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T H I N G S TO D O / L E AT H E R W E AT H E R / R I P L M G
VA N M AG .C O M/C I T Y
Culture THE TICK E T
K YLE KONG
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT When Kevin Vidal took his first drama class in high school, he was looking for a quick credit, not for a career. But the stage, as they say, called—and he answered. “Rehearsal was the only thing that was getting me into school, because I wasn’t going to any other classes,” he laughs. The actor and comedian (he’s a Second City alum) was born in Toronto and relocated to Vancouver in 2020, though he made the journey back east to shoot the first season of CBC’s Strays. A spin-off of the hit show Kim’s Convenience, Strays follows a ragtag team of Hamiltonians running an animal shelter. Vidal plays Liam, chair of the shelter’s board and a “lovable developer” (the character’s words) always on the lookout to sell a condo. He describes Liam as larger-than-life and eccentric, and equates playing the part to “channelling pure fun.” Most of that fun comes from freedom. “I was able to relinquish any anxieties and fears I had about being too feminine,” he says. “It’s been very therapeutic.” And while Kim’s paved the way for contemporary Canadian comedy, Vidal is looking for more industry change, in his current ventures and beyond. “Representation and diversity mean everything to me, not just in front of the camera. We have far to go. I want to see different stories told by different people—always.” Strays is on CBC on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m.
@notkevinvidal
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