Christine Horne stars in the play The Road to Paradise.
Fresh off her role in the Afghanistan-set war film Hyena Road, Christine Horne is back in the line of fire in The Road to Paradise, a play about three families torn apart by war. We spoke to the Aurora-born actress during a a break in rehearsals.
You starred in Paul Gross's new Afghanistan-set war film Hyena Road and now you're on stage with The Road to Paradise, a play about a child suicide bomber in Pakistan, a Canadian soldier in Kandahar and an Afghan immigrant in Toronto. Is the similar content a coincidence?
It is. I saw Hyena Road a year ago. I feel like I've been talking a lot about it. It was at TIFF this fall, so I was back in this world doing press for it. And now into this play. It's interesting thinking about it again.
Is there something about the subject matter that the play and the film share that drew you to them, or do you just think about the roles?
I like things that are challenging. I like things that are emotionally intense. It's about the people, almost more than the subject matter. It's a fascinating world – so not my life. It's been an interesting education this year, certainly.
I spoke with Canadian war photographer Louie Palu recently about Kandahar Journals, a new documentary based on his experiences in Afghanistan. He felt that many Canadians were unaware of the extent of the involvement of Canadian soldiers over there. Do you get the same sense?
I feel like you either know a lot and that you are well versed and know the political landscape very well or that people, like myself, know only what you see on the news – the cursory stuff. The people I spoke with after making Hyena Road were military people mostly. The feedback was that they felt respectfully and accurately represented. The play is different. It focuses on Pakistan, Afghanistan and [the Canadian military base at] Petawawa. So there are more perspectives to it. I'm curious to see what people think of it.
Can you talk about the satisfaction that comes with being involved in projects like these?
It does feel like a worthy endeavour. It's nice to feel a part of it. In the cast of The Road to Paradise we have the actress Parwin Mushtael. Part of the play is based on her life. So it feels important to be telling real stories and to be giving voice to that.
Let's talk about Parwin Mushtael, an Afghan actress and refugee who came to Canada six years ago after her husband was murdered. She and her family had been harassed and targeted by people who didn't think a woman should be an actress. I guess if you needed a reminder on how real the play is, all you have to do is look across the stage at her, right?
She suffered great tragedy, because of being an actress in Afghanistan. And here I am, an actress who gets to do this and nobody is going to kill my family because I'm a woman acting. It's an incredible perspective on this job that I get to do.
The Road to Paradise runs until Nov. 28. $20 to $37. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St., 416-975-8555 or buddiesinbadtimes.com.
Brad Wheeler