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Canadian Actress Kim DeLonghi captivates in ‘The Handmaids Tale’

Every time Kim DeLonghi hears a director say “cut” she feels a vast sense of achievement. The amount of rehearsing and preparation that goes into every scene is all worth it when she hears that word, knowing she did her job to the best of her ability, and it is a job she truly loves. When she then sees the final product, often months after filming, it is a whole new sense of euphoria, and she knows she is doing exactly what she was meant to.

“Acting, and filmmaking in general, is a very social job. I love the interactions with people from the start to the audition process, to the hair and makeup, wardrobe, and finally on set filming. There isn’t any of that that I dislike. The people involved are all focused on the same thing and that is for you and the final product to look good on screen. Every step of the way is arts and showing expression,” she said.

DeLonghi has an impressive resume, but the highlight of this sought-after actress’ career came last year when she was in the award-winning series The Handmaid’s Tale. One of the most popular and talked-about shows on TV, The Handmaid’s Tale is based on Margaret Atwood’s best-selling novel of the same name and takes place in a dystopian future where s religion-based autocracy has taken over most of the United States, renaming the country Gilead. In this country women are second-class citizens. Anyone trying to escape is punished. One such person is June, who is captured while trying to escape with her husband and child and is sentenced to be a handmaid, bearing children for childless government officials. As a handmaid, June is renamed Offred. It is her story. 

“The story is so dramatic and riveting. Most people watching are sitting at the edge of the seats to find out how the plot is going to unfold. The characters in all the scenes are evoking so much emotion. I think that is what makes good television or film is how much emotion can be evoked from the person. If the viewer finds themselves thinking about it after, then the writer and director have done a good job. This show does just that. Everyone is talking about all the dramatic scenes and the crazy things that happen in this society,” said DeLonghi. “What really hits home is the fact that this society isn’t too far off from a society that could be born here and now. Nothing is unreal and all of this could happen; that is why it scares everyone who watches it.”

DeLonghi was thrilled to work alongside the top tier cast of Elizabeth Moss, Max Minghella, Yvonne Strahvoski, Joseph Fiennes and Amanda Brugel, who have all been recognized internationally for their work on the show. Everyone on set was at the top of their game, from makeup to wardrobe to the cameramen, and DeLonghi was inspired just being there.

DeLonghi was in the twelfth episode of the show’s second season, titled Postpartum. In the episode, Isaac and Eden fall in love in a world that doesn’t allow them to do that. They are summoned in front of a public gathering to refute their love. They decide against that and instead are put to their death by drowning them in a pool with weights around their legs.

DeLonghi played the heartbreaking role of Isaac’s mother in this episode, where she had to witness her son dying. It was a very dramatic scene. When she saw her character’s son come on to set and he walk to his death spot, she imagined it was one of sons. She kept this in mind the entire time, and when Isaac was pushed into the water, DeLonghi let out a horrible cry as though one of her own sons had died. It was a very horrific and draining scene for DeLonghi that took 14 hours to shoot, a long time to be that emotional, but DeLonghi’s performance is both honest and captivating, showing what an extraordinary actress she is.

The Handmaid’s Tale is available to stream on Hulu and Crave. Be sure to watch Postpartum.

Kim DeLonghi works alongside all-star cast in upcoming action flick ‘The Simple Man’

Despite loving performing since she was a child, it took Kim DeLonghi many years to pursue acting as a career. Once she did, however, there was no turning back. She remembers how invigorated she felt the first time she stepped on stage, how it didn’t even feel like work. She knew in that moment she was living her dream, and every new role she gets feels euphoric for the actress, despite now being a seasoned and celebrated leader in the Canadian entertainment industry.

 DeLonghi has worked alongside some of Hollywood’s best, including Elizabeth Moss in The Handmaid’s Tale and soon Nicolas Cage in the upcoming movie Ten Double Zero, which is written and directed by Academy Award winner Nick Vallelonga of Green Book. She has no plans on slowing down, with a lot of exciting and upcoming projects to look forward to, including Erin’s Garden, Penthouse 1, Amityville Horror: A True Story, and McQueen.

