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Rukiya Bernard & Viv Leacock

Actors

Rukiya Bernard

Rukiya is an award nominated actress and bourgeoning writer/
director. Originally from Toronto, she’s of Kenyan and Jamaican heritage. She has written and directed a short film, The BFF Club, written a play, Yoga for Black Women and her opinion piece, Dear Becky has garnered her much attention as a writer. As an actress she’s been featured on numerous TV series including, Van Helsing (SYFY/ NETFLIX) to which she won a LEO for Best Supporting Actress in a Series. Other appearances include: Supernatural (CW), The Magicians (SYFY), Travelers (Netflix), Surveillance (NBC) The Cabin In The Woods (Warner Bros), Wonder (Lionsgate), and others.

A fan and supporter of indie films, she co-starred in the multi- award winning Cannes Jury Choice Awarded short film, Reel Women Seen. She’s also appeared in Stuck, That Burning Feeling, Little Pink House and most recently starred in season 2 of the award winning web series ANDROID EMPLOYED. After many years on screen, she’s decided to embark on a writer/director/producer career as many years on set has shown her the lack of representation in front and behind the camera.

Viv Leacock

Born in Montreal and based in Vancouver, Viv Leacock has been part of the acting scene for almost 20 years. His big break came in 2002, in the Eddie Murphy action comedy, I Spy, where he was personally chosen by his comedic idol to play his right-hand man. Following this role, Viv continued his comedy work on a number of film and tv shows including Intern Academy, Are we There Yet? and Are we Done Yet?, Hot Tub Time Machine, and This Means War (Chris Pine, Tom Hardy and Reese Witherspoon). Viv would earn a Leo nomination for best supporting actor in a dramatic role in the environmental thriller The Thaw starring Val Kilmer. One of his notable characters in BBC America’s Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Viv plays Gripps, one of the members of the ballistic band of misfits called “The Rowdy 3”. Viv also had the privilege and pleasure working with The Green Book‘s, Peter Farrelly, for 3 seasons on a hilarious series called Loudermilk, following the lives of an AA group led by Ron Livingston.

In Netflix’s juggernaut, Lost In Space, starring Toby Stephens, Molly Parker and Parker Posey, Viv portrays Reese, one of the colonists trying to find new planet to call home. As a long-time member of the Hallmark film and tv family, Viv plays Detective Fincher Garland on Hailey Dean Mysteries alongside Kellie Martin. Switching up the time period, you can find Viv and two of his children, Vienna and Elias, in the upcoming season of When Calls The Heart, one of Hallmark’s longest running series.

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