Some time ago, when I first watched Site Unseen: An Emma Fielding Mystery, I noticed a young lady who captured my eye in spite of the fact that her role was not a lead or even supporting lead role. Sunita Prasad, who plays Jessica, one of Emma’s students that unwittingly aids in the investigation, is an actress who has been involved in several Hallmark movies in addition to her work with other major networks. Not too long ago, I reached out to her for an interview, and in light of Sunita’s recent and upcoming works, I am happy to share this dynamic artist with my readers today.
Photo by Kristine Cofsky
RH: Why did you decide to become an actress? What kind of training have you had?
SP: I was actually torn as to what career path I wanted to take. I always had a love for the arts, but drawing was my first passion and my dream was to become a Disney animator. At the same time, I was always involved in performing to some degree while growing up, having spent years in figure skating and dance. There was a certain rush I got from performing that I was drawn to. It eventually led me to branch out into acting. I started taking classes at a local theater school in Saskatoon where I grew up.
Photo by Ryan Orange
But I’d say the real turning point came when I found an amazing teacher who specifically taught acting for film and television and the Meisner technique, which was extremely rare to find in my hometown. It was during my time of training with her where I really developed a greater love for acting. Still undecided though, I went to an arts college and majored in classical animation. But in the back of my mind, I always knew I’d regret it if I didn’t give acting a shot. So after graduating, I moved to Vancouver and started training at the William Davis Centre. It didn’t take long for me to realize that my passion to act had won out over animation.
What was your first professional job in the industry and what are your memories of that job?
The first job I ever booked was a recurring role on Godiva’s, a show about a group of friends who worked at a restaurant. I played Chandra, the younger sister of one of the chefs. I couldn’t have asked for a better intro to the industry. I remember the director, Gary Harvey, was so welcoming and really created a relaxed atmosphere on set. Whatever nerves I had going into it quickly disappeared. It was also pretty special in that the actress who played my mom on the show was actually someone who had taken me under her wing when I first moved to the city. We were with the same agency and she had very graciously reached out to me early on, offering advice and support when I was just starting out. So it was pretty cool that I ended up working with her on my very first job, playing her daughter.
UnREAL
You had a recurring role on season two of UnREAL. What was it like working on that show, and what did you appreciate about your role?
One of my castmates on UnREAL likened working on the show to the feel of being in a sorority and I’d have to agree with that. There were ten of us girls playing contestants and we all really hit it off. The first week of shooting was all night shoots and we were in bikinis, outside in the freezing cold. I think it was March when we started filming– a far cry from bikini weather in Vancouver to say the least. So sharing that experience bonded us pretty quickly.
UnREAL
The thing I loved about my character London, was that she had such a good grasp on who she was as a person. There was a real strength about her that I admired. At the same time, we got to see a vulnerability in her when her values were tested. The role reflected something I think most people can relate to, which is that we all have times where we struggle to stay true to ourselves. I appreciated that it highlighted just how important it is that we actually do.
You have also guest-starred on such shows as Supernatural, The Good Doctor, and The X-Files. Any special moments from these shows?
Supernatural
They were all incredible shows to be a part of. I remember that X-Files was hugely popular in my house growing up. My sister absolutely loved it, but it was the one show that absolutely terrified me as a kid… and well beyond the years of me being a kid if I’m being honest. By the time I had moved to Vancouver, it had already been off the air for a few years. So it was exciting to find out they were rebooting it and even more thrilling to then actually get the opportunity to be on it and work with Gillian Anderson. I never would have thought I’d one day be a part of something that gave me nightmares as a kid!
Once Upon a Holiday
Your first Hallmark movie was Once Upon a Holiday. What did you know about Hallmark Christmas movies before getting this role? What was it like being on that set and then becoming a part of the Hallmark family?
Well, Christmas is hands-down my favorite time of the year, so I love watching all the holiday movies. And going into it, I knew what a great following there was for them. So to now be a part of that world is a real kick for me. After working on Once Upon a Holiday and subsequent Hallmark movies, I really came to understand why they call it the “Hallmark family.” A lot of the same crew work together from one Hallmark project to the next, so it does become exactly that. With those bonds and the familiarity everyone has with one another, things operate very smoothly on set, making for a really great shooting experience.
Adam DiMarco, Sunita Parsad Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ryan Plummer
Since that time, you have been in a handful of Hallmark movies. Why do you think this network is growing at such an unprecedented rate?
