IN CONVERSATION WITH NADINE BHABHA & KSENIA DANIELA KHARLAMOVA
interview by JANA LETONJA
Nadine Bhabha and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova represent two dynamic sides of a new creative generation, artists whose careers extend far beyond the confines of a single discipline. Nadine, an award-winning writer, actor, and producer, moves fluidly between screen and script, shaping bold, female-driven narratives while delivering standout performances in projects like HBO Max’s global phenomenon ‘Heated Rivalry’ and ‘Letterkenny’. Ksenia Daniela, a Canadian Screen Award–nominated actress and sought-after model, brings depth and intensity to every role, from ‘Robyn Hood’ to ‘The Boys’, grounded by early theatre training and a global sensibility, and will next star in Amazon’s ‘Sterling Point’. Having both starred in ‘Heated Rivalry’, a series that ignited a devoted international fanbase, the two come together as a modern creative force—fearless, multifaceted, and redefining what it means to build a career in today’s industry.
‘Heated Rivalry’ became a global phenomenon with an incredibly passionate fanbase. What do you each think resonated so deeply with audiences about the series?
Nadine: We love unadulterated joy. The way I describe the show is, Episodes 1 and 2 are like being in the back of a race car. Episode 3 switches gears and introduces a rom-com element. Episode 4 is a tragedy. Episode 5 is one of the best episodes of TV, a gut punch of bliss, and then Episode 6 is an aperitivo, a port, if you will. This brilliant structure is addictive and allows investment in character and story in a way we don't often get nowadays.
Ksenia: I think one of the reasons the series resonated so deeply with so many people is, first and foremost, the intimate characters and the authentic feelings that they express. It feels very real, the characters feel very real, the things they go through feel very real. But one of the other reasons I think the show did so well is just because of how good it looks. The cinematography is so stunning. Our DOP, Jackson Parrell, did such a good job. Honestly, you could watch the show on mute and it would still be such a stunning show to watch. But yeah, I think it's a mix of that, the stunning cinematography and also the amazing, grounded performances and the beautiful story.
KSENIA: dress GUCCI at VSP CONSIGNMENT
NADINE: set FENDI
Having both been part of this huge show, how did that experience shape your perspective on collaboration, visibility, and the kind of projects you want to pursue moving forward?
Nadine: Collaboration is king. This business is a group effort and even though Jacob wrote and directed everything, he leads with a sense of space for his cast and crew to do what they do best to contribute to vision. When I get the chance to showrun, Jacob's approach to collaboration is my north star. I'm always in pursuit of projects that are fun to work on, have a great story at the heart of it, and get to showcase my range as an actor. All three in one? Heaven.
Ksenia: I think this project was so beautiful and grounded and authentic, and I think I want to keep doing projects like that for the rest of my career. Something that just feels real and nuanced and grounded. I just want to continue doing that, no matter which genre that is, as long as it has some feeling of authenticity and being real.
Nadine, you move seamlessly between writing, producing, and acting. How does being behind the scenes influence your performances?
I know how the sausage is made so I don't just show up as an actor. I think the way our business can be set up is actors have little knowledge of the full picture and a lot of say, so there's a bit of tunnel vision that can happen. Because I have the experience of zooming out, I'm less precious with my acting work.
dress CHANEL at VSP CONSIGNMENT
Ksenia, you began acting at a young age and trained in theatre before transitioning fully to screen. How did that foundation shape your approach?
I grew up doing community theater, doing theater with my mom back in Russia. Theater is so beautiful, it’s such a beautiful way to tell stories. It's so captivating because it's live and it's right in front of you. Something that I’ve always admired about theater actors is how their audience is in front of them. To me, that's so intimidating. Now as an adult, I think I have more of a fear of theater than I did as a kid. But it laid a very nice foundation of, well first of all, learning your lines very well and being on top of that, but also just being very present in the moment no matter who's looking. Just being present, I think, is something that I took away from theater.
full look HERMES
What do you both look for in a role before committing—emotion, challenge, or cultural impact?
