Newmarket teen Ashleigh Morrison fulfilled a childhood dream when she interviewed Bill Nye the Science Guy in May at Toronto’s Nintendo Labo launch, and she walked away with a Joey Award for best young female host in the process.
“It was almost like a childhood dream. When I saw him in real life, I thought, ‘Wow, this is a guy I love watching and it was so much fun to meet him. He was so nice,” said 14-year-old Morrison, whose work as a reporter for Owlkids Magazine was recognized by the national organization that celebrates the work of young Canadians.
At the Nov. 10 Joey Awards gala in Vancouver, Morrison was nominated in two categories, including best actress, 13 to 16 year old, for her web series, Ashleigh’s Kidz Korner, that aired in 2017 on the local Rogers TV York Region station.
“I was up against some really talented people and I was just really happy to be there, in general,” Morrison said. “When my name was called, I was shocked. I did not expect that to happen. I was thrilled.”
So, how did Morrison get her start in front of the camera, acting and hosting?
“It's actually a really long story,” she said with a laugh, adding she first broke into the business when she was 10. “I was always in front of the camera my whole life and I just knew that's what I had to do.”
Morrison said she’s passionate about the whole acting process, how you can get a script, memorize it and become that person once the camera goes on.
“You’re not yourself, you're a totally different person and it's just incredible,” she said.
In 2016, Morrison landed a lead role in the Sterling Productions action, sci-fi comedy feature film Scouts vs Aliens, a film set in 1982 about a group of young scouts who find out they are not alone in the universe.
She continues to go on auditions when she has time off from school, and is represented by Hero Artists Agency in Toronto. Morrison is in Grade 9 and attends a regional arts specialist program, with a focus on drama.
“I'm really lucky to have parents who will take time off work to take me around to auditions and support me,” she said.
The young aspiring actress has already developed a wisdom about the business usually reserved for those much older.
“It’s natural to get nervous, but the butterflies go away,” she said. “Once you start, all the nerves shake off and and you know you got this.
“You have to be OK with rejection, too, and build up a bit of a thick skin. The rejection just makes me work harder to chase my dream.”
Morrison has appeared in Salvage, Detainee X, and Goldfish, which premiered at the Atlantic Film Festival in 2016. She also developed and was a community producer and host of the web series Kidz Korner, on Rogers TV York Region, which aired in May 2017. Her second series, Ashleigh's Kidz Korner, aired in September 2017.
When not acting, Morrison enjoys soccer, archery, sketching and running.
You can connect with Morrison on Facebook and Instagram @ashleighmorrisonofficial, Twitter: @ashleighactress and online here.