“Acting is a real art and I feel so lucky to be finally able to do what I want. It’s such an expression and to be able to do it is a real blessing,” she said.

On top of everything else, audiences can look forward to soon seeing DeLonghi in the new film The Simple Man, which she has already filmed. The movie also stars Steven Seagal, DMX and Johnny Messner. Messner plays a retired police officer who comes out of retirement to find his son’s killer.

“I like this story because it’s a cat and mouse chase. You are hoping that Johnny finds the killer and is brought to restitution. You are hoping that the guy and girl get together, which would be such a happy ending. Watching the story unravel with lots of action-packed scenes is a recipe for a good movie,” said DeLonghi.

DeLonghi travelled to Romania to film The Simple Man, where she plays an attorney and Johnny’s old lover who ends up helping find the killer when Johnny comes to her for help. She is attractive and still single, and still has feelings for Messner’s character. She is smart and does her job well. She has every aspect of her life together except for the fact that she doesn’t have a man, so when Johnny comes back into her life all of those old emotions come flooding back to her, all the feelings she had for him. He is broken from the death of his son, but she still wants and desires him. This romantic storyline is integral to the movie and DeLonghi was ready to take on this emotional starring role in an action-packed film.

“During the scenes that I help him, you feel the heart tug between us because she wants him back, but he wants nothing of it. It wasn’t hard to prepare for that role as Johnny is such a handsome and likeable guy, but in each of the scenes he was always running from me emotionally because his only concern was to find the killer of his son. I really wanted to portray that heartbreak,” she said.

Working on The Simple Man was an enjoyable and memorable experience for DeLonghi. She loved the cast and crew, which made the long nights and early mornings more than worth it. Everyone became friends while shooting and always had fun on set.

“The thing about this industry is that everyone wants to be there. A lot of people would do it for free. It’s an artform, making movies, and you could tell the cast and crew would choose nowhere else to be,” said DeLonghi.

The Simple Man will premiere in November in Los Angeles before making its way to theatres around the world.

Kim DeLonghi – New Year’s Kiss

 Famed Actress Kim DeLonghi says there was never a moment where she wondered what to do with her life. She knew from the time she was a child that she was destined to pursue acting. However, she worried it was not a viable career, and spent years working at a bank to support her family. Once her children were grown, she knew that she was ready to become the actress she was destined to be.

“It was something that was just in my heart and it chose me, I didn’t choose it,” she said.

Now, DeLonghi is an in-demand actress in her home country of Canada and abroad. From national commercials for EB Games to the Golden Globe and Emmy Award winning The Handmaid’s Tale, DeLonghi’s face is instantly recognizable. She knows how to captivate an audience, and always entertains.

DeLonghi is currently looking forward to one of her more recent projects, New Year’s Kiss, to air later this year. The movie is part of The Hallmark Channel’s iconic Christmas lineup, and tells the story of Kelly Hartwick, a rock-star creative director who receives an advertising award on the same night she has a devastating break-up. She then swears off dating in order to focus on a major Christmas ad campaign. However, this becomes difficult when a kind, homeless man, somewhat similar to Santa, tries to set Kelly on the path to true happiness while her best friend tries a different approach to happiness – online dating.

 “This is a feel-good movie romance and a Christmas special. These movies are important during the holiday season to get everyone in the mood for Christmas. There has been a rise in these movies recently as they fill a gap for people who love to watch them,” said DeLonghi.

In New Year’s Kiss, DeLonghi plays Claudia, Kelly’s boss, and a short tempered, no fuss no muss kind of character. She expects more from her employees than what is asked of them and only the best. She has no time for people who were not giving anything but 110 per cent. Her employees would work all night on a project, but if they missed a step, the next day they would be taken off the project. She never complimented or congratulated anyone for their achievements, and an integral character for the plot development. Without revealing any spoilers, Claudia’s attitude drives Kelly and the other employees to make some key decisions about their futures.

