Episode 265: Sonita Henry

Sonita Henry’s filmography would make for one hell of a marathon on SyFy. Sonita played the President’s Aide in The Fifth Element, present in that iconic final scene where Milla Jovovich’s Leeloo and Bruce Willis’ Korben get it on in the regeneration chamber. She was the doctor who delivers James T. Kirk in the heart-stopping opening minutes of 2009’s Star Trek. She portrayed a colonel (who’s transformed into a Dalek) in the 2013 Doctor Who Christmas special. And she was the archetype of every female villainess when she played Medea in the Vancouver-shot Olympus. Sonita’s credit list also includes a wealth of nuanced performances in top-tier British television, including Luther, Father Brown, and Midsomer Murders, and a leading role as a brilliant investigator (and insecure new mum) in The Chelsea Detective. In the season-opener of the YVR Screen Scene Podcast – recorded during Sonita’s recent visit to Vancouver – Sonita lays out her origin story, which includes driving across America with only a 45-minute driving test under her belt, navigating ethnic ambiguity and a sometimes unfriendly industry, the home she found in the science fiction realm, and why her upcoming role in Black Cake is a new career highlight (and not just because one of her bosses is Oprah Winfrey). Stick around until the end for a special appearance by none other than the Grand Empress of Sci-Fi. Episode sponsors: The Drama Class + Biz Books