Before Laysla De Oliveira was playing an action star in Special Ops: Lioness, she was playing the role of staff at Toronto’s Terroni restaurant. And while she’s come a long way since those days, the Canadian actress hasn’t forgotten the push her former boss gave her to pursue her acting dream. “I’m obsessed with Terroni,” De Oliveira told Narcity's Ashna Bharkhada during a recent sit-down interview for the series, which is out now on Paramount+ Canada.
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00:00 I used to work at Tarot.
00:01 That was my last job before I moved to LA.
00:04 And I still have a note from my manager
00:05 that said, "Follow your dreams."
00:07 And I did.
00:08 The first day I met her and she hugged me and said,
00:11 "I can't wait to work with you."
00:13 I couldn't let go of the hug.
00:15 - So people will recognize you as Dodge from Lock and Key,
00:19 and there's a lot of supernatural action there.
00:22 But with Lioness, it gets really nitty gritty.
00:25 What was it like venturing
00:26 into that action hero territory?
00:29 - It was such a dream come true
00:31 to explore something in the Taylor Sheridan world.
00:34 He's such a prolific writer.
00:36 He wrote Cruise.
00:38 He gave her so much range.
00:40 She's somebody who's so tough,
00:42 but also so incredibly sensitive.
00:45 And you'll find that as the show moves along,
00:48 you'll see how vulnerable she is.
00:49 And it was a dream exploring that
00:51 and exploring that with my heroes.
00:54 That was awesome.
00:55 - Well, of course.
00:56 I mean, you're playing alongside with Zoe Saldana,
01:00 one of the best actresses around right now,
01:03 in Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy.
01:05 What was it like being on set with her?
01:07 - The first day I met her and she hugged me and said,
01:10 "I can't wait to work with you."
01:12 I couldn't let go of the hug.
01:14 That I just love her so much.
01:16 I loved her.
01:17 I've admired her my entire career.
01:19 And now that we've worked together,
01:21 I admire her even more.
01:23 She's just so kind and generous.
01:26 She just texted me and she was like,
01:27 "You're doing great."
01:28 She's just like my biggest supporter ever.
01:31 And that's not what I was,
01:33 not that I didn't think she was gonna be mean,
01:35 but I was just like,
01:36 "Oh, I just wanna be in her shadow
01:37 "and soak up as much as I can."
01:40 But she, you know, she helped me find my,
01:44 she empowers me.
01:45 And I think that's such a beautiful thing.
01:48 And I take that and I hold it in my heart
01:51 and I hope that I can repay that one day with someone else.
01:55 - Did she give you any tips when you were on set?
01:57 - Yeah, she gave me acting tips.
01:59 You know, there are things like on the day-to-day
02:01 that you talk or you kind of see what they're doing
02:04 and you learn.
02:05 But like I said, most of all,
02:07 I was just like to really,
02:08 like the kindness aspect for me,
02:10 which is the thing that most inspired me
02:13 and just how down to earth and genuine and chill she is.
02:17 - Oh, that's amazing.
02:19 And I mean, what a cast.
02:20 Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman.
02:23 So I love Morgan Freeman's voice.
02:26 I mean, there's so many videos that I've watched
02:29 and he's narrated them.
02:30 What's his voice like in real life?
02:32 - It was wild.
02:34 When I met him, he was like, "You, Blake Cruz?"
02:36 And I was like, "Ah!"
02:37 And he's a jokester, which is really fun.
02:43 He's a big fan of Yellowstone.
02:45 So we were talking about that
02:46 and it was my birthday while we were shooting
02:50 and I saw him at the breakfast buffet
02:51 and he sang "Happy Birthday" to me
02:53 and I was like, "Not the Morgan Freeman voice."
02:56 And so that is just a memory that I'll,
02:59 it's a core memory.
03:00 - Yeah, I can imagine.
03:02 It's like, just say anything to me.
03:04 - Yeah, you can hear him speak for days for sure.
