From bullies to the big screen, Alexia Fast is a confident, courageous star
What do you remember most about high school? Was it a time you would like to remember or was it a time you would like to forget? For many, fitting in seemed harder than figuring out a calculus or algebra problem. Alexia Fast, the actress who co-starred on the big screen with Tom Cruise in the movie Jack Reacher, has been through both.
Looking back, the 20-year-old Vancouver native says her high school experience built character. “I was known as ‘Alexia the girl with anorexia’,” Fast says of her tall, thin build and desire to feel sexy. “I switched to a high school that had a special program, which allowed me to take time off when I was doing movies. There were people that liked me and there were people that did not.” Although Fast was bullied, staying true to herself is a reoccurring theme in her life. She stayed “true to herself” by attending the prom. But being bullied as a teenager may have contributed to her success as an actress, as the dramatic arts became a form of therapy. Fast often channelled what she was dealing with at school through her work.
“Acting has been like therapy for me,” she says. “When I acted out a role, whatever problems I had went away when I was on set.”
You could call Fast a child prodigy. By the age of seven, she wrote, directed and starred in the short film The Red Bridge, which premiered at the Atlantic and Reel to Reel film festivals in 2002. Her first debut in a feature film was in Fido when she was 11. The film, featuring Carrie Anne Moss, made her realize acting was her calling. “I can remember being in character in a car. It was a natural and organic process. The way I felt in character gave me a lot of clues that acting was what I wanted to do with my life.”
Several TV series, Made-for-TV movies and other feature films prepared her for her breakout role with Tom Cruise in the critically acclaimed movie Jack Reacher. Fast played the role of Sandy, a “pretty and seductive siren,” who is involved in setting up Cruise’s title character. She remembers Cruise being “very positive and happy on set,” encouraging her role to be understood on camera. Her latest movie is Queen of the Night, starring Ryan Reynolds and Rosario Dawson. The Atom Egoyan film is a psychological thriller that follows Reynolds, who plays Fast’s father, discovering that his abducted daughter could still be alive. When speaking on working with Egoyan, you can tell that she is a fan. “As a director, Egoyan consistently does so many movies that are so good. I think he is such a real storyteller.” Fast understands that she has built an impressive body of work. She has an agent but she does not take on any roles until she feels right about the character. Her maturity and talent has given her clout and opportunities to work side by side with some of the top players in the movie industry.
“My characters must have a lot of depth,” she says. “The characters I choose are well written and there needs to be something to connect to. I try to be honest in my performances and I think that comes across.”
Two Leo Awards, which represent outstanding contributions to film and television in British Columbia, and a nomination prove that Fast’s instincts couldn’t be more sharp. In 2010, the actress received a supporting actress Leo Award for her role opposite Dustin Milligan and Amanda Crew in Carl Bessai’s indie feature The Repeaters, which premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. In 2008, she received a Leo Award nomination for her role opposite Ashley Judd in the feature film Helen. Fast plays a girl who has to come to grips with her mother’s depression while trying to keep her family together. When she was only 13, the actress beat out adult competitors and won her first Leo for her role in Past Tense, another indie thriller in which she plays a girl fighting for justice as she unravels a murder mystery. Like any true artist Fast enjoys fashion and tries to change her looks when she’s not in character and when she’s auditioning for movie roles. “I have worked with stylists,” she says. “But I like to change my hair and makeup and I use that as a tool or an approach to get roles. I get so in character when I’m on set that I use make-up and clothes to come back to myself. I do this so I can leave the character I play on set.”
Despite the lucky breaks, even now, she still has to prove herself and speaks openly about age discrimination in the business. “I get stares but once you start the scene they get to see what you’re made of. It’s a nice moment when you get to prove yourself as an actor.” Fast is already calling the shots, demanding respect in every aspect of the production process, transcending a script to what she wears on her body. She believes that “the right wardrobe is important,” as it affects how she portrays a character. The young actress is conquering the silver screen, but envisions her future behind-the-scenes. Currently enrolled in a business program at Langara College in British Columbia, Fast is learning about the fundamental elements of the film industry, with hopes of revisiting her humble beginnings in production, direction and writing.
Fast acknowledges her strong support system and credits her mother for keeping her “grounded and resilient.” Most of her friends are outside of the industry but she’s social with actors “because they can relate to what you’re doing.” Boyfriends are not in the picture right now. The star says her choice to stay single is to find the “right” guy. “I don’t want to be in a relationship because I have to be,” Fast says of dating in high school. “I would rather wait for a nice guy who is a good person to spend my time with. I want it to be my choice.” It’s hard not to respect Fast. Her experiences could mirror the story of The Ugly Duckling, as she has evolved into a beautiful, smart and talented young woman. By choosing to make acting her outlet, she turned a tough past into a promising future.
“I was finding my identity and stayed true to myself,” she says of not conforming to the expectations of her peers. “That was the trade-off.” The lessons she learned in high school have taught her how to handle herself as an actress and as a woman. In doing so, Fast has created a life for herself that is as layered as any movie role, full of emotions, conflict, a climax, a wardrobe, a set, a script, but most of all, a story.
by Jacqueline Halstead