U of R alumnus Maggie Nicole Robertson talks acting and filmography
Maggie Nicole Robertson is a creative technologies and design graduate from the U of R. As a multimedia artist, they dabble in many crafts like photography, film acting, and performance. Their long history with theatre has propelled her into working in several films.
Getting into acting
While she was born in Weyburn, Robertson and her family have also lived in Swift Current and Yorkton. She started in theatre at the age of eight and took classes and training at Yorkton’s local theatre company called Free My Muse. She eventually moved to Regina where she started her studies at U of R back in 2020.
“I was going to go into theatre at the U of R, but it was COVID. I didn’t really want to do a theatre degree online,” they said. “I decided to make the switch to creative technologies because it was something that I was also interested in and I wanted to explore an interdisciplinary degree where I could have a fusion of all the things that I like to do.”
Robertson said that doing so has made them a well rounded creative with the tools and knowledge to shoot and edit a self tape. They say that being around like-minded people at the university helped in building their self-confidence.
“I don’t know who I would be if I didn’t go to university. I made so many connections through every class that I did, and I was able to play with things in a way that I’d never be able to do by myself.”
I don’t know who I would be if I didn’t go to university. I made so many connections through every class that I did.” – Maggie Nicole Robertson
A Storm Blows Over (2023)
Now streaming on CBC Gem, A Storm Blows Over is a feature film written and directed by Gavin Baird. With the project having been their first feature film and first leading role in a feature film, Robertson reminisced about the experience it gave them.
“I was really nervous […] while I was working at the pool, I was going over my lines in my head and making character profiles,” they said. “I had to make a lot of it up because the character is very ambiguous and she doesn’t even have a name in the script, so I had to give her [one].”
Robertson said that the project was filmed in a short amount of time. To them, it felt like summer camp where they made many good memories.
“I just went to Saskatoon, and we shot it in two weeks. We just hopped from place to place and got it done. I made so many friends from that set.”
Robertson also learned about the many roles that go into making a film after they had to manage their own costume and makeup.
“I came from really humble beginnings where I was changing in a parking lot into my next costume, or getting water thrown on me, or actually going in a lake [to] go under water,” they shared. “I was young, so you know, I did it willingly, but it taught me to be resilient. When I think back to that, […] I can do whatever is being thrown at me now.”
Our Last Day As Kids (2024)
Our Last Day As Kids is a coming-of-age feature film written and directed by Dylan Scott Hryciuk. It stars Robertson as Alex and was filmed in Saskatoon. Set in the 2000s, the project took two years to make and now has over 89K views on YouTube. The feature won Best Short Film and Best Director at the 2026 Moose Jaw Film Festival, where Robertson took home the Best Performance (Female or Nonbinary) award.
For Robertson, the film has a big audience demographic, whether it’s those who have lived through the MySpace era or young adults who are interested in the underground music scene and subcultures from that time.
“I was never really into that when I was growing up, but doing that film, [I thought] the heart of the film is very relatable because everyone can relate to tumultuous times of growing up.”
Robertson describes their character as a “manic pixie dream girl” but says that there is more to Alex than what meets the eye.
“She’s got a lot of issues and vulnerabilities, also conflict with her identity and sexuality that I think people will relate to,” they said. “I think we see the human element of her too, where she’s just a damaged person who’s trying her best, but she’s got walls up that she can’t knock down.”
It just kind of fell into place somehow that I auditioned and I got a little role in it. I got to speak and use my New Zealand accent.” – Maggie Nicole Robertson
Deathgasm 2: Goremageddon (2025)
A sequel to the cult classic, this horror/comedy movie directed and written by Jason Lei Howden, brings back the original cast of Deathgasm. A decade after the first film, they came to Regina to film Deathgasm 2, and Robertson shares that the majority of the crew were from Saskatchewan.
“It just kind of fell into place somehow. Then I auditioned and I got a little role in it. I got to speak and use my New Zealand accent,” they said. “It was a really crazy film! The first one is insane, very brutal, bloody, and wild, and the second one is even more so. Just buckle up if you watch it.”
This was Robertson’s first comedy film, and another one will soon be added to their filmography. They recently acted in the action/comedy film Violent Night 2 alongside David Harbour, Kristen Bell, and more Hollywood stars. It is expected to release in theatres and Netflix this coming December.
Homegrown talent
Robertson says that it’s important for the prairies to get more exposure and that there is a growing indie scene.
“I think the community is just so strong and tight-knit here. We all come together, we work together, people help each other […] I found that really heartwarming and special to be a part of,” they said.
Their parting message to artists starting out is to build those connections and try to act in student films.
“Meet as many people as you can, you won’t regret it. Audition, audition, audition– that’s the job of an actor.”
