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Cas Anvar is an award-winning actor. Born in Regina, Saskatchewan and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Anvar’s professional career began upon graduating from Canada’s prestigious National Theatre School. He is a true chameleon that has shone in dynamically diverse roles: from Oscar-winning best pictures to biopics to award-winning video game warriors. SyFy network took note of Anvar’s talents casting him in two recurring roles on two exciting series: “Olympus”, an action-packed mythological drama, and “The Expanse”, a futuristic thriller, in the vein of “Battlestar Galactica”.
Anvar’s big break came with his role in the Cruise/Wagner film ‘Shattered Glass’, alongside an A-list cast including Hayden Christiansen, Peter Sarsgaard and Chloe Sevigny. The film went on to be nominated for four Spirit Awards and a Golden Globe. Anvar is no stranger to working with Hollywood elite, showing his versatility on the big screen with roles opposite Ben Affleck in the Oscar-winning Best Picture ‘Argo’, Naomi Watts in the Princess Diana biopic ‘Diana’ (starring as Dodi Fayed), with Jake Gyllenhaal in the sci-fi adventure ‘Source Code’, and John Cusak in the suspense thriller ‘The Factory’. His film credits also include Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Terminal’ (with Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta Jones), the feature comedy ‘Miss India America’ (with “New Girl”‘s Hannah Simone), and the upcoming horror thriller ‘The Vatican Tapes’ (starring Dougray Scott and Michael Pena).
The actor has been nominated for two ACTRA awards and two Gemini awards, and won the SAG award for Best Ensemble Cast for his role in ‘Argo’. Along with his film and television acting, Anvar’s other passion is voice work. He is well known for his roles in some of the world’s most popular video games: Call of Duty: BO2, Halo 4, and as Altair in Assassins Creed: Revelations.
On the small screen, Anvar has appeared on CBS’s “NCIS:LA”, USA network’s “In Plain Sight”, ABC’s “Boston Legal”, ABC’s “Castle”, CBS’s “Intelligence”, and the hit series “24” (with Keifer Sutherland).
When he’s not working, Anvar enjoys playing paintball with his team, The Suave Bastards, and buzzing around in their custom made tank called The Mighty Bastard.
Was there a particular event or time that you recognized that acting was not just a hobby, but that it would be your life and your living?
I was studying Psyche my university and I couldn’t stop acting on the side. finally when I was accepted to the National Theater School of Canada ( Canada's Juilliard) I realized it is what I should be doing
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to have a life in acting?
DON’T! lol, just kidding.. .well kinda. Basically acting is an extremely brutal and difficult profession, as are all the performing arts. It requires huge investments of blood, sweat, and tears and you have to deal with rejection 95 % of the time. It needs to be a passion of yours, something that you cannot live without. You have to eat, breathe, and live acting in order to be able to make it. Acting isn’t for the faint hearted. It can be the most rewarding and exciting careers if you decide to take that big leap of faith.
What do you hope for people to be thinking when they watch the STRAIN?
The Strain is an incredibly thrilling alternate view of our world which uses the metaphor of Vampires to talk about many huge and relevant issues in our world today. For example, Sanjay Desai, the character I play, is based on very real people who were collaborators in WWII and assisted the Nazi is setting up Hitler’s new world order even at the cost of their own people. It was a tragic occurrence but one which need not be forgotten lest it happen again. It also has a totalitarian population trying to overrun and over power the current population. all things which have and ARE occurring in our world today. I would hope that Guillermo's fantastic and dark compelling vision of an alternate future will both thrill and provoke the audience into seeing the path things might go if we aren’t all watchful and mindful. We walk a razors edge in today's world. it is easy for us to lose our way.
What makes acting great for you?
I love telling stories! It’s a reward for me when I can inspire people to think outside their insulated bubble, challenge accepted norms and to think freely.
In your television series; THE STRAIN can you tell my Nerd community a little about it?
The Strain is Guillermo Del Toros vision of an alternate future on earth where a unique parasite infects humans turning them into a hive of immortal vampires lead by a King vamp called the Master. They have a mission to conquer our world and enslave the human population and make them cattle for the ruling vampire population.
What was your most unforgettable moment filming season 4 of the STRAIN?
one of the most wild scenes I had to do was in S3 where I presented my boss Eichhorst with the new processing plant I had set up. It was brutal cold and pragmatic scene which showed clearly the huge divide between humans and vampires ( Strigoi) in terms of their perspectives on life and its value.
How did you like playing Sanjay?
I loved and hated playing him. It was an incredible challenge playing a character that was so opportunistic that he would do anything to move up the Strigoi ladder as a human even betray his own race. It was fascinating figuring out how anyone could live with themselves and find the motivation to do the things Sanjay does. how he rationalizes and justifies his actions. since no villain sees themselves as such the complex excuses he would need to make were part of the fun in creating this character. but at the end of the day especially after the end of S4 it was difficult to shake off all the things Sanjay had to say and do in the season. it started to go home with me. it was a welcome relief to be able to get to the end of S4 even though I loved playing him.
Are there actors/actresses that you are excited to work with?
Oh yes, I have been blessed to work with amazing talent in my career! I was thrilled to work with RIchard Sammel Kevin Durand Ruta Gedmintas and Jonathan Hyde on the strain and on previous projects It was a dream to work with Matthew Modine Tom Hanks Catherine Zeta Jones Stanley Tuci Peter Saarsgard Rosario Dawson Steve Zahn Ben Affleck Brie Larson WIlliam H Macy William Shatner Candice Bergen James Spader and many more .. actors I would LOVE to work with Kate Beckinsale Robert Downey JR JOhnny Depp Kevin Kline Angela Basset but currently my favorite group of actors are my incredible team on THE EXPANSE. Steven Strait, Dominique Tipper Wes Chatham Frankie Adams and Shoreh Agdashloo
For those who are unfamiliar with Sanjay, how would you introduce him?
a charming intelligent self serving driven man who could get you to introduce him to your mother but you would never want to do that .. .because he always has his own agenda.
What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?
Currently shooting S3 of the EXPANSE and just you wait, it is going blow your minds!
If you could introduce Sanjay to any character from another movie, who would it be and why?
OTTO from FISH CALLED WANDA I’d love to see what they do to each other…lol
Tell me about your first kiss on screen?
awkward and embarrassing as I was a nerd my whole life…eventually it got easier, lol
What decade during the last century would you have chosen to be a teenager?
I love the 50s and the 20s
What is your greatest adventure?
I want to take a trip around the world to visit all the power sites of the world… PYRAMIDS STONEHENGE, EASTER ISLAND BURMUDA TRIANGLE etc etc
When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?
Honestly, I can’t remember! It’s been that long!
TOP TEN IDEAL LOCATIONS TO TRAVEL
- As mentioned above the 10 power sites of the world
- Pyramids
- Bermuda Triangle
- Stone Henge
- Easter Island
- Machu Picchu
- New Mexico
- Incan and Mayan Temples
- Atlantis
- Area 51
- Loc Ness
With the world in disarray and their heroes disbanded, each of them will have to overcome personal hardship and defy death for even the smallest chance at fighting back. Simultaneously, the Master reigns supreme, furthering his scheme for the end of the world. In the face of annihilation…will heroes have what it takes to save humankind? And how does CAS ANVAR and his character fit in to this complicated struggle. A sneak peak of "Strain" 4:
Your readers/audience know and have become loyal to Cas from his SyFy hit, “The Expanse” with the second reason just wrapping this spring on Syfy as well as the legendary 'Assassin Altair' from "Assassins Creed Revelations."
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