Meet Matthew Winter (but you can call him Matt). Matt is a third year undergrad at Simon Fraser University who is studying theatre performance at the School for Contemporary Arts. He identifies as being a feminist, a dog-lover, a traveler, and a creative artist who specializes in acting.
I recently had the amazing opportunity to sit down with Matt, and let me tell you, this kid is phenomenal. I guess “kid” really isn’t the right word to use. Matt Winter is a straight-up man. The beauty about Matt (other than his obvious rugged good looks, luscious hair, and beautiful scruff) is that there’s just so much to him. So without further ado, I give you (officially) Matthew Cameron Winter.
Matt is one of those people who you meet and are like, “OMG, I need to be friends with him.” There is simply no alternative. Presently, I vaunt the notion that, “Ha! I was friends with him first, so I win.” (I guess it’s important to note that we’ve been friends for almost 9 years now, ergo, winning.) Matt’s ambition, loyalty, selflessness, charm, natural wit, strength, and incredible work ethic inspire me every day. Simply put, Matt Winter is the kind of person who challenges you to become the person he already believes you to be.
When Matt and I met for his interview, he looked like he literally walked straight out of a Vogue magazine. He simply and effortlessly emanates style—from his brown high-top sneakers with the tan stitching to his charcoal toque, he will make you swoon.
So Matt, Matthew, Matty, who are you?
“I am a boy…okay, okay! I think I’m a feminist. Yeah. My views definitely align with feminism. I haven’t interacted with many men who are feminists, it’s just all so unspoken. I mean what it comes down to is general equality. But that’s exactly what feminism is all about. I’m taking a class right now on feminist action – it proposes that feminism isn’t only one-way.”
Have you had these views your whole life?
“No. But I’ve always been cautious of masculinity and the Western ideals of a man, in how men interact with other men, what the male standard is, and what the conventional image of a man should be. I’m reading this book right now that is based in Finland in the late 1900s. There was this movement that empowered women…”
It is at this point that Matt takes out a book from his backpack, searching for a specific excerpt. As he opens the book, a plethora of orange highlighting immediately overwhelms my senses. You can’t argue with Matt’s intent and passion. It’s infectious, stunning, and utterly intoxicating. His thoughts become my own as I hear him talk so intensely and fervidly. He continues:
“Okay, great! So this is an excerpt from the book Global Feminism: Transnational Women’s Activism, Organization, and Human Rights: ‘In the 1970’s a new kind of women’s movement emerged that spoke about women’s liberation instead of equality. The aim of this movement was not to get women into the power positions within male hierarchal structures but to dismantle that kind of power. The suppression of women was just one mode of operation of capitalist industrial society. In this view it did not make sense to struggle for equality in this kind of structure, women had to strive for change in the structure of roles for men and women.’
What was my point again? Right! So, it all comes back to one thing: equality.”
Personally, I’ve never met a man who publicly identifies as a feminist. Correct me if I’m wrong, but there’s this notion of shame, of feeling forced to act a certain way. What are your thoughts?
“I think it’s crippling. It cripples relationships when people feel forced to act a certain way. Like when a guy says to another guy, “You’re acting like such a girl right now,” it creates this estrangement that shouldn’t exist in the first place…it’s like crossing your legs. If a guy crosses his legs, in my opinion, it is associated with a feminist action. This same association can be made for women. If a woman’s legs are uncrossed, then it’s like, “be a lady.” Similar to the convention of color, blue is associated with masculinity and pink is associated with femininity. But when I was younger, I liked pink…and I played with dolls. I haven’t said that often. When I was younger I asked my grandma for a Ken doll for my birthday. When I opened it up at my birthday party my friends exclaimed, “You got a Barbie?! Eww!” and I[‘ve] always felt so ashamed of that. There’s a little brink in shift, because it’s hard to unwrite years and years of Western perception. But kids should be able to play with whatever they want, and be able to express themselves in a healthy way without being ashamed of it.”
What do you hope to enact for social change?
“I want to see less shaming of boys on their interests. I hope to see more liberal action with that. I would like to see more people who come from white privilege to be aware of the privilege they have. I just want people to be aware of the consequences and circumstance of their actions. And for Christ’s sake, I want men to stop using women as objects. Like the objectification of women, it makes me want to puke everywhere. Please. Everyone has a mother, see what she has done for you.”
Before the last syllable leaves his mouth, Matt has pushed his chair back with the momentum of standing up and begins to pace back and forth.
“Did you know that in Finland they have no word for gender! They have ZERO word.”
Really?
“Yeah! They don’t have a word that can be translated to gender in English.”
Matt grabs for his backpack and unzips it faster than I can process what is happening. He pulls out the aforementioned book Global Feminism: Transnational Women’s Activism, Organization, and Human Rights, and begins to recite a passage:
“‘Although the English term “gender” is impossible to translate to a single word in Finnish, research on gender roles started early in Finland.’ But yeah, there’s no word. Amazing.
Changing gears, Matt then proceeds to tell me about how about a month ago he spent 5 days writing a play.
What?! That’s exciting! What’s it about?
“I readapted and retold Adam and Eve how I wanted it to be told. Cole Lewis, a professor at Simon Fraser University (she’s incredible), suggested that I portray Eve as being the aggressor. Think about it, how different would the world be? I’m in the process of reworking and restructuring it right now.”
You recently starred in Simon Fraser’s School for Contemporary Arts’ Directing Projects. You were cast as Roland in the gorgeous two-character drama, Constellations, directed by Danielle Lavallee. How was this experience for you?
“It was… remarkable. It was extremely, extremely challenging. Extremely intimidating because when I traveled to London earlier this year, it was playing there. Ruth Wilson and Jake Gyllenhaal starred in the drama in London. Knowing this, it was interesting that I had the opportunity to do this play. It is a brilliant story, and I came in recognizing that I needed to do it justice. My director, Danielle Lavallee, called it an “actors play”—as being reliant on the actor’s performance.”
Did you get the opportunity to watch “Constellations” while in London?
“I did not, no. And I’m glad that I didn’t! I don’t like watching how other actors embody a character I have been cast as. It forms an imprint on me. It gives me this image of how it should be done and leaves little room for interpretation.”
How do you feel when you’re on stage?
“How do I feel? I feel…present. I feel so…in the moment. I feel…so alive, like I’m actually living in this manufactured reality. When I talk about my character, I say ‘I.’ The character is me. I am the character.”
With all this being said, what can we expect from Matthew Winter in the future? After he completes his Bachelors in Theatre Performance at SFU, Matt plans to move to London where he will acquire a Master of Fine Arts in theatre or acting. Seriously, keep an ear out for this up-and-coming actor, people! Matt’s unbelievable ambition, paired with his incredible work ethic, serve to propel him forward—towards a bright, promising, and equitable future.
But Matt, please, do not forget us little people. Okay?