Joel Oulette
REELWORLD'S
2021 TRAILBLAZER
RECIPIENT
Actor
TRAILBLAZER
AWARDS
REELWORLD
2022 TRAILBLAZER
RECIPIENTS
Trailblazer
Awards
Joel Oulette
Actor
Joel Oulette is Red River Métis and Swampy Cree, born and raised from Medicine Hat, Alberta.
He is an actor, stuntman, and Indigenous wellness advocate. Having grown up acting, dancing and modeling within “Sunworks Arts and Cultural Society”, Joel, has always been an active storyteller. His first film was at five years old as an extra for HBO’S, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee”, he then landed his first lead at 7 years old for a short film called “Perseverance” and the rest is history.
In 2021, he was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for “Best Actor in a Lead Role” within a drama series for CBC’s popular, “Trickster” based off of Eden Robinson's book “Son of a Trickster”. Joel was only 17 years old at the time of filming. He went on to act in 'Cascade’, Family Channel’s, “Ruby and the Well”, “Unpopular Girl” and most recently, Netflix’s “Avatar the Last Airbender”.
Joel wants to continue to use his multiple talents to further Indigenous representation and inclusion within the film and television industry.
Meet the Trailblazer
Motivation
Experiencing new bounds and people, knowing that each role I get I will grow from it. To become the best I can mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. To gain enough strength and courage to help the world become a better place with it having so many wrongs we could make right.
Work
I take on almost every audition I get. you never know what people you are going to meet to help hold or help build that ladder to the top are gonna be. Lifes too short to be picky unless the role conflicts with what you stand for or what your beliefs are. But if it challenges you otherwise I say take it on.
Success
Starting young gave me an advantage. At the beginning I didn't want to act. When I first started I was five, all I wanted to do was jump around. I had my starting extra role in bury my heart at wounded knee and had to play dead in a coffin. It took 17 takes to get the shot with the lead actress having to cry every take. Looking back I'm so grateful and honored to be in a position like that and having a family that I looked up to. They inspired me to keep going. How could I not pursue the most fun job in the world?
I was playing an extra in a movie as a native boy in a tribe with other native people as extras, when I came on set and bundled myself up in the costume and met the main cast, they were all white painted brown or so to say. I didn't really understand it at the time but now the underlying truth is that there are so many talented and brightly magnificent native people that would have crushed those roles and understood them more. It's pretty disgraceful.
Experience
Impact
Having my family around all the time helped in a tremendous way. My mom would take me to auditions and get from point a to point b. She was a dancer when she was younger but when she realized she was having three kids I think she wanted to give it her all to help us find success. My sister was an actress first. I saw what she was doing and wanted to attain that as well. I'd say i'm a mix of my brother and my sister because I looked up to them so much. My family is full of artists, im lucky to be the concoction of two
Collaboration
You have to thin out the wheat from the chaff. Realize who you have around you that plays a part in benefiting you emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally. I heard once you are the embodiment of the five closest people you have in your life. They can drag you down or take you to new heights. It's up to you when you are driving on the long road of life who you are taking with you. I'm sticking with the good ones.
Challenges
There was a point in my life where I was contemplating on if I was gonna make a living with acting or not. After high school I was just about to apply at home depot until i got a callback for trickster. From previous times on set the feeling was intoxicating. Looking around and seeing sixty other humans working as lego blocks to make a masterpiece, realizing that you’re a piece of it too. It's crazy. But knowing that indigenous roles were on the rise I had hope.
Advice
I'm taking Nike and Shia LaBeouf's slogan and saying just do it! If it's something you feel the desire and pull towards, do it. We only have an average of 26280 days on this earth us them to do what you want to do. Start slow. If you want to become an actor id say start as an extra to get your foot in the door and see what it's like. Pursue short films.community theater. Anything that gets you out there. If you soul heartedly want it and manifest your everything into it. You got it.