Episode 144: April Telek

Content warning: This episode contains discussion about sexual violence and rape. Listener discretion is advised. If you are a victim of sexual assault or know someone who needs help, please check the episode notes for resources. You are not alone.

April Telek is an accomplished actress whose filmography includes comedy, science fiction, fantasy, and drama. She shone as Constance Fogg on CBC’s women-driven Western series, Strange Empire, as Nell in Hell on Wheels, as Donna in Rogue, and in Amazon Falls, playing a character based on Lana Clarkson. She played the authoritarian artistic director of Sashay Dance Academy in Gary Hawes’ hilarious Leap 4 Your Life, and she inspired empathy and heartache playing Roxy, a survival sex worker, in Rachel Talalay’s brilliant On The Farm, which was inspired by the dozens of women who died at the hands of a serial killer on Vancouver’s East Side.

In 2020, April came forward as a victim of accused rapist Peter Nygard. Her survivor story is currently being told in Evil by Design, a CBC Podcast about the more than 80 women from around the world who have accused the disgraced fashion designer of rape, sexual assault, and human trafficking, as well as in the Discovery+ Series, Unseamly: The Investigation of Peter Nygard.

In this revealing and emotional conversation, April reflects on her decision to go public with her story, and how she intends to use her voice to help keep others safe. Also: working with Cole Hauser, dancing the tango with John Emmet Tracy, making “bougie Bugles,” and how her idea of success has changed over the course of her career. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA