Lisa Durupt: From Stunts to the Stage
As an actor, dancer, and stunt double, Canadian born actress Lisa Durupt is a triple threat in the film industry. She has been featured on hit shows such as Heartland, Psych, and Supernatural, as well as many Hallmark original movies. In addition to her acting career, Lisa Durupt also founded Tricities Film Studio and Coquitlam Pictures Incorporated.
Her film agencies focus on training their actors like athletes – a unique approach inspired by the actress’s time as an ice hockey player. It’s clear why Lisa Durupt was on the top of our list for ELYSIAN’s 22 Questions – her tenacity as an actress, producer, and mother is truly inspiring.
Keep reading to learn more about Lisa Durupt and her incredible life.
Photograph by Birdie Thompson.
1. What is one thing you can’t live without?
I can’t live without coffee and a toothbrush. Caffeine and clean teeth are my obsession.
2. Why is it important for women to support women?
I would say there is no excuse not to support each other. Anyone who does not feel that way will likely never be a friend of mine.
3. If you could spend the day with anyone living or dead, who would it be and why?
I would spend the day with my maternal grandfather, who passed when my mom was three years old. I think it would be fascinating to find out more about my lineage on his side.
4. What has been the most rewarding project of your career?
Honestly? My very first musical theatre job. I was 21 years old, and I played Anybodys in West Side Story. It was the coolest job to play a scrappy tomboy in such an epic musical. I am positive no one else thought I would ever do that. It was a massive first step for me into the arts community and I never looked back.
5. When were you happiest?
Now, always lol. I love my life. I am rarely not happy; I rebound like a puppy when I am sad. Life is too short.
6. What is the worst job you’ve done?
Acting or life? In regards to acting, I will never tell. In my life, it was pumping gas at sixteen years old at Turbo Gas Station on the weekends with the world’s rudest co-worker. She tried to make my life hell. I still pray for her.
7. Where is one place in the world you would love to visit next?
Italy. My husband is Italian!
8. How do you relax?
I love to walk outside. It is very liberating to shut off your phone and listen to nature.
9. What is your daily skincare routine?
I am big on drinking water and exfoliating every day. I use a heavy skin cream in the morning after my shower and let it sink in before I get ready. On the days where I can avoid putting makeup on, I love to let my skin breathe and regenerate. I think we put way too much product on when our bodies will take care of themselves if we give them the time. I am also a big believer in monthly facials. A good HydraFacial will always make you glow.
10. What is your most cherished beauty product?
My most cherished beauty product is Bio-Oil. It is magic!
Photograph by Birdie Thompson.
11. Favorite accessory and why?
Elastics. I am a top knot queen. Or a good knee-high boot, as it goes with everything.
12. What is your favorite high-end brand to splurge on?
I love Tory Burch anything!
13. What is the biggest misconception about your profession?
That it’s fancy. It is shift work, but with longer hours. Also, you have to promote the project when it is completed.
14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“Lordy, love a duck!” or “Dear Lord.” My gran used to say them all the time, and my husband constantly laughs at me. The rest I cannot say in front of kids.
15. What trait do you most admire in others?
Patience! I tend to run full steam all the time, so I admire people that can slow down and breathe.
16. Who would play you in the film of your life?
Kristen Bell.
17. How would you like to be remembered?
As someone that was kind and fun to play with.
18. Of the characters you’ve played, which are you most similar to and why?
So many. I think you always bring a bit of yourself to all your roles, even if it is a side you tend to hide from others. We are such complicated little creatures. I think Andrea Todd from Murder She Baked is the closest to being myself. But at that same time, that little scrappy tomboy Anybodys from West Side Story is also a side to me that my close friends and family would argue is the real Lisa.
19. How does working on Netflix films (To All the Boys: Always and Forever, Lara Jean; Love, Guaranteed) compare to the other films you’ve worked on, which were produced by major studios like Twentieth Century Fox?
All film sets are a different experience that is set by the temperaments of the producers and the onset executives, your leads, etc. Anytime a show has a bigger budget, you tend to have more time to play. That said, it is a unique work environment each time and I have been lucky to bounce between them.
20. Can you talk about the process of founding your own studio and your role as a producer there? (Tricities Film Studio & Coquitlam Pictures Inc.)
I started a Tricities Film Studio when I was pregnant with my daughter because I felt I was ready to take on my own business and I knew there was a need for film training in my community. I knew if I did not do it before she was born, I never would. It has been an amazing experience to help others get into the industry and to help them chase their dreams and goals. Plus, I adore going to my office when I am not on set, it is a feeling of joy and pride you really cannot verbalize.
Photograph by Birdie Thompson.
Coquitlam Pictures came about a year later. The year prior, I had a Vancouver producer flip out when he found out I was four months pregnant on his set, even though the executive producers had approved it. He caused chaos because I cost him a bit more insurance money and it completely soured my view of him and his company. I never wanted to be at the mercy of someone else again when it came to my career.
I also did not want any other woman to ever feel that sense of shock, disgust, anger, and shame in a workplace again during what should have been a very exciting time. I was not even showing yet. I quickly found out he had taken it upon himself to call a casting director and tell her. Any woman will tell you that you don’t share someone else’s news, especially when it’s in a confidential medical insurance file. It is illegal. I was livid. I made the goal to start my own company with my husband. I wanted to set an example of how women should be treated in the workplace. It is new, but I am very excited about where we will be in 10 years with it.
21. Your Instagram, @ The Lisa Durupt, is very candid and shows the adventure that is raising a toddler. How have you balanced being a mother with your acting career?
I am lucky to have a fantastic teammate in my husband. He goes above and beyond to help cover my butt when I’m burning the candle at both ends. He keeps me sane. We have to prioritize communication daily to balance the logistics of life as a family but accomplish everything we both want in life. I could not do it without him. He is the man behind the curtain. Plus, my daughter is a great sleeper, so that is a huge bonus.
22. Can you talk about your upcoming film, To All the Boys: Always and Forever, Lara Jean, and what it was like working on such a highly anticipated project?
It was lovely, I enjoyed working with director Michael Fimognari. I was a small last-minute addition, more of a little cameo. I spent most of my onset time with Henry Thomas, who is the sweetest man ever, and I picked his brain non-stop about The Haunting of Hill House. He was a gem! The cast was very nice, and yes, they are just as cute in person.