03:07 - You must've had some serious training
03:10 going into this show.
03:11 I know with "Lock and Key,"
03:13 there was a lot of green screens involved.
03:15 What kind of training did you do for this movie?
03:17 - A lot of physical training, three hours a day,
03:20 stunt training, weapons training,
03:22 and strength training.
03:25 That was obviously really important.
03:27 Jerry Chaw, incredible human being.
03:31 He was a Navy SEAL for nine years.
03:33 He trained me and he was there with me the entire time,
03:36 like cheering me on.
03:37 And I feel really lucky to have had him.
03:41 And he was a great source for any military questions
03:43 I had as well, which was awesome.
03:45 - So do you know how to hold a gun now?
03:47 - Yes, I do.
03:50 Okay, so I brought my thing.
03:53 - Oh, but that's a pistol.
03:55 Girl, I'm doing the M4s, yeah.
03:58 - Did I bring the wrong gun?
03:59 I was hoping that you could show me a couple of,
04:01 you know, like, if I wanna look like a badass on screen.
04:04 - First of all, you brought the wrong gun.
04:06 Let's start there.
04:06 And second of all, you gotta ask Jared.
04:08 We should call Jared right now.
04:10 - We should FaceTime Jared.
04:11 - We're like, "Jared, how do I hold this?"
04:13 You know, the smaller ones are actually,
04:16 Nicole was talking to this about me
04:17 because she also has a lot of experience with guns.
04:20 And the pistols, they're actually,
04:22 can be more challenging than the big ones.
04:25 Once you have the big one,
04:26 like, you know how everything works.
04:28 Obviously, it's heavy and there's a challenge
04:30 in holding that and like holding it up.
04:32 But those smaller ones,
04:33 'cause you have to have so much more, like, control.
04:36 - Yeah, so you're not gonna--
04:38 - Put it in your pocket.
04:39 Maybe next season.
04:40 - It's so funny, when I was coming in,
04:42 I saw a cop roll beside me and I was like,
04:43 "Pew, pew."
04:44 I don't know if I should be,
04:46 should I be holding this?
04:47 Okay, so you are from,
04:51 I'm gonna put this away, actually.
04:53 So you are from Toronto, welcome home.
04:56 We're in Toronto right now.
04:58 What does your perfect day in Toronto look like?
05:01 - My perfect day in Toronto,
05:02 I, you know, I was saying earlier,
05:04 I'm like, I'm a low-key girl,
05:05 but then I also realize I'm in a sparkly suit.
05:08 So maybe I'm not as low-key as I think.
05:10 But in terms of like everyday stuff that I like to do,
05:13 I just love going to my favorite coffee shop.
05:15 I love Jamie's Coffee.
05:16 I like French Made,
05:17 because I usually stay around this area when I'm shooting.
05:19 It's close to the studio when I've shot here in Toronto.
05:22 I like going to Trinity Bellwoods.
05:23 I like just having a picnic there
05:25 and like sitting there all day with my friends.
05:28 I like going to 416 Snack Bar,
05:30 that's like the usual place that I go to,
05:32 and just enjoying my time with friends and family.
05:35 I don't really mind where we are,
05:36 just as long as I'm with them,
05:38 'cause I miss them so much.
05:39 So when I'm back, I try to hone into that.
05:42 - And I did read that you love coming to Toronney
05:44 when you're in LA.
05:45 - Yes, I'm obsessed with Toronney.
05:47 I eat at Toronney almost.
05:49 I used to work at Toronney.
05:51 That was my last job before I moved to LA.
05:53 And I still have a note from my manager
05:55 that said, "Follow your dreams."
05:57 And I did, and the pasta, 'cause I eat this so much.
05:59 And so in LA, yeah, I eat there quite a bit.
06:04 And so, I know, that's why if they ask me
06:06 where to take Zoya or Nicole, I'm like, "Toronney."
06:08 But they've probably been, everyone goes to Toronney.
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