Natasha Negovanlis is a Canadian actress, writer, producer, and singer. She achieved international recognition for portraying Carmilla Karnstein in the YouTube web series Carmilla (2014–2016) and in the 2017 feature film based on the series.[1]
Natasha Negovanlis | |
|---|---|
 Negovanlis in 2017 | |
| Born | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | McGill University |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, writer, singer |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Known for | Carmilla |
| Website | Official website of Natasha Negovanlis |
Career
editBefore acting professionally, Negovanlis studied musical theatre and film at the Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts in Toronto and Voice Performance at The Schulich School of Music at McGill University.[2][3]
In 2014, Negovanlis was cast as the title role in the Canadian Screen Award winning web series Carmilla. In the series, which is based on the 1871-1872 gothic novella of the same name, Negovanlis portrays the vampire Carmilla Karnstein, who appears after her roommate's previous roommate vanishes. The series premiered on Vervegirl (rebranded as KindaTV as of February 2016) channel on August 19, 2014, and has achieved worldwide recognition and praise for its near all-female cast and positive representation of various LGBT characters.[4]
In 2015, she also starred with her Carmilla co-star Elise Bauman in the feature film Almost Adults, which screened at several film festivals in 2016 before premiering on Netflix.[5] Also that year, she appeared as herself in an episode of the Canadian anthology horror television series Slasher, and ranked 5th on AfterEllen's annual Hot 100 List.[6]
At the 5th Canadian Screen Awards, Negovanlis won the Fan's Choice Award, reportedly receiving over two million votes, for her work on Carmilla.[7] Her acceptance speech, in which she discussed the importance of queer representation, attracted media attention from various publications, including BuzzFeed and the Toronto Star.[8][9]
In 2017, Negovanlis guest-starred in an episode of Murdoch Mysteries and reprised her role of Carmilla Karnstein in The Carmilla Movie, a spin-off feature film based on the series.[10]
Later that year, alongside her Carmilla co-star Annie M. Briggs, Negovanlis successfully funded a digital series called CLAIREvoyant through an Independent Production Fund grant as well as an Indiegogo campaign that raised over US$25,000.[11] The comedy was co-created, co-written, and co-produced by Negovanlis and Briggs, and it premiered on the KindaTV YouTube channel on May 16, 2018, and won an award at the New York Web Fest later that year.[12][13]
In 2017, Negovanlis co-starred in her first American feature film, Freelancers Anonymous, which premiered at the historic Castro Theatre in San Francisco on June 15, 2018.[14]
Personal life
editNegovanlis is of Macedonian and Greek descent on her father's side, while her mother is of mixed Irish, French, and Indigenous ancestry.[15]
She has had relationships with both men and women and has publicly identified as queer, pansexual, or bisexual.[16][17][18]
Negovanlis has an adopted rescue dog named Charlie.[19]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Way We Are | Sophie | Short film; lead role |
| Carmilla | Mircalla "Carmilla" Karnstein | Web series; title role | |
| Canadian Star | Herself | Documentary | |
| 2015 | March Family Letters | Sallie | Web series; 2 episodes |
| Slasher | Natasha | 1 episode | |
| 2016 | Almost Adults | Cassie | Feature film; lead role |
| Haunted or Hoax | Ellia Henderson | Web series; 27 episodes | |
| 2017 | The Carmilla Movie | Mircalla "Carmilla" Karnstein | Feature film based on the series; title role |
| Murdoch Mysteries | Mildred Preston | 1 episode | |
| Seraphim | Sarah | 2 episodes | |
| Darken | Victoria | Feature film; supporting role | |
| Haunters: The Musical | Penny | Web series; supporting role | |
| Barbelle | Ghost of girlfriends' past | Web series; 1 episode | |
| 2018 | Freelancers Anonymous[20] | Gayle | Lead role; feature film |
| CLAIREvoyant | Claire Ganski | Web series; lead role; co-creator, writer, producer | |
| 2020 | Band Ladies | Lauren | Web series |
Accolades
edit| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Broadway World Awards[21] | Best Performance by a Female in a Feature Role/Ensemble (Musical) | Off-Broadway on stage | Nominated |
| 2015 | Shorty Awards | Favorite Actress | Carmilla | Nominated |
| Streamy Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | Canadian Screen Awards | Fan's Choice, Top 3 | Carmilla | Nominated |
| NYC Web Fest | Best Ensemble Cast, along with Isabel Kanaan and Sydney Kondruss | Haunted or Hoax | Nominated | |
| 2017 | Canadian Screen Awards | Fan's Choice | Carmilla | Won |
| Streamy Awards | Best Acting in a Drama | Carmilla | Nominated | |
| Los Angeles Web Series Festival | Best Ensemble Cast, along with Isabel Kanaan and Sydney Kondruss | Haunted or Hoax | Nominated | |
| 2018 | British LGBT Awards | Online Influencer | Self | Nominated |
| Diva Awards | Social Media Influencer | Self | Nominated | |
| Toronto Web Fest Awards | Best Ensemble Performance | Haunters: The Musical | Won | |
| NYC Web Fest | Best Dynamic Duo, along with Annie M. Briggs | CLAIREvoyant | Won |
References
edit- ^ Spangler, Todd (September 27, 2017). "'The Carmilla Movie' Sets Streaming, Theatrical Premiere Dates". Variety. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ Suguayani. "Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts". Music Info. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- ^ "Speaker Natasha Negovanlis". streammarket.tv. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
- ^ "8 Reasons Why You Should Watch "Carmilla" Now!" AfterEllen.com, October 8, 2014.
- ^ "We Found Out Which of the Women Of 'Almost Adults' Is Most Likely To Have A Tumblr Girlfriend". BuzzFeed. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
- ^ "In Bed with Natasha Negovanlis – AfterEllen". AfterEllen. September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
- ^ "Meet Natasha Negovanlis, Canadian Web series superstar". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ^ "A star system is born at Canadian Screen Awards | Toronto Star". Toronto Star. March 13, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ^ "This Actress Gave A Speech Reminding Everyone Why Queer Representation Matters". BuzzFeed. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ^ "'The Carmilla Movie' Set To Debut in Theaters October 26, Then on Fullscreen". Tubefilter. October 6, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "CLAIREvoyant Season 1".
- ^ "'Carmilla' Stars, Producer Prepare To Get 'Clairevoyant' In Upcoming Series – Tubefilter". Tubefilter. May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "Creators of 'Carmilla' releasing supernatural-comedy web series | The Star". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "Freelancers Anonymous".
- ^ Let The Right One in with Natasha Negovanlis, retrieved February 9, 2018 [dead link]
- ^ Cooper, Julia (March 17, 2017). "Meet Natasha Negovanlis, Canadian Web series superstar". Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- ^ "In Bed with Natasha Negovanlis – AfterEllen". AfterEllen. September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- ^ Rodriguez, Etienne (September 23, 2016). "Don't Forget About Pansexuality". Affinity Magazine. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- ^ "Charlie". The Roxy Project. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ Rawles, Timothy (June 7, 2018). "Your San Diego FilmOut LGBT Film Festival guide 2018". San Diego Gay and Lesbian News. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
- ^ "2012 Broadway World Awards". broadwayworld.com. 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2017.