Torri Webster, 18, is best known for her role as Tess Foster on YTV’s Life with Boys. With the show having come to a close, Webster is pursuing her first-year at Ryerson’s Creative Industries program.
Her Campus: You played the lead role of Tess Foster on YTV’s Life with Boys. How did you land the role, and what was the overall process like?
Torri Webster: I started doing musical theatre when I was a kid and grew up on stage. That was kind of my outlet; it was theatre, not really film and television. As I got older, I started dabbling in film and television and I got an agent. Then when I was about 14, I auditioned for Life with Boys. It wasn’t easy; I went to about 18 auditions for Life with Boys. They just kept calling me back and calling me back, and then I finally booked it. I did two seasons, which was 40 episodes, while I was doing school on set but it was an awesome experience.
Her Campus: Since Life with Boys has now ended, will we be seeing you on any forthcoming TV shows? Do you currently have any acting projects you’re working on?
Torri Webster: I finished filming Life with Boys but I am doing a new pilot TV show. I can’t give too much information about it but I’m working on another sitcom and still auditioning for stuff. My main focus now is school.
HC: Did you always know that acting was something you wanted to do when you were younger?
TW: Yeah, I think I knew I was passionate about it. I didn’t necessarily know getting into it what it was going to entail since I was young. It’s not as glamourous as it may seem and it’s a lot of work. A lot of people see it as glamorous, and the truth of it is that it’s long hours and hard work. But if you’re passionate about it, it’s definitely worth it, 100 per cent. That would also be my advice, to know what you’re getting yourself into and try and get experience so that you know that it’s not just about the red carpets and about the social media and all the glamour that comes with it. I feel like that’s a little bit of a fallacy around the whole industry. I mean, I love it. I’m just saying for people that may be getting into it, just go in with your eyes open. But it’s a wonderful industry.
HC: You attended a regular school as opposed to homeschooling. At the time, how did you manage to cope with both school and filming?
TW: I went to an arts school in Scarborough called Wexford [Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts]. I was in a normal school and studied musical theatre through high school, well, in and out while I was there and when I was filming. When I first started, I was 14 and then by the time we wrapped, we had a long time between seasons so I might’ve been somewhere between 16 and 17. I was in and out for a few semesters but I was in high school for probably two to two and a half years overall. The other two and a half, I was on set. It would be six months on set, six months in school, that kind of thing. So I definitely had some of a normal high school experience.
HC: You were awarded the Young Artist Award for the Best Performance in a TV Series – Leading Young Actress. How was that experience?
TW: It was very funny. I went to L.A. just kind of like a shot in the dark thinking, you know whatever, I have a friend there. My co-star actually lives in L.A. so I was like, oh I’ll just stay with her, we’ll have a fun weekend and I’ll go to the award show – not thinking anything of it. And then I won, and I had to go up and give a thank you speech and I had nothing prepared. I said, okay, if I ever win an Oscar I have to have something good prepared because I was just standing on stage and I said “thank you so much and I have nothing to say, thank you.”
HC: Have you gotten a chance to meet other actors/celebrities through your show?
TW: I’ve had my fair share of meeting people, which has been fun, mostly when I’m in L.A. The networking in Toronto isn’t as great as in L.A. but I’ve met a lot of really nice and talented people over the years and it’s been really cool.
HC: Since Life with Boys had a younger demographic of fans, do you still get recognized on campus?
TW: I do, it’s very interesting. People that are older, I want to say like grade 9. I guess because it’s that whole thing where they grow up alongside you. I was in H&M, just at Dundas Square, the other day and these girls jumped on me and they were like, “oh we’re in Grade 9, we love your show!” And I was like oh, that’s pretty old. I guess because they would have been in like Grade 6 or 7 when it came out, it’s funny.
HC: What advice would you give other students at Ryerson who wish to pursue acting in the future?
TW: I think the biggest thing would just be getting yourself out there. I think a really important thing is networking and getting to know people and really putting yourself out there. Then you make that connection and that’s really important – to make an impression when you’re meeting people. I think working hard, staying humble and following what you’re into would be my best advice.
HC: Being a campus celebrity, do you think it’s been harder for you to make friends?
