abilities, cultures, socioeconomic statuses. Most importantly, I wanted to make a difference and feel creative in my role in the community. I was feeling like I was doing “what you’re supposed to do” but not doing what I felt “I was supposed to do”.

It was 2021 and we were still in the thick of the pandemic and I found myself watching more and more films and television series (as many of us were doing) and I remember watching The Greatest Showman for the first time since I saw it in theatres and bawling from the moment it started to literally the very final note. I realized that maybe I could work closely with like-minded individuals, embrace humanity’s differences, explore my artistic side (whether it be through song or dance) and inspire and share all those wonderful things with others through the art of storytelling. I also realized that I am a person who feels all emotions very deeply and perhaps rather than viewing this is a curse, I could use what I now view as a gift to inspire others, too. I very quickly re-enrolled in online acting classes and eventually found myself wanting a multi-faceted experience and landed at Toronto Film School two months after leaving my job as a community support worker. Long story short, I wanted to make a career out of helping and inspiring others, in a way that will also continue to help and inspire me.

If you had to choose one actor whose career path you’d like to model, who would it be and why?

I would have to say Saoirse Ronan. I have found myself drawn to Saoirse since 2009, when she starred in The Lovely Bones. She’s only a couple years older than me, so watching her on the big screen portray these incredible performances with hugely respected and talented actors at such a young age was incredibly inspiring to me. It made me feel like I could do it, too.

Some actors you fall in love with growing up, don’t always translate the same as you age, however, I feel continuously in awe of her career and her choices. I love the how she’s branded herself. I mean, she’s a four-time Oscar-nominated actress but, in my opinion, some of her best performances are in the indie films she often finds herself a part of. I feel like she takes on roles that are quirky and intense and ultimately unique. Lady Bird for example, was obviously directed by one of the most influential female directors of our time, but is almost disguised as an indie film, and her character was so interesting, but also somehow relatable and raw. I also have a soft spot for her classical roles. She took my breath away as Jo March in the 2019 remake of Little Women.

She’s taken on both the big screen and the stage, which I think is important, and she just seems so professional, dedicated, and unproblematic. You can tell she enjoys taking on complex characters and her role in the industry is not for the fame. She’s not afraid to be her authentic self both on and off set and I think showing audiences your authenticity is the absolute most important aspect of being a good storyteller…and person.

I’d love very much to model a career after someone like that. She’s elegant, classy and an excellent role model to young actors and women.

What is the most important thing you’re taking away from your studies at TFS?

I’ve been asked this question a few times and my answer has remained the same: vulnerability, authenticity, and networking skills.

Both my educators and my peers at TFS created a space where I felt safe to explore creatively and emotionally without judgement. Vulnerability is something that can, at times, be very challenging for me, but it’s something that I was taught very early on at TFS, and it is something that I will always be working on. Letting myself just “be” and allowing my emotions and gut instinct to guide me through a scene, rather than overthinking and planning it out, is something that I wouldn’t have had a slight clue how to do without their guidance.

I believe authenticity is an extension of vulnerability. Because our learning environment was so supportive, I felt like I could be always my full and complete self, and instead of being told to “bring it down,” I was celebrated for my loudness and quirks. Being yourself is what makes you stand out to casting directors, directors, producers, etc. I thought I had to try to be something to fit a role, but really, I learned that it’s about being yourself. The role finds the actor.

Lastly, networking!!! The greatest thing I have taken away from my time at TFS are the wonderful industry professionals I had the privilege of working with and learning from. Staying connected with faculty and students from not only my own program, but also other programs, and attending TFS events and responding to invitations to participate in other industry opportunities both during my time at TFS and as an alumnus, keeps me inspired and connected with industry professionals and opportunities to keep learning and growing as an actor.

What are your plans after graduation both immediate and long term?  

I plan to keep the ball rolling! I have already reached out to a few different teachers and received references from them, as well as contact information for agents they believe will best suit me. My goal is to have an agent by the end of the year, and I have already met with a few.

That being said, I do understand that finding the agent that is right for me may take time, therefore, I have made sure to keep myself sharp in the meantime. To hold myself accountable, and stay inspired, I have committed to attending at minimum one event a month (comedy show, play, spoken word, workshop, etc.) I plan to continue taking dance classes and I am scheduled to teach my very first class this upcoming December, and performing in my first show in November! I look forward to working with a vocal coach to work on my singing voice in the new year and I continue taking yoga classes for my physical fitness, as well as my mental and spiritual wellness. I am currently working at Armstrong Acting Studio casually as a teaching assistant and I look forward to continuing to hone my craft in the new year by taking classes myself.

As far as long-term goals, I would love to eventually be able to combine my acting, singing, and dancing together. I also see myself spending as much time as possible travelling frequently to cities that inspire me and connect me with industry professionals. Acting is not a hobby, but a career choice for me and I hope to make it a full-time gig in the long term. I also realized a joy and unexpected talent for writing and directing during my fourth and sixth terms at TFS and would love to eventually produce, write, or direct some original works in the future.

If you offered one piece of advice to an incoming student, what would that be?  

My biggest piece of advice to an incoming student is more of a statement: You get what you put into this program.

The opportunities you are about to be exposed to are endless, and utilizing these resources is what is going to make this experience worthwhile in the long term. Connect with the film production and screenwriting students; brainstorm, create and learn from each other. You are all entering this industry together and have the privilege of being surrounded by fresh faces in acting, directing, and writing. Learn from each other and create together while you have the resources and stay connected outside of TFS!

Learn from your teachers! Ask them questions about what it’s realistically like working in the industry. Ask them about their experiences: the good, bad and the ugly! Get to know them and allow them to get to know you. Remember, every time you step onto campus you are representing yourself and creating a brand for yourself, whether you know it or not. Be professional and SHOW UP every day and you will be rewarded. The teachers at TFS have not only inspired me with their own artistic journeys, but also pushed me when necessary and helped guide me down paths that have led me to wonderful opportunities.

What’s your favorite film and why?  

I have a love-hate relationship with this question. The real answer is that I have about 15 different films that vary from musicals, romance and fantasy, all the way to action and thrillers, and they are all my favourite for completely different reasons.

That being said…if I HAD to choose just one movie, the one that always comes to mind and never leaves my list, is The Notebook. I think this movie is one of the most beautifully written and depicted love stories of this generation. I’ve never seen on screen chemistry like that of Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling. The costume design, production design and the cinematography are stunning.

I’m a hopeless romantic at heart and I believe they depict what it’s like to be young and in love in such a raw and relatable way. I mean, the scene when they break up in the middle of the night in front of her parents’ house as teenagers and the actors are equally devastated and furious with each other all at once takes my breath away every time. There are so many moments in that movie where, as a pre-teen watching, I thought to myself, “Oh my god I want to experience a love like that”, and even now as an adult with all new experiences and insights, I watch this story unfold that I’ve seen probably 30 times, and I still find myself relating to something new each time and being inspired by a different aspect of the film.