Alex Barima loves his Improv and Anime. The Montreal-born actor has a passion for getting behind the camera with writing, directing, producing, and of course, acting. Most recently fans have seen him as an undercover operative who is tasked with locating and capturing an alien in SyFy’s “Resident Alien.” Before he was trying to arrest Alan Tudyk’s character, he was in FOX’s “The Exorcist,” “The Man in the High Castle,” “Supernatural,” “The 100,” and “Riverdale.” He has some fabulous voice work out there such as “Lego Marvel Avengers: Climate Conundrum,” “The Hollow,” and “Zoids Wild.” When his schedule allows, he grabs time playing video games and watching anime.
Roger Ebert says that “Resident Alien” blends humor, heart into effective escapism. Jump on SyFy Network to catch up with this fresh new series.
Colleen Bement: “Resident Alien” is hilarious, and it’s a big hit with our readers. Tell us all about your character David Logan.
Alex Barima: David is an (ex)military undercover operative tasked with locating and capturing the alien for his boss, General McCallister (Linda Hamilton). While David may be well versed in science and technology, his gentle nature and sense of morality, not to mention his aversion to violence, make him ill-suited for the mission. That’s where Lisa Casper (Mandell Maughan) comes in; with David’s brains and Lisa’s killer instinct, they are a force to be reckoned with…if they can get along. David is a lot of fun for me to play because we actually have a lot in common! He’s curious, and passionate, which is what I love most about him. We’re also both quite grumpy and irritable when things aren’t going our way.
CB: Do you happen to have any stories filming on those cold Vancouver days and nights?
AB: Being from Montreal, Vancouver has rarely felt that cold to me. However, Mandell is from California, so she had a much harder time than I did handling the weather. When we were shooting the snowmobile scene from episode 2 in ‘Whistler,’ we were outfitted with some top-level winter gear: thermals, body warmers, parkas, snow pants, heavy-duty boots, gloves, etc. None of this was enough to keep her warm. I remember grabbing her hand at some point and it felt like it had been sitting in a freezer for hours. I also remember having to explain to her that snowshoes and boots are two different things. I’m not sure she believes me to this day.
CB: What projects do you have in the works that you are allowed to tell us about?
AB: Unfortunately I’m not allowed to talk about the biggest project I’m working on at the moment, but it is an animated series that I’m extremely excited to reveal once the time comes. I was also fortunate enough to work on an upcoming Apple TV project, which I’m hoping will be officially announced in the near future. That’s all I can say, for now, I’m afraid!
CB: I’m a big “Supernatural” fan and I’d love to ask you about your time on the series on seasons 12 and 13. What was it like working on that set?
AB: Working on “Supernatural” is considered by many Vancouver actors to be a rite of passage in the industry. I can say without a doubt that it set the bar quite high for me in terms of how to run a show. From the minute you’re hired and every step of the way until you wrap, it’s made very obvious why the show was such a monumental success; from the cast, down to every single crew member and producer, it was one of the most professional and efficient teams I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. My only regret is that I wasn’t in more episodes! I was fortunate enough to attend a couple of conventions overseas because of it though, and that was truly an experience of a lifetime. I have to give special thanks to Mark Pellegrino as well for really taking care of me on and off set.
CB: Tell your fans about your improv days and the independent improv league that you set up in 2019.
AB: I love improv. It’s my absolute favorite form of acting and I can never get enough of performing or watching it. Luckily, improv is a massive part of Quebecois culture, so I was immersed in it from a very young age. The style of competitive improv we practice in Quebec is very specific and has been around for decades. The style was even imported to foreign countries like France, Belgium, and Switzerland. The college-level improv league in Quebec, which I played in for three years, is actually the largest improv league in the world. I also coached one year at the high school level and brought back a championship!
Putting up an improv league was something I started thinking about the day I arrived in Vancouver back in 2011. It wasn’t until seven years later that I began putting the project together thanks to a network of insanely talented artists, and I couldn’t have been happier with the results. It was everything I’d imagined and more. My French Canadian heritage is extremely precious to me, so it meant the world to be able to showcase our tradition out here on the West Coast. I can’t wait to be able to do it again.
CB: You’ve done some very cool voiceover work on projects such as “Lego Marvel Avengers: Climate Conundrum,” “The Hollow,” “Zoids Wild” and many others. What do you enjoy about the voice acting?
AB: Voice acting, to me, is when I feel the most freedom in performing. Having to only concern myself with the delivery of my dialogue is totally liberating. I’ve been a fan of animation since I first laid eyes on a TV screen, so cartoons are an integral part of who I am. It never ceases to amaze how some actors are able to completely vanish behind a voice performance. To hear grown-ups morph into children instantly always puts a big smile on my face. It keeps me motivated to push myself, explore my own sound and discover new places I never thought of going to.
CB: You have accomplished so much in your already super-impressive career. Would you happen to have any advice for our readers interested in show biz?
AB: Start now. It’s okay to be scared and nervous and uncertain. The most important thing is to work hard and learn to let go of expectations. The latter is definitely the most difficult, I find. We all have a vision of where we would like show business to take us when we first start out. However, I don’t know a single actor whose career has gone exactly how they expected. This road is full of twists and turns, highs, lows, and more lows. If you can’t enjoy the journey, it will probably get the best of you.
Stay glued to Alex’s Instagram for more announcements.
Written by Colleen Bement
Evan Conroy
Ron Peterson