Canadian actress Amrit Kaur (known from the comedy series”The Sex Lives of College Girls” on Max) chatted about starring in the new film “The Queen of My Dreams.”
This movie was written and directed by Fawzia Mirza. This mother-daughter dramedy that bridges continents, cultures, and generations. It is set between Toronto, Canada, and the streets of Karachi in Pakistan.
The film follows a 22-year-old queer Muslim graduate student Azra Malik (Amrit Kaur), who is estranged from her conservative mother, Mariam (Nimra Bucha).
When her father dies suddenly during a trip to Pakistan, Azra is pulled back to her ancestral home for the burial and into a journey through memory, identity, and reconciliation.
Kaur on her experience making ‘The Queen of My Dreams’
“I liked how my character is flawed,” she said. “Both characters are flawed in their relationship with their parents and with their mothers and their daughters. We don’t necessarily talk about how poorly we treat our mothers and our daughters.”
“It gave me an opportunity to look at myself as a daughter and how I treat my mother. I love that about my character. I got to explore my own idiosyncrasies as a result of the script,” she elaborated.
“This movie allowed me to look at the flaws in my myself; that’s the biggest thing,” she conceded. “How I treat my mother and how I want to be a better daughter. Looking at my own judgement of my homeland came up for me because she judges her homeland and what that is about,” she noted.
“Also, looking at sexuality and portraying it for the first time on the screen and the fear of that. There were so many questions that came up. So, I was looking at my own flaws through the flaws of the character that I learned about myself and grew,” she added.
Kaur on her transition from ‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’ to this project
Regarding her transition from “The Sex Lives of College Girls” on Max to this project, she said, “It’s interesting because when I did ‘The Sex Lives of College Girls,’ I never tried to be a comedic actor.”
“I’ve always tried to be a truthful actor, and if I happened to be funny in the moment it’s because that moment is funny,” she noted.
“That was the same with this project,” she admitted. “It gave me an opportunity to practice stillness and internal life and musicality through the voice as opposed to the body. So, there was so much that it allowed me to expand as an actor.”
Working with Mitchell Slaggert in ‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’
When asked what it was like to work with Mitchell Slaggert in “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” she responded, “Mitchell is very pleasant on the eyes, for sure. That’s one of the first things I told him. He is a lovely guy, and I am very surprised how well he trained his dogs; they are very well-behaved. While we didn’t get to do too many scenes together, Mitchell is a nice guy.”
‘What We’re Up Against’ play in Bushwick
Kaur recalled doing the “What We’re Up Against” play in Bushwick, Brooklyn. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and one of the best things I’ve ever done,” she revealed.
“It was a look on misogyny, and I love every piece of work that I do because it is part of a broader conversation and it makes people think. That play definitely made people think,” she noted.
Working with Damon Runyan in the play
Kaur opened up about working with fellow Canadian actor Damon Runyan in the stage production of “What We’re Up Against.”
“Working with Damon was great,” she exclaimed. “He is fantastic and so talented. He made me a better actor every night.”
Advice for young and aspiring actors and filmmakers
For young and emerging actors and filmmakers, Kaur said, “Remember, it is a process.”
“To add to that, train! Treat it as a sport or as any other profession. Acting is no different; it’s a serious profession,” she acknowledged.
Kaur defines success
On her definition of the word success, Kaur said, “I think success — as an actor — is the ability to completely share who you are in whatever form of medium you are in. That’s success.”
Closing thoughts about ‘The Queen of My Dreams’
For her fans and viewers, she expressed about “The Queen of My Dreams,” “I hope this movie gives people joy and hope, especially now because we are living in tough times on every level.”
To learn more about actress Amrit Kaur, follow her on Instagram.
Read More: “The Queen of My Dreams” review.