I think it has a lot to do with the fact that Hallmark produces feel-good content. We seem to be inundated with a constant stream of negativity in the news on a daily basis. I think people want and need a break from that, especially now more than ever. They want to watch something they know will be uplifting, and Hallmark delivers that.
Photo by Ryan Orange
We saw you in two Christmas movies this past season–one Hallmark and one Lifetime. Please tell us a little about your roles and how they fit into the overall storylines.
Yeah, I worked on a Lifetime Christmas movie called Every Day is Christmas starring Toni Braxton. Her character, Alexis, is a workaholic who runs one of the top financial firms in the country. I play Lorianne, a new employee at Alexis’ firm, who quickly learns her new boss is a Scrooge. Alexis’ “Bah Humbug” attitude threatens to ruin Lorianne’s Christmas, along with everyone else’s at the firm.
I also recently got to work on Hallmark’s Homegrown Christmas. The lead character, Maddie, hands over the reins of her very successful shoe company to a new CEO who turns out to be a real Grinch. I play Bianca, Maddie’s assistant and friend who is not a fan of the new CEO, or the fact that she’s being forced to work so close to Christmas. So when Maddie is offered a new exciting job opportunity elsewhere, Bianca is eager to ditch her current job and accompany Maddie on her potential new gig. I hope everyone enjoyed getting to see these over the past holiday season.
Any other upcoming roles you can mention?
Love Under the Rainbow with Jodie Sweetin
I was recently seen in Love Under the Rainbow on the Hallmark Channel. It’s a really sweet love story starring Jodie Sweetin, who was as lovely as they get, and David Haydn-Jones, who I had the pleasure of working with previously on Supernatural. Jodie’s character, Lucy, is a grade-school teacher who longs to have a husband and a family, but hasn’t been able to find the right match yet. I play Cassidy, Lucy’s best friend and fellow teacher at the elementary school. Cassidy’s a fun-loving, gossip who likes to nose around in other people’s business– which needless to say was a fun role to play.
Love Under the Rainbow with David Haydn-Jones
Be on the lookout for the NBC show The InBetween because I will also make an appearance in one of the episodes towards the end of the season.
You can also catch me later on this year in the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries premiere of Picture Perfect Mysteries starring the wonderful Alexa and Carlos PenaVega and directed by the fantastic Ron Oliver.
As an Asian in the industry, have you experienced racial/cultural bias? How have you seen this changing?
Well, it’s no secret that lack of diversity is an issue in the industry. But there’s definitely been a change in how things were from when I first started out to where they are now. There’s more of a push happening for minorities to be represented, not just in front of the camera but behind it as well. I think we are starting to see more and more minorities in leading roles on television and in a wider variety of roles which is great. It’s encouraging to see that progress is being made.
Since Hallmark is celebrating Christmas all year long with their tenth-anniversary celebration of “Countdown To Christmas,” I thought it might be fun to hear about some of your special holiday traditions.
I think one of my favorite traditions in our house is that we always watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while decorating the Christmasmas tree. It’s hands-down one of my favorite movies of all time, plus it’s great at alleviating the stress of untangling the Christmas lights! Also, every Christmas our local newspaper prints out a list of homes that have impressive light displays in the city. So it’s tradition that we all pack in the car and tour around checking them out. We also decided to start a new tradition a couple years ago of wearing ugly Christmas sweaters while opening gifts on Christmas morning– not sure if that one will stick. Although I’ve already been reminded to make sure I have mine when I come home for the holidays!
Photo by Ryan Orange
The fact that Hallmark continues to utilize Sunita’s obvious skillset in a wide variety of their films only demonstrates how incredible and diverse her acting prowess has become. Sunita is unfailingly convincing no matter the role she plays, and her presence on the screen is consistently prominent and delightfully noticeable due to the fact that she is a consummate professional. Anticipating all her future works is something that fills me with immense electrification, and as I consider her future, the possibilities appear quite endless, at least in my opinion.
If you have not had the opportunity to view some of her earlier works, I would advise you to check out her past Hallmark and other network offerings as we anticipate her soon-to-be-released works. Moreover, in the interim, I also invite my readers to check out her links below so that you never miss one of her on-screen appearances. As a lifelong champion of diversity myself, it thrills me to witness the sustained success for Sunita and others who have struggled to make their way in a world that often chastises you for being different. I long for the day when Sunita will have a lead role in some production (I would love to see Hallmark feature two Asian leads in one of their romantic comedies.), but until that time, I will celebrate each and every character she is invited to portray, and I hope many of the Hallmark fans will join me in this noble endeavor.
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