Nadine: I don't think I could expect cultural impact from anything. You never know what will cut through the noise. I look for these things: Is this character within my wheelhouse? If not, will this be a fun challenge or make me go insane? Will this be fun to do? And then my writer brain turns on and I track her journey. If all these elements feel right, I'm in.
Ksenia: Honestly, as long as the character seems like a real person, I'm super down. I don't like very perfect characters. I think all characters should be like real people in the sense that they're not too perfect and they're not too flawed. At least the ones I want to play, I want them to just be real people and I want them to feel like real people. So I guess on an emotion side, I just want them to feel as authentic as possible and carry the story forward in an authentic, nuanced way.
full look HERMES
Nadine, your work often centers on sharp, female-driven narratives. Why do those stories feel so urgent to tell right now?
Wanting to portray layered women is evergreen. As Chaka Khan says, “I'm every woman, it's all in me!” So when I see flat female characters, I'm like “Bro, have you ever met a woman?” Since the dawn of the movies we've seen male characters run the gamut of the human condition, and in the last few decades we've only started to crack this for women too.
Ksenia, many of your characters carry emotional intensity. How do you prepare for roles that require vulnerability?
I think being a person just requires vulnerability. I think if you are authentic to who you are, if you love other people, if you show up for other people in your life, that carries emotional intensity. For a role like this, where there are these themes of love and loss and being there for each other and being yourself, I think it's important to carry that essence of emotional realness to the role and authenticity. I don't know if I do much to prepare, I just try to be a real person as the character.
How do each of you navigate creative control in an industry that doesn’t always make space for nuance?
Nadine: I think you can only control what makes you happy. You can give the performance of a lifetime on set and it gets cut weird, or some outside force turns the project into something you're not proud of or any number of reasons that you can't control. Do what feels good for you and then let it go.
Ksenia: I think it's important to speak up for yourself if you're an actor. If there is something you think the character would do, or have, or look a certain way, I think it's always important to bring that up. Even if someone says "No" to that idea, it's good to be heard. For example, with this role, there were certain things where I was like, "She would wear this" or "She wouldn't wear that," or with makeup or with hair. There were certain aspects that I really wanted a little bit of a say in, and I'm very glad that I got heard. In film and TV, everyone kind of has their own department—hair, makeup, costumes—and as an actor, sometimes it feels like so many things are done for you. I think it's important that if there is something you want to add to the character or something that would make your performance better, it's always important to speak up for yourself.
You both come from culturally rich backgrounds. How has heritage shaped your artistic identity?
Nadine: This is always a tricky question for me. I was born and raised in Toronto, the most culturally diverse city in the world. So, I saw myself reflected back in the streets and on my screen. Canadian TV has been on the better side of diversity for a while now. I've had an "Oh I can do this!" attitude my whole life. That said, I'm constantly underestimated and being pigeonheld to be the ambassador for a specific cultural lens, one that people need me to name, though my background is layered and mixed, and I find that frustrating. So, as an artist, I stay committed to creating in a way that is for me and not to satisfy the expectations laid out for me by the powers that be.
Ksenia: Well, I have always wanted to play a Russian-speaking character and honestly, I thought it would take so much longer than it did just because I feel like I don't look like a stereotypical Eastern European Slavic girl, even though I am half. I just thought it would take longer for someone to trust me in a sense, almost. I’m so happy it happened so fast and so soon in my career because my heritage is so important to me. It’s my first language and it’s so amazing to be able to learn a script, memorize sides, and deliver these beautiful scenes and see them play out in my native language.
top RODARTE at VSP CONSIGNMENT
skirt SIEDRÉS at VSP CONSIGNMENT
Nadine, you’ve built community through Hot Pilot Party. Why is creating space for emerging voices important to you?
Oh man, how much time do you have? Fostering emerging talent and building community are the most important aspects of entertainment to me. It's like I'm hosting a big house party and want to talk to every single person at it. There are so many funny, talented people and not everyone gets their toe in the door. Good people simply must meet good people. And then we need to believe in people once they've proven themselves. That is the only way to get a show like a ‘Heated Rivalry’.
dress GUCCI at VSP CONSIGNMENT
Ksenia, modeling and acting often demand different kinds of presence. How do those worlds inform one another for you?
