Alberta’s Kate Hallett gets big break in Oscar-nominated ‘Women Talking’

Alberta’s Kate Hallett clearly knows how to make an impression.

The 18-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alta., landed a role in the Oscar-nominated film “Women Talking” after just her second audition ever.

“This was my first professional project, and my first project in film and TV,” said Hallett, who plays Autje in the film. “I’d done a lot of theatre in school, and just with community theatre groups. I do a lot of musical theatre as well, and singing.”

The good first impressions went well beyond the audition stage for Hallett.

Her character in the film started out as a small role. As time went on, her fellow cast members rallied around the younger actress and pushed for her to have more lines.

Eventually, Canadian director Sarah Polley asked Hallett to narrate the film.

“Yeah, that was wild,” said Hallett. “You know, with everyone in it, you’re kind of like oh, why would you ever want me to do it?”

At the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, while introducing Hallett, Polley made it clear why she made that choice.

“We saw Kate Hallett’s audition after a huge search, and we knew as soon as we saw her tape, she was what the film needed at its core,” the director said at the time. “She’s a brilliant artist, she’s a beautiful human being, and this is also her first film role.”

“It means the world to hear those things coming from her,” Hallett told CityNews. “She’s just the most generous person when it comes to kindness and compliments and stuff.”

Polley’s “Women Talking” received a best picture Oscar nomination as well as an adapted screenplay nod.

The movie is based on Manitoba author Miriam Toews’ 2018 novel of the same name. It’s about a group of women who gather in a barn to discuss what steps to take after a series of sexual assaults shocks their remote Mennonite community.

“Women Talking” is competing for the coveted top prize at the Oscars against nine other films.

The annual film awards celebrate their 95th anniversary this year, and winners will be announced during a ceremony hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on March 12.

WATCH: Trailer for “Women Talking”

While Hallett doesn’t believe she’ll get to attend the big event, she says she’s already working on her future acting career. That includes more auditions, plans to move to Toronto, and just wrapping her head around what the future has in store

“This whole thing has just been a little bit bizarre,” she said. “And there’s a lot of days where you wake up and you’re kind of just like oh, this is my life now. This is just really weird.”

—With files from The Canadian Press