Its one of those ironies that makes you think the gods are having a little fun with you. Or maybe, just maybe, theyre trying to teach you something.
Jodi Balfour was in the midst of a dry spell in her acting career when she decided that I needed my life to have meaning somewhere else. Instead of being caught up in the ego-punishing quest for the next role, she joined two fellow South Africans and opened Nelson the Seagull in Gastown. Together they had a lot of fun creating a place with tons of genuine charm but no pretensions. No one cared if Balfours hair wasnt perfect when she came to work; no one was critiquing her to see if she was the right person to be pouring their coffee. Instead of thinking about herself, she immersed herself in thinking about others.
And thats when the call came. She was being considered for a lead role in Global TVs inaugural season of Bomb Girls. She was flown to Toronto for a screen test and shortly after that, she was back in Toronto for a nine-week stint playing Gladys in the Second World War drama.
The final episode of the first season aired last month; now shes learned that Bomb Girls has been picked up for a second season, this time with 12 episodes. It means that Balfour will be flying the coop at Nelson the Seagull for six months this fall.
Yes, somewhere in the struggle to figure out how shes going to balance her two equally busy jobs, Balfour knows theres an important lesson about how to go about getting what you want in life. Let your dream go and then, because youve made your peace with its departure, watch it fly right back at you.
Such patience doesnt come naturally.
Sometimes I have an incredible sense of haste, she says, sitting at one of the tables that her partners, siblings Lee and Jonathan Snelgar, made by hand for Nelson the Seagull. Ive known I wanted to act since I was young and Ive always felt this sense of urgency.
Now 24, when she was a girl she judged herself against Dakota Fanning. Then, in later years, it was Carey Mulligan who became her professional benchmark. But those two actresses were always so far ahead of her; how on earth could she catch up? That internal pressure to succeed is one of the things that made her turn to the emotional oasis of the café. And now shes got to leave it for six months because her career is starting to gain speed.
Thats not as traumatic a transition as it sounds. Not only does Balfour love her role as Gladys but just like at Nelson the Seagull, theres a sense of love, common goals and teamwork on the set.
I fell in love with Gladys, Balfour says with her soft South African accent. Gladys is the daughter of an influential Toronto businessman. Suffocating in her social straightjacket and sensing there is more to life, Gladys gets a job in a munitions factory. Gladys has so much strength and courage, almost despite herself some time. Ive always admired people like her who have the ability to be brazen, Balfour says. Yet at the same time shes got a humungous heart. Shes completely flawed but she genuinely always sets out to do things for good reasons.
When she was in Toronto filming the first season, it was for a relatively short time so she stayed put, essentially cutting herself off from Nelson the Seagulls day-to-day happenings. Even though shell be in Toronto for a longer period of time filming the second season, she hopes to fit in trips to Vancouver. She doesnt want to go from 100 per cent commitment to long absences to coming back for more full time commitment. Id like to find a way to stay on top of how things are going.
Nelson the Seagull is in a constant state of metamorphosis. It got its name from a folk song the three partners knew in Cape Town. During apartheid, no one was allowed to broadcast Nelson Mandelas name and the song, The seagulls name was Nelson became a quiet ode to the jailed hero.
Balfour and the Snelgars started out wanting to brew good coffee and then they got passionate about bread and then they fell in love with the space at 315 Carrall. I cant tell you how much joy this space has brought me, Balfour says, looking out at the room. In the back theres a huge wooden table where freshly-baked loaves of bread are cooling. There are a couple of large, communal tables, a couch, some comfy chairs and a scattering of small tables. Some people are engaged in animated conversation while others immerse themselves in books or their computer screens. Three women at one table seem to be having a business meeting.
That night, the tables were going to be pushed to the side to make room for a yoga class led by Alex Mazerolle. Shed been coming every Monday night for a staff yoga class and then they decided to host another class on Wednesday night for the first 20 people to sign up. Its part of their goal to foster a sense of community and its why Balfour doesnt want to cut herself off from the place where she feels so at home.
I definitely am so grateful for the life Im starting to create but I have a larger thirst, she says of whats compelling her forward. Life would be so relaxing if I let some things go but I guess thats the nature of my character.
I kind of have another dream life thats kind of silly to have a small holding somewhere rural, to strip life as bare as it can be when Im not working.