TW: No, I wouldn’t say harder. For the most part, when I meet people their first impression wouldn’t be that I act. 18 to 22 year olds wouldn’t necessarily be the demographic that watched the show and that’s refreshing for me. I like that, but I mean obviously as they get to know me, they’ll go on my Instagram and be like uh who are you? For the most part, everyone’s very normal about it and they’ll just laugh about the show. Once you get to know me you realize I’m very normal and it’s easy to differentiate the world of acting and me as a person.
HC: Where do you see yourself 10 years down the road? Is acting still something you want to do in the future, or are you leaning more towards the field of creative industries?
TW: I wouldn’t necessarily set that in stone. I think I want to dabble in a bunch of different things. I’m in the creative industries program here at Ryerson, so obviously I’m really interested in the business side of the industry as well. My module isn’t film so I’m taking classes in film but it’s theoretical, more of the other side of the camera. To be a well-rounded performer you have to know every side of it anyways. And so, just working in that direction, not necessarily acting 100 per cent, although I definitely still love it and pursue it. I’m just feeling out my options because I’m young. I will definitely work in the creative industries, whether it means I’m doing marketing, public relations, communications, fashion, or film. Whatever direction I go in, I definitely want to work in the creative industries because that’s my personality. I want to live and be working in New York City so that’s kind of my 10 year goal. I would say after university I’ll maybe be creating my own work for a bit or working for a cool company if I can get a settled job. I’ll be getting experience in the field because I don’t think I want to do a master’s degree. But at this point, I can’t say for sure because I don’t know. Maybe by fourth year I’ll be like, I’m going to law school. Things change so we’ll see!
HC: Who is the main inspiration behind your success? Is there someone in particular you look up to as your role model?
TW: I think my dad is a huge role model for me. He’s an entrepreneur and he ‘started from the bottom’ to quote Drake. And then also, Sarah Jessica Parker is the number one ‘New York City girl’ inspiration.
HC: Did you have a film background prior to starting your acting career?
TW: No, not at all, my mom is a music teacher. So I mean I had a musical background I guess, but my dad’s in development, so it has nothing to do with entertainment. But just his overall morals of following what you love and working hard and networking, that kind of stuff really came from him.
HC: What made you choose Ryerson University?
TW: This sounds really cheesy…I don’t think I chose Ryerson, I think Ryerson chose me. It was not my first choice. I was interested in the Creative Industries program but I was really trying to go to NYU for theatre. That was kind of my goal in grade 12, and then I auditioned. I flew to New York, but I did not get accepted to NYU…I was just broken.And then I started going back through my options because I was like, I want to stay in Canada now. That was the only American university I had applied to and it was for theatre. I knew I was really interested in the Creative Industries and the business side and then I was like, well maybe I didn’t want to go to school for musical theatre anyways. I did it all through high school, I have professional experience in the field and maybe I should do something new. So I started looking back through the programs and I looked at Queen’s and Western and the classic schools.I got my acceptances and I just kind of had to decide where to go. I went on the Ryerson website and I was just really looking into the Creative Industries and FCAD [Faculty of Communication & Design] and it just sold me. Like right away, as soon as I dropped the idea of NYU and I looked at Ryerson, I was like this is everything I want. It’s in a big city, it’s popping and downtown Toronto and it’s a new program. It’s so innovative and interesting and cool and I immediately made the decision to just click accept, and honestly it was the best decision I’ve ever made. I’m so happy here, I feel like everything happens for a reason! I faced this a huge rejection and it sent me in the right direction.
HC: Do you think the Creative Industries program has assisted you in your acting career so far?
TW: Definitely, especially if you do auditions in Toronto. Like for example, I went to an audition on Friday and they me what I doing in the industry and whatever, just so they get to know me a little bit. And I was just explaining Ryerson and talking about one of my film classes and the casting director was so impressed. So I’ve really enjoyed my time here so far, and I’m really excited to be here because I think FCAD in general is awesome. The entire school is really impressive and innovative and amazing and I would recommend it to anyone. But FCAD especially, I’ve recommended it already to something like 10 people coming into university next year. I think it’s an awesome school.