Vancouver actor Leenah Robinson's star is shining bright with new TV series and movie

After appearing in 1923, starring Harrison Ford, Leenah Robinson takes on top roles in new TV comedy Don't Even and TIFF film 40 Acres

Published Sep 02, 2024  •  Last updated 0 minutes ago  •  6 minute read

In the New Crave series Don't Even Vancouver's Leenah Robinson plays Violet a recently graduated Winnipeg teen who is looking to live life to the fullest before going off to university.  Photo by Heather Beckstead /Courtesy of Crave

These days, things are going well for Leenah Robinson.

The Vancouver actor is co-starring in the new TV series Don’t Even and the feature film 40 Acres, which has been chosen for a Special Presentation screening at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and will also be part of the Vancouver Film Festival (VIFF).

“I was smiling so hard,” said Robinson about hearing the post-apocalyptic drama/action movie was having its world premiere at TIFF.

Article content

Don’t Even, a comedic coming-of-age series streaming on Crave, and 40 Acres join the miniseries Bones of Crows and Taylor Sheriden’s Yellowstone prequel 1923 as notable 2023 and 2024 editions to Robinson’s resume.

“It kind of switches. Some days (it’s), ‘Holy crap, what’s going on?’ And then some days I am like, ‘This is OK and I’m so excited for what’s about to come,'” Robinson said when asked about the career roll she’s on.

Set in the summer of 1998, Don’t Even follows Indigenous Winnipeg teens and best friends Violet (Robinson) and Harley (Victoria Turko). Violet is reserved and studious with her sights set on university in Toronto, while Harley is a seize-the-day firecracker who looks to summer fun to distract her from thoughts about her future.

Leenah Robinson (left) and Victoria Turko star as Winnipeg teens enjoying one last summer before embarking on adulthood in the new Crave series Don’t Even. Photo by Heather Beckstead /Courtesy of Crave

The series is funny, frank and, for many former teenage girls, a cringey reminder of bad choices and sticky situations.

“It’s just two best friends figuring out their young adult life,” said Robinson, who is Mohawk on her father’s side and Haisla and Heiltsuk Nation on her mother’s side.

“It’s embarrassing. It’s messy. There’s a lot of moments where we were filming and I’m (thinking), ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve done this before.’ You know, the usual mistakes.”

Article content

Article content

The chemistry between Robinson and Turko grounds the show and leaves viewers pulling for the pair, who are at a crossroads in their friendship and their personal lives.

“Leenah has this quiet power about her and you can see how she could exist with (Harley), this huge, huge personality who takes up a lot of space,” said Don’t Even’s Anishininew creator and showrunner Amber-Sekowan Daniels, who lives in Vancouver.

“Leenah kept this power to her character and she didn’t get lost … So, it was really interesting when we saw them together. We saw that their energy just matched … The first time we saw them, we knew that it was them.”

While the teens are Indigenous and their culture is referred to, the story doesn’t rely on their Indigeneity to drive the narrative.

“It’s almost like blink and you might miss it, but if you pay attention, there’s a lot of culture,” said Daniels, who also co-created the CTV series Acting Good. “There’s a lot of depth and different layers to these characters. But we are focusing on who these girls are and what do they want. Who are they in the world? For me, those traumas exist, and they are very important. And I really admire the people who do tell those stories, but for me, I just want the world to get to know these girls.

Article content

“I feel a lot of people who aren’t Indigenous can resonate with this,” added Daniels.

Robinson said that when she read the script, she was excited to be part of a story where the focus was a pair of teens just trying to navigate the universal upheaval of growing up.

“That made me feel so good. I don’t have to spill my guts, spill all this trauma. It’s not a story about how we came from trauma. It’s a story about life and just two girls that are Indigenous, and just kind of getting through it,” said Robinson. “I think it is so important for Indigenous cinema right now that we can show we’re just not our trauma. I am so thankful to be part of this. I think it made filming even more fun because you weren’t, as an actor, pulling only from these traumatic places. It was just joy, and it was just fun.”

While Don’t Even is lighter fare, Robinson had her share of heavy when working on 1923, where she played Baapuxti, a young girl taken from the Crow Indian Reservation and sent to a government-run boarding school in North Dakota.

“It was hard. It definitely pushed me to my limits,” said Robinson. “When you are just in that stage of fight or flight for so long. We would be shooting for 12 to 13 hours. It was a lot. There were times when I had to act but I couldn’t feel anything. And at the end of the day while we were filming, the only thing I could really think about was I just really want my mom.”

Article content

Emotional toll aside, Robinson said she was glad to play a part in telling a story that she discovered was not a well-known one among many Americans.

“There were a lot of comments saying, ‘I never knew about this,'” said Robinson. “In Canada, it is talked about so much. There is a lot of awareness of the treatment of Indigenous people, but in the States, there’s not much of it. So it was really cool to be part of sparking that conversation, especially in a fan base like Yellowstone’s.”

Robinson shot four episodes of 1923, but she did not have any scenes with stars Harrison Ford or Helen Mirren. But she is more than happy to report that she got to meet them at the show’s L.A. premiere.

“I grew up watching Star Wars and Indiana Jones, all of that,” said Robinson about Ford’s biggest outings. “While we were filming in Montana, I never actually saw him. We were all doing very different things for the show. So, I really met him at the premiere, and I won’t lie, I got star-struck. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re Harrison Ford,’ and he said ‘Yeah, I am.’ It was embarrassing.”

Vancouver actor Leenah Robinson says she will always cherish the pictures she took with Hollywood legend Harrison Ford on the red carpet for the premiere of the series 1923. Robinson had a recurring guest role in the Taylor Sheriden created Yellowstone prequel that starred Ford and Helen Mirren. Photo by David Becker /Getty Images for Paramount+

Robinson, now 22, began acting at age 16 with a small part in the film Monkey Beach, which was adapted from the novel by Eden Robinson, who just happens to be Robinson’s aunt. Robinson’s mother, Carla Robinson, a familiar CBC anchor and journalist, was a producer on the film.

Article content

“I don’t know what it was about it but there was no fear. It was just excitement. I get to act; I get to do this. I get to be on screen. I get to be a part of this big thing that my aunt made,” said Robinson. “That was where I really got the acting bug, as people call it. I just loved every moment of it. I was only on set for one day, but I was itching for more.”

And she says she felt ready for more thanks to the examples her mom and aunt had set for her.

“I watched my mom on the news almost every single night growing up. And I got to see my aunt win all these awards and release these books and go on tours and get all this recognition,” said Robinson.

“When I decided I wanted to start acting, my dreams never seemed that far away because I had such amazing role models. My whole family was just incredibly supportive.”

[email protected]
twitter.com/dana_gee

Recommended from Editorial

1. 

   Kali Reis and other Indigenous actors tell their stories on Actors and Ancestors podcast

2. 

   The Great Salish Heist takes repatriation efforts to creative and criminal lengths

3. 

   Eden Robinson goes very deep and dark in closing Trickster Triology novel

4. 

   Vancouver International Film Festival rolls deep with great Canadian films

Article content