Actress Sydney Meyer is best known for her work on Shadowhunters , V-Wars , and Departure . The 25-year-old’s career has already introduced her wide range of talents to audiences worldwide. Now, Sydney’s latest project, the Netflix Original Series Grand Army , is getting attention from fans all over the world.
Diply had the chance to sit down with Sydney and discuss what it was like to play such a controversial character, and what types of stories she hopes to tell in the future.
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TW: This article contains depictions or discussions of sexual assault and may be triggering to some readers.
Sydney Meyer knew she was meant to entertain from a young age. The 25-year-old grew up in the city of London, Ontario, located two hours outside of Toronto.
“I always had weirdly large images of the world,” Sydney told us.
When she outgrew the art schools in her hometown, she moved to Toronto when she was 15 to attend the prestigious Etobicoke School of the Arts.
While Sydney had her parents support by the time she moved away, she revealed it wasn’t always that easy.
Her elementary school drama teacher was her first cheerleader, propelling her career forward from the time they met.
When she was starring in Shakespeare’s classic play Ophelia in eighth grade, her drama teacher invited prestigious guests from nearby Stratford, home of the Stratford Shakespeare School, to see her performance.
After being told their daughter had a real chance to make it as an entertainer, Sydney’s parents let her audition for the Etobicoke school and have been her biggest fans ever since.
Being able to flourish in a city filled with art, culture, and creative resources, Sydney found herself on the precipice of an impressive career.
If you’ve been looking for a new show to watch, look no further than the Netflix Original series *Grand Army.*
After you get over the fact that the cast is so young and so talented, you’ll be enamored with the subject matter.
The show follows the story of five high school students living in Brooklyn, New York who deal with the aftermath of a friend’s sexual assault.
Grand Army is loosely based on Katie Cappiello’s Slut: The Play .
Sydney plays Anna Delane, a character she revealed wasn’t always easy to portray: “We want to always be the good guy in the story, but not everyone is.”
Sydney was 24 when she played 16-year-old Anna and confessed it was easy to forget what it’s like to be a teenager — especially when it comes to such heavy subject matter.
The now 25-year-old revealed the hardest part was playing a character she personally had many criticisms about.
Sydney recalled that she struggled with Anna’s resistance to believe her best friend, Joey, was sexually assaulted by their mutual best friends, “So much of the conversation was about understanding this 16-year-old is that she isn’t getting it right,” she explained.
“Depicting this assault storyline is important, no matter how hard the story is to tell.”
While there’s no word on a second season of *Grand Army* yet, Sydney is confident the show will continue.
When we asked Sydney about her dream role, she told us it’s changed so much over the years but now she wants to focus on telling happy stories.
“When I was younger, I was like ‘I wanna do the most depressing films ever man’, like I wanted to do dark things. Then, I wanted to do period pieces, and now, I want to do something so happy and joyful. I’m obsessed with Ted Lasso right now,” she revealed.
“I feel the world needs that type of joy and love-based shows. I would love to do something really heartfelt in that way that’s about relationships and meaningful connections.”
In the meantime, Sydney is working on a project with her fiancé, and while she couldn’t give too many details away, she told us it’s a “dream come true” to work with her future husband. “It’s honestly the best situation I could ever ask for.”
Watch Grand Army , streaming now on Netflix.
