In a Word... Tony Nappo, actor

One Career, One Daughter, The Futures of Both

Tony Nappo is a Toronto-based actor who has appeared on television (now, in the animated series Fugget About It), in film (several Canadian features and three of the Saw films) and theatre (Tarragon's The Real World?).

CHARPO: Two things: we know you're a fairly busy actor and our spies on Facebook have noticed you talk about kids a lot. How many children do you have?

NAPPO: Just one daughter, Ella Ray, who is turning 8 next month.

CHARPO: Now acting is not the most secure job in the world, did it take you a long time to decide to go ahead with a family?

NAPPO: Her Mom is a writer/director/ actor from Newfoundland and we both wanted to have a child. There never is an ideal time for people in our fields but we were both getting a little older and decided that it was now (then) or never. No regrets.

Family is first, for the most part - that is actually a lie right off

CHARPO: How do you juggle work with family?

NAPPO: Family is first, for the most part - that is actually a lie right off because I live in Toronto primarily for work reasons and they live in St. John's - but I would much rather be with my daughter than working, any day. If I won a lottery and could afford to, I could easily imagine quitting acting until she was grown up or do it on a much less ambitious scale -  work to contribute as much financially as I can to her quality of life and to her future (education costs and such). Me, I need very little for myself. As things are, I do my best to be near her as often as humanly possible.

CHARPO: Any theatre in your daughter's future and would you encourage or discourage that?

NAPPO: She can do whatever she wants. Life is short and I believe one should spend the time they have doing whatever it is that will bring them the most joy and some kind of a sense of fulfillment. I have lived a very full and interesting roller coaster of a life and would neither encourage or discourage her from taking the same path. I will encourage her to choose her own path and stay out of the way as best I can while always being there to guide and advise when she asks me to. I have no expectations at all regarding what she does with her life. When she was born, we had no idea if she was going to be a boy or a girl - we were sure she was going to be a boy - I look forward equally to each of the next series of surprises she has in store for us - short of voting Conservative, I mean.