“I really liked the script and I was playing a “bitchy” role which I have never played before. Everyone hated me and was against me in this movie which was kind of fun. It was a perfect fit and I played a great villain. I loved playing this character as I was the nemesis in this movie; everyone was against me and I pushed all of the workers to do always more,” said DeLonghi.

As a mother of three children, being upset and annoyed is not a new feeling for DeLonghi, and she channeled those feelings when playing Claudia. She found it fun getting into the mindset of the character and playing around with such extreme emotions and the other characters. She also loved her costumes, always in a sophisticated wardrobe that exemplified Claudia’s superiority complex.

“The crew was great and professional. Also, the script was fun, and I loved playing the character of Claudia,” said DeLonghi.

New Year’s Kiss will premiere in November on the Hallmark channel, as well as many other channels in countries all over the world. Check it out, not only to watch DeLonghi’s memorable performance, but also to get in the holiday spirit.

Canada’s Kim DeLonghi on passion for acting and shooting national commercials

 Acting is not simply playing a role; it is the study of the human condition. It is not pretending to be someone; it is embodying a whole new person. Kim DeLonghi knows this well. As an industry-leading actress in Canada, she consistently shows audiences what it takes to be a master at her craft.

 “As an actor, it’s my job to deliver the script that is given to me. It is my job to evoke emotions that are stemmed from the script, to wear my heart on my sleeve, to display emotions about a given scene. My job is to keep the viewer entertained by having a likeable relatable character that people like to admire and possibly want to mimic and aspire to be, to be able to send a message of something I believe in. It isn’t just entertaining, it’s also about making a change in the world,” she said.

DeLonghi looks at every role as the opportunity to share a new story with the world. She is known for her work in the award-winning series The Handmaid’s Tale, and audiences can expect to see her soon in films like The Simple Man and Hallmark’s New Year’s Kiss, among others. She aims to inspire with every new project, and feels fulfilled every time she steps onto a set.

DeLonghi is also easily recognizable from a series of national commercials for EB Games. DeLonghi was no stranger to big commercials, and was excited to be in a spot that would show around the country during the holidays on major networks and in EB stores.

In 2016, she played the mother in a holiday commercial where she was shopping for her family and EB Games was a one-stop-shop for all her Christmas needs, saying “yes” to everything that the salesgirl showed her. This commercial was a hit, so much so, that they asked DeLonghi to do it again in 2017.

“It broadcasted on so many national stations that there wasn’t a day that went by that someone didn’t mention it and notice me on the commercial. It looped on many stations several times a day. It was also a fun commercial where I was excited to be shopping. There were so many of my favorite things rolled into one, Christmas and shopping and getting it all done,” said DeLonghi.

DeLonghi aimed to play a relatable mother that woud connect with the target market of the commercial. She approached it like the “girl next door” that was excited to see all these new great products. She had an organized list with what her kids were looking for, just like every other mom out there.

In the first commercial in 2016, it was just DeLonghi and the EB Games employee. The 2017 commercial featured an entire family. DeLonghi’s character of the mother was joined by her husband and daughter, with the same idea of saying yes to every item they were shown. She was then invited back for a third year and the director was so impressed with her work.Shooting the commercial was fun but tiring for the Canadian actress. She had to be on set for twelve hours a day, as she was in every scene. No matter what, though, once the camera was on DeLonghi she became a happy, perky, mom excited to be doing her Christmas shopping. As a mother of three children, DeLonghi found it easy to connect to her role.

“It was a fun environment to work as it’s a cute store with neat gadgets,” she said.

DeLonghi enjoys shooting commercials but will be spending her summer filming a feature movie alongside famed actors Nicolas Cage and Shia Labeouf. Be sure to keep an eye out for Ten Double Zero when it hits theatres.