Vancouver native, Alix West Lefler, is quickly becoming “one to watch” in film and television, taking the entertainment industry by storm.
This year, Alix can be seen starring in Netflix’s highly-anticipated true crime thriller, The Good Nurse from Academy Award nominee, Tobias Lindholm. Based on the true story of Charles Cullen, one of the most prolific serial killers in history, Cullen, portrayed by Eddie Redmayne, was a married father who was thought to be an honest caretaker before he was implicated in the deaths of as many as 300 patients over 16 years. Alix portrays the role of Alex Loughren, a punky and bright tween who has a close relationship with her mom, Amy Loughren (Jessica Chastain), a hospital nurse faced with the growing suspicion that her co-worker and friend is quietly killing off patients.
Alix discovered her passion for acting at age 7, after being asked to audition for a local play by a logger sports companion. Soon after landing the part, Lefler was bit by the acting bug and decided to continue to pursue acting. She joined the Biz Studios for lessons, eventually transitioning to the LeBlanc School of Acting. In addition to her love of acting, Alix enjoys travel and adventure. Throughout her life, she traveled around Canada and New Zealand with her mom and dad competing in live lumberjack shows, giving her a natural sense of wonder, excitement, and appreciation of the world. Alix is a “Caniwi” meaning she is half Canadian and half New Zealander. In her free time, she competes in logger sports competitions and despite her size is an excellent axe thrower!
Additional credits for Alix include her recurring role in The CW smash hit television series, Riverdale as Juniper, and her role in Freeform’s Siren as Hope, in which she won a Joey Award for Best Actress in a Recurring Television Role, 6-8 years. Shortly after, she earned a second Joey Award that year for 2020s Most Promising Performer. Prior to landing her role in Siren, Alixbooked two guest spots on ABC’s The Good Doctor and Syfy’s Resident Alien. Consistently working, and in demand, Alix is currently filming Netflix’s upcoming drama series, My life With the Walter Boys. Alix portrays the role of Parker Walter, a sister to 10 brothers who loves sports and has a bit of a chip on her shoulder. The series follows Jackie Howard (Nikki Rodriguez), a New York native who, after her family’s tragic accident, moves to the farmlands of Colorado where she is introduced to a different way of life. My Life With the Walter Boys is currently in production, and rumored to be released in 2023.
Check out our interview with Alix!
First of all, I loved The Good Nurse. With it being a true crime thriller, did you know anything about the story before you started filming?
Alix: I did, yes. I looked it all up before I read the script about everything that went on with the true story.
I know you from Riverdale as Juniper, but what was it like playing a real person as opposed to a fictional character?
Alix: Playing a real life person was really cool because I got to connect with someone in real life, as in the character, and it was a really cool new challenge to play a real person.
That’s awesome. Yeah, you got to talk with the real life Alex, what was that like?
Alix: She is such an amazing person. She’s so lovely and nice. And before I actually even started acting as her, I DM’d her and I asked how she was feeling when all this was going on, and I got to talk to her about how she felt.
And you get to act alongside Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne, who are really big names. Did you enjoy working with them?
Alix: I absolutely love working with them both. Working alongside Jessica and Eddie was so amazing. They’re just such kind, lovely and caring people. Actually, when we were at TIFF, we were waiting to go on the stage and I was a bit nervous to be on stage. While we were backstage, Jessica was holding me in a bear hug so I would be comfortable.
That’s really sweet of her.
Alix: Yeah! And Eddie, actually the very first day that I was working with Eddie, I was literally shaking because I’ve always wanted to meet Eddie. Actually in my very first interview that I did, the interviewer asked me who I would like to work with in the future and I said Eddie Redmayne. And then getting here, I heard that I was going to work with him and I was super excited. I told him after that I was shaking because I was super excited to meet him. He told me that he didn’t even know because I was being such a pro in the scene.
In the movie, your character has a very close bond with her mother. What did you and Jessica do to kind of create that mother daughter bond?
Alix: Well first, before we even started filming, Jessica invited me to Central Park to have a picnic so we could get to know each other and bond a bit. She brought cookies, snacks, drinks, salads, blankets, it was so amazing. We sat in Central Park for two hours, just talking.
And in the movie, you both have a very, very emotional scene together. Did she give you any advice as to how to navigate that?
Alix: Actually, yeah, when we were doing that scene, we were talking about how to mostly “get there” in a scene and I said something like, ‘it’s almost like you have to be the role.’ So then we came up with “don’t act the role, be the role,” and that has stuck with me for a very, very long time.
That’s awesome. That’s like the perfect advice. You also got to work with an amazing director as well. What was it like working with Tobias?
Alix: Working with Tobias was so awesome. He really just makes me want to come back every day. He made the entire cast and crew like one big family. I also loved his way of directing, which was the naturalism and stillness of the show, which I really love. And he does a lot of improv, which brings a lot of natural feelings to the scenes, which was really cool because I’ve never worked with a director that does that much improv.
Oh, that’s so cool. Do you have any funny memories or standout memories from filming this movie?
Alix: Well, Tobias actually invited my family and his family to go mini golfing and we had the best time. I got to meet his kids, his wife and his kids got to meet me. It was really cool seeing him outside of work.
And in addition to The Good Nurse, you’re also finishing up filming the Netflix series, My life With the Walter Boys, right?
Alix: I actually just wrapped My life With the Walter Boys in the summer and had the best time. Playing Parker Walter was so amazing because I had nine brothers so I had nine friends all around me while I was acting. And also I am a tomboy so I got to do a lot of sports, which is always a lot of fun.
That is fun. Without spoilers, can you give us a little hint about what the show is about?
Alix: With Walter Boys or the new movie that I’m working on?
Definitely Walter Boys. But if you’ve got another project coming out, we could talk about that too if you’re allowed.
Alix: I mean, I’m kind of allowed, but not really. So I’ll only say that I just worked on a lead in a feature film that I was filming in Newfoundland, and that’s just about all that I can say. But we were also filming for two months and had an amazing cast and crew. We had so much fun. In My Life With the Walter Boys, I think it’s like, I’m not too sure what kind of genre it is because I’ve never worked on a genre like that. It’s like a preteen show but I don’t think I can say too much just yet. I’ll just leave it at that
