As host of Street Eats, Sora scours the city of Toronto and its outskirts to bring you the best in regional food-to-go. Along the way, she introduces you to chefs and restaurateurs from around the world who now call Toronto home.
As a Canadian actor with a diverse background, Sora represents the many faces of this country. UC411 recently caught up with the Eurasian actress on MSN to discuss her rise in television, film, and theatre, as well as a 20 year search for the perfect croissant:
UC411: I saw something on the net that said you've been on a quest to find the perfect croissant for over 2 decades.
Sora: yup
UC411: Why a croissant?
Sora: i love croissants!
UC411: lol did you ever find the perfect croissant?
Sora: not yet, pretty close though... I think i may need to go to paris soon
UC411: ahh yes...Paris would be home to the perfect croissant
Sora: maybe. the croissant was actually created in Hungary.
UC411: i had no idea
Sora: they made this crescent shaped bread to celebrate after the Turks invaded. Then it travelled across Europe where the French picked it up and refined it with lots of Beurrrreee!
UC411: Wow who knew. So you started your travels in Ottawa, and you've traveled to Budapest, across Europe, and to Asia, landing in Vancouver. What made you decide Vancouver?
Sora: I’d never been there before and it was the most interesting place in Canada for me at the time
UC411: and why VFS? did you realize during your travels that you want to study film?
Sora: i've known since i was little that i wanted to act. i had friends who recommended vfs
UC411: from VFS to Concordia...how did the 2 schools differ?
Sora: VFS is by the ocean. Concordia is by grunge.
UC411: study-wise was there a noticeable difference between teaching styles, curriculum, grading, etc between the 2 schools? private and public
Sora: there was... being a university, concordia was more academic so we had a lot of papers to write and group projects to work on. VFS was very much “acting" program where we started the day breathing for 2 hours then flopping around pretending to be "fire" for the rest of the day... we learned a lot about being "organic" actors.
UC411: two very different experiences
Sora: yes. and i enjoyed them both.
UC411: your journey took you from student to teacher when you moved back to Ottawa and spent 5 years teaching at an all girls school. What prompted that decision, and how was the transition?
Sora: the teaching job somehow fell in my lap so i went with it... it was far better than being an actor working in a restaurant. i absolutely loved those years as a teacher. I think (and hope) that i made it fun for my students... i was never a happy student and never really liked school so it was a great opportunity for me to help the kids who didn't want to be there.
UC411: did you do any acting while teaching?
Sora: i did. i would do as much theatre as possible, and i worked doing some commercial and corporate work when i could squeeze it in.
UC411: thats a full plate. I imagine both are full time jobs. So season 2 of Street Eats launches soon, prime time i might add, what can we expect to be different from season 1?
Sora: There have been a few changes that i think make the show a lot more fun... we've incorporated dancing, yummy cocktails and some other delights to highlight the cultures that we focus on for each show. and a few little surprises that i'll keep secret for now...
UC411: cool…any especially memorable experiences from season2?
Sora: ! I get to eat a really weird egg and smooch a really cute guy!
UC411: lol perks
UC411: acting appears to be a very competitive field. How do you stay ahead of the competition?
Sora: the only person i feel like i'm competing with is myself... i'm constantly pushing myself to reach my goals.
UC411: what is the best part of your job?
Sora: the best part is that i love it. i love acting. and i love connecting with people.
UC411: are there any struggles that you deal with on a daily basis?
Sora: i always feel like i'm not doing enough. i struggle with allowing myself to relax!
UC411: what do you say to students who are interesting in pursuing a career in acting...and what steps do you recommend a student take to help them be successful
Sora: i say do it. always actively pursue your interests. And i always recommend just talking to people. get in touch with professionals and don't be afraid to ask them questions. people are always willing to help and provide any information you want
UC411: do students need an education or training to be successful actors, or can your talent, determination, and networking get you there?
Sora: I believe you need training. It's definatly a life-long learning process. Even the best continue to train.
UC411: just a few more Qs. If you weren’t acting, is there another career you would love to pursue? And if you were to go back to school what would you study?
Sora: If i weren't acting, i'd open a bakery and create the perfect croissant. And if i went back to school i'd take industrial design.
UC411: theyre so different. Is one passion and the other interest?
Sora: both passions.
UC411: k. What's a typical day like for Sora Olah?
Sora: today, i woke up, took the dog to the park, had a delicious lunch, did a fun msn interview and will soon be on my way to meet a theatre friend for cake & coffee.
UC411: nice day!
UC411: imagine if you will your dream role...describe the story, your role, and the 2 actors you would most want to work with
Sora: I'd be playing the lead with philip seymour hoffmann and angelina jolie and we'd be super agents in a gourmet setting.
UC411: haha nice!
UC411: is there a motto you live your life by?
Sora: live through love!!
UC411: thanks so much for your time!
Sora: thank YOU very much! this was great.
Street Eats has just finished filming Season II and is going primetime in January, 2007. Sora is still in search of the perfect croissant.
