'Jack Ryan' tv series: an interview with the actress Victoria Sanchez

Jack Ryan is a tv series with John Krasinski , Noomi Rapace, Abbie Cornish. The series is inspired on characters from the fictional "Ryanverse" created by Tom Clancy.  

A. Yes, I play CIA Branch Chief Layla Navarro in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan. Jack Ryan (John Krasinski)'s boss. Many of my girlfriends were very jealous about that. 

A. Absolutely. Tom Clancy's novels make for some amazing thriller film adaptations. He's a wonderful writer. The general public are big fans of his work, and I understand why. Some other pretty talented iconic actors took on the Jack Ryan role, like Sean Connery (Hunt for the Red October) and Harrison Ford (Clear and Present Danger), for example.

A. Surprisingly, the filming took place here, in Montreal! In Pointe St-Charles to be precise. At the new Cinepool Studios, which are enormous - you would never imagine they would be there. Jack Ryan was a HUGE production.

There were always funny moments on set, but I have to say the best times were between the actors. There were so many great actors on this set; from John Krasinski (The Office), to Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People) and Al Sapienza (House of Cards). It was hilarious to be in a room with all these talented men who had so much serious dialogue to deliver after days on end of shooting in an enclosed environment in the thick of our Canadian winter, and barely any of them could get through their dialogue because everyone was so tired and delirious that we couldn't stop laughing. There's nothing funnier than trying to deliver serious dialogue when you can't stop cracking up. That just bonded us all. And what's even more amazing is that when the dialogue would finally come out right, it was damn good! 

I'm truly grateful to have been a part of this show, and to experience such a big production, and also for all the local talent that got a chance to shine on the show as well. (Keep in mind our Canadian budgets are never big enough to give us enough takes per scene to deliver the best performance possible). We have so much great talent in this city. I hope we get more of these shows to give people here more work opportunities and exposure like Jack Ryan did.

I seem to be connected to the Clancy novels more than I knew; I just made the connection that I have also performed in the video games Rainbow Six and Splinter Cell which are also based on Tom Clancy's work. 

Q. What is your favorite book, in general?

A. I'm not just acting, but also writing and producing. Next will be directing. I feel like my whole life has been a series of learning curves aligning for me to do that. I still wish I'd had a chance to direct my first adaptation. I had such a clear vision for the film. But I'm learning to trust myself more and go with my instincts. You live and you learn. I am really looking forward to writing and directing my own films. 

Q. You also wrote Wait Till Helen Comes. 

A. Oddly enough every time I want to adapt a novel, someone has beat me to it! But there is one I have wanted to adapt for a long time, which I think hasn't been done. I will not divulge the name in case someone beats me to it again. I have many projects in development taking up a lot of my time right now, but hopefully if it's meant to be, I'll follow up with that idea.

A. Acting will always be my first love - I hope to continue doing that for a long time. Al Pacino once said; "it takes 20 years to be an actor"  - at the time that I read that I was just fresh out of theatre school, and I thought it was an exaggeration. But 20 years later, I completely understand what he means and agree. Of course some people are natural born talents, but when you have accumulated enough experience in life, hardships, baggage, that's when you can REALLY start portraying characters truthfully, by understanding them fully. Their pain, their joy, their struggles... Acting isn't necessarily about Acting, it's about truth. 

 

A. Haha! My typical day usually consists of running around from morning until night. I wish I had more time to myself for hobbies, fitness, but this business keeps me quite busy, and I am a single mom too, so my schedule is constantly FULL. From memorizing dialogue for one thing or another, to developing projects, to making sure my daughter has everything she needs, getting her to school and activities, then rushing to meetings, auditions and film shoots, I have my hands full. But I dream of book vacations by the sea, yoga retreats and adventurous escapes, and I work hard to some day soon be able to live life to the fullest. I know what you're thinking, I should be doing that right now! We all have things to learn and I am still learning how to manage my time properly without burning myself out. I must learn to take more time for myself. I am a very social person, I love good company and conversations, but I also appreciate privacy and solitude to read and write.

Q. Is it true that you worked in Italy? 

A. I filmed a movies called Eternal there in 2003, I believe, and have very fond memories of being there. I was mainly in Rome and some small villages on the outskirts but there are so many other places I'd love to visit there. It's such a beautiful and romantic country. And I have always gotten along great with Italians for some reason. I love their passion!

A. The acting ones are always a surprise. I usually audition for a bunch of different things, and then forget about them, and then I get a call from my manager (and best friend) Sandy Martinez letting me know I got one of the roles I had auditioned for, and she usually has to remind me which one it was because I tend to discard them from my mind once I'm done with the audition. I am of the belief that if it's meant to be, it's meant to be. 

I am currently playing a quirky scientist called Violetta Firth in a TV show called Big Top Academy (aka Circus Kids). It's a really fun character loosely based on Doc Brown from Back to the Future. I loved Christopher Lloyd's performance and I used his performance as inspiration for this role.

I am also developing several projects as a producer or co-creator or writer. We have a Fantasy concept feature film in advanced stages of development called Kin Fables; The Stolen Child by Seb McKinnon, which we hope to get financed to film next summer. I am co-creating a horror anthology series called Nigh Terrors with long-time friend, actor turned writer/director Adam MacDonald (Backcountry, Pyewacket). I also produced his last feature Pyewacket which has gotten critically acclaimed around the world and is making many 2018 best of horror Top Ten lists! For those who don't like horror - you can still see it as it's more of a psychological drama horror than what you'd imagine to be a horror. No blood or gore.
I am also developing and writing 2 other series, a comedy called Lenny's, which the italians here will love, I'm sure, as it is set in St-Leonard (a borough of Montreal, Quebec where a majority of Italians reside. It's Cheers - meets Seinfeld - meets Goodfellas). And another twisted anthology called Bittersweet Tales based on the amazing short stories of 90 year old Montreal jewish architect David Reich.

Amongst other ideas and projects brewing, I am in talks with another wonderful Montreal-based italian business and creative wonder woman called Connie Rotella for a reality series about triple-threat artists (combining acting, singing and dancing). Connie runs the school Danse 1,2,3... in Lasalle.

 

A. I wouldn't be able to do any of this without my tight team of partners; my brother (writer/producer/creative director) Fede Sanchez, and my (I swear no word can truly describe how wonderful he is) Entertainment lawyer Joe Sisto, also a magnificent Italian! And of course, my best friend, manager and producing partner, Sandy Martinez who has her office in the core of Little Italy. I have to pinch myself everyone in a while.