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A Conversation with Julia Voth

Hailing from big sky country in Saskatchewan, Canada, Julia Voth decided early on that while the wide open spaces would always have a place in her heart, she was destined for the bright lights and the big city. By the time she was fourteen she was already modeling professionally in Japan, but even the excitement of modeling wears off, it seems. The Canadian beauty who once served as the body image for the CG video game heroine, Jill Valentine in Resident Evil: Biohazard and recently graced the pages of Maxim’s “Best Things to Happen to 2009” calendar, turned her charm and work ethic toward the television and film industry, and before you could say Sasquatch three times, she has already landed roles in three films, and is currently part of the line up for MTV’s new reality show, The Phone.

 

Mike Parker – You grew up on the plains of Saskatchewan, but by the time you were a young teenager you were modeling in Japan. How did you go from Point A to Point B?

 

Julia Voth – Performing has always been something I wanted to do. My dad had a video camera and I loved being in front of it. There was a modeling agency in my little town where I got my start, but the opportunity came to work in Japan when I was fourteen. My mom went with me until I was seventeen. Her only stipulation was that I had to keep my schoolwork up. My mom was great. She is still my best friend.

 

Parker – Was modeling overseas a good experience for you? What did it teach you about yourself?

 

Julia – Tokyo was an amazing experience. Being in that situation makes you grow up really fast, and I don’t think that is such a bad thing. It helps you see the world in a different way. I had dreams and goals and it wasn’t just all about boys like so many of my friends back home at the local high school. I didn’t get blindsided by the party atmosphere because I was working all the time. I was always working on my craft.

 

I got to travel and see the culture. What a great opportunity! It opens your eyes to different kinds of people and you learn so much just by opening your eyes. Most people don’t have that opportunity, so I feel really blessed. It also helped me to appreciate where I came from, my family and the place where I lived in Canada. My parents were amazing and so supportive.

 

Parker – A pretty face and a killer body will open a lot of doors for you, but what a lot of people don’t know is that modeling and acting can be really hard work which requires not only talent but an intense work ethic as well. How driven are you to succeed?

 

Julia – Very driven (laughs). I’ve been doing this since I was fourteen. When I was in Japan my Mom would want to go visit a great shrine or see the sights, but I had to do homework. I knew that is what I had to do what I had to do if I wanted to continue working there. I’ve always surrounded myself with people who are driven. You can be gorgeous, but if you don’t want to work for it nothing is not going to happen. No one is going to knock on your door and offer it to you. Nothing comes to you on a silver platter. You have to earn your success, and earning it for yourself makes it more rewarding in the end.

 

Parker – You were quite successful as a model. What spurred you to want to try acting?

 

Julia – I was successful and I enjoyed modeling, but it got to a point where I felt like I had ‘been there, done that.’ I wanted something that would inspire me and challenge me. I needed something that required more creativity. I started writing and I started auditioning. Simply posing in front of the camera was no longer enough. I wanted to try something new. I figured, the worst that could happen would be if they said no. I do miss the traveling part. It’s been a while since I’ve been to Japan. But I love acting.

 

Parker – You’ve broken into the film industry in a big way for a newcomer. You’ve got three projects getting ready to hit the silver screen.

 

Julia – My first film, Bitch Slap, is going Cannes and I’m so excited about that. I would never have expected that. I’m really happy with both the film and my performance in it. It was my very first acting role and I didn’t know what I was doing, but I felt so safe on the set and the whole cast and crew really believed in me. It was a really freeing experience. That was when I realized leaving modeling and going into acting was the right choice. I also am in an independent film called “Love Hurts” which is a beautiful love story, and after that I’m in a romantic comedy call “The Anniversary” which is still in post production.

 

Parker – Tell me about your role in the new MTV series, The Phone.

 

Julia – Justin Timberlake is executive producing and he is just brilliant. The Phone is part reality and part scripted. It is sort of like The Amazing Race, only better. I play a secret agent who kind of spies on the contestants. When you watch it you don’t know which part is scripted and which is not. It is really interesting. It really takes reality television to the next level. I’m very proud of it.

 

Parker – Last words?

 

Julia – I’m writing a book of poetry right now called Catharsis. I’ve always written, but until recently it was never something I wanted to share with other people. But since New Year’s I’ve had a change of heart. I now have this urge to have other people read my poems. The collection is a little dark. Nothing is off limits and some of it may be a little hard for some people to read. I’m a happy person and I love life, but I think everyone has some darkness in them that needs to be explored.

 

 

1. What’s your favorite sound?

Julia – When I am at home in Canada and I’m upstairs in my room just waking up, and I hear the coffee brewing and people talking and laughing, when I hear the sounds of home that I grew up with, that is my favorite sound. Family sounds.

 

2. What makes you happy?

Julia – People who love me and that I love back; my family and my boyfriend.

 

3. What makes you angry?

Julia – When people are not being real. Fake people.

 

4. What is the secret of success?

Julia – Hard work.

 

5. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, living or dead, who would it be?

Julia – Marilyn Monroe.

 

6. What is the epitaph that is written on your tombstone?

Julia – “She loved, she lived, and she laughed.”

 

7. When you get to heaven, what is the first thing you want to hear God say to you?

Julia – “Welcome.”

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