Through modeling, honestly. I think I've become more confident in myself just through modeling for the last four or five years. Modeling just feels like creating a character who can model. It just feels like acting. I remember when I started I was like, "It's a little weird to be in front of a camera," but I was like, "Let me pretend I know how to do this". I acted like I knew how to do it and it was really fun. I also think modeling has helped my acting because you know what you look like on camera, you know what you look like when you make a certain expression or when you turn this way or that way. It's not that I'm actively thinking about how I look when I'm acting, but it's almost like a good basis for setting a good scene. There's a good physicality through modeling that I bring with me to acting.
What have been your most defining career moments so far, and why?
Nadine: Booking ‘Letterkenny’ changed my life in ways I can't even begin to articulate. I met people on that show that are my best friends, it is a gift that keeps on giving. It's where I met Jacob and Brendan Brady, and I learned so much about the industry from watching the leaders of that show do their thing. Beyond that, working in my first writers room almost 10 years ago, at the bottom of the food chain, and being told I'm good at my job. I'm incredibly lucky that despite getting a ton of NOs in my life, the YESes were loud and clear.
Ksenia: I think the show, of course, and playing this character has been a very big career-defining moment. I'm just getting started, so hopefully it keeps going as well as this has been going. Another defining moment was being nominated for a CSA a couple of years ago. That felt very nice, to be recognized by fellow Canadians. More recently, I was just at the SAG-AFTRA Awards and that was so much fun. I was in a room with so many people that I’ve watched for years, and I didn't have any sort of imposter syndrome about it. It just felt great to be in that room with so many talented people.
set FENDI
dress FENDI
How do you both protect your creativity from burnout?
Nadine: Stop when you need to stop. Just hang out with your friends and family, go to the movies, eat good food, sit in the sun. But seriously, being an artist can't be the most interesting part about you. You need to live a life in order to draw on things for roles and ideas. The best remedy for burnout is stopping for a hot minute.
Ksenia: I think I'm a naturally creative person, not just with acting, but in general. I really love the arts, music, film. I think it's important to get creativity from many different things. When you're not actively working, I think it's still so important to absorb art and inspiration, watch old movies, watch films from the 1920s, watch movies from Korea, expand your horizons. Also, read books. I feel like my generation maybe hasn't been reading as much, and I think that’s also really important for creativity. I think if you do those things, you'll feel great mentally and physically, and you'll feel replenished enough to conquer anything.
I think I'm a naturally creative person, not just with acting, but in general. I really love the arts, music, film. I think it's important to draw creativity from many different sources. When you're not actively working, I think it's still so important to absorb art and inspiration, watch old movies, watch films from the 1920s, watch international and foreign films, and expand your horizons. Also, read books!! I feel like my generation maybe hasn't been reading as much, and I think that’s also really important for creativity. I think if you do those things, you'll feel great mentally and physically, and you'll feel replenished enough to conquer anything.
dress CHANEL at VSP CONSIGNMENT
Looking ahead, what excites you most about the next chapter of your careers?
Nadine: I just want to keep meeting cool people, cooking up things that make people happy, and supporting myself while doing it. The fact that I can be an entertainer and it makes me and others feel good is mindblowing to me.
Ksenia: I'm super excited for ‘Heated Rivalry’ season two. I'm so excited for all the things that could possibly happen in the future. I feel like it's all just begun and I'm very excited for what's to happen in the future, and I hope people keep tuning in for season two.
TEAM CREDITS:
talents KSENIA DANIELA KHARLAMOVA and NADINE BHABHA
photography and creative direction AMANI YASMIN
styling JACLYN BONAVOTA at Cadre Artists
hair JASON LEE at Cadre Artists
makeup ROBERT WEIR at Cadre Artists
photography assistant DELALI COFIE
styling assistant VANESSA LIPANI
bts KAREN GARZON with Cadre Artists
casting ANDREA EVANS at Cadre Artists
editor TIMI LETONJA
interview JANA LETONJA
