Billy Merasty

My name is Billy Merasty, I’m Cree from Northern Manitoba. Born and raised in a remote isolated community called Brochet, and I arrived here 30 years ago.

I’ve been making my living as an actor for 25 years now officially this fall, so I’m very proud of the fact that I’m celebrating 25 years making my living in theatre, film and television.

English is not my first language, Cree is my first language. I was raised in a Cree community, in a Cree family, so one of the things I had to overcome was this accent, and as well, to speak clearly, with clarity, to be understood, because as an actor, you wish to be understood more readily and clearly.

It is important to grow as an artist, to grow in this medium, in this craft, and to always study other people’s work, whether it’s in film, see a movie, study the work, the directing, the style it is, the acting. And you go to see a play, you study the work as well, how people work. And I must say that of all the mediums, theatre is my ultimate favorite, because, it’s real life, and its tougher, because once the show starts, live theatre, you can’t just stop and say, “Oh can we start over again?” You just have to continue, and there’s this energy that builds up that is unmatched in other mediums, and you get the satisfaction ultimately. And when you can fill the room just by breathing and conveying your character’s story, it’s just an incredible experience, an incredible world.

Drive comes from self discovery, and it comes from you own honesty, and from all your experiences, and how you put into practice what you’ve been taught. It’s an accumulation of all different levels, but believing in yourself is absolutely critical, because if you’re going to deliver the truth, you have to believe in that truth, and the truth comes from within. All your inspirations come from within, all those experiences, and it’s always a good idea to build that experience, too. You just have to believe in yourself.