A Vernon high school grad turned Hollywood actress is hoping to send her father a birthday serenade from the City of Angels.
All she needs is some local artists or singers to hire ahead of the big day on Tuesday, Dec. 15.
Dominika Juillet, a former Vernon Secondary School grad, is now living in Venice Beach, Calif., where she鈥檚 steadily worked as an actress alongside stars including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jessica Alba, Mischa Barton and Charlie Sheen. In 2003, she was given her own CBC mini-series, 鈥淯nder the Cover,鈥� which was chosen out of 1,400 pilots and won her a national award.
She says she was dragged into her first film by A-list actress and 鈥淗ollywood royalty鈥� Rosanna Arquette, who was featured in Quentin Tarantino鈥檚 Pulp Fiction and starred next to Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan, among many other roles.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know who she was,鈥� Juillet said of Arquette when they met on the set of Poison Ivy (1992) while she herself was still a student at the University of Victoria. 鈥淏ut apparently she said to the director, 鈥榶ou have to put this girl in the movie.鈥� And I was like OK!鈥�
鈥淭hey had to write in a small part for me, which now that I know that I鈥檓 like wow, that is so incredibly generous and cool of her,鈥� Juillet added.
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Writing her series for CBC was how Juillet first got her work visa to live in the U.S. She was shooting a film in Montana when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
鈥淓veryone was saying they鈥檙e going to want to know what I鈥檓 working on on my way back across the border, which might make it tricky for re-entry,鈥� she explained. 鈥淪o my parents at the time were like, Vernon is full of snow there鈥檚 literally nothing for you to do here, we don鈥檛 know if you鈥檙e going to be able to make a living here.鈥�
L.A. is unsurprisingly a better job market for an actress even in a pandemic, and Juillet has been able to find work doing commercials since March.
However, that means her father will be celebrating his 70th birthday and retirement in Vernon without her this year. In order to celebrate his milestone from afar, she鈥檚 looking to hire a local artist or small group of artists to sing him a song while social distancing outside his residence.
鈥淎s an artist, I love the idea of supporting other artists,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think for all of us who are artists right now, the pandemic makes you feel incredibly useless. I look at doctors and nurses and I know the arts have an important place, but it鈥檚 just very hard to feel like you鈥檙e as much of a contribution.鈥�
She explains her boyfriend鈥檚 father passed away and his mother is living at home, which has made her all the more aware of how isolated seniors may be during the pandemic. She also hopes her 鈥榓rtists for hire鈥� idea catches on during this pandemic holiday season.
鈥淎nyone who is living by themselves is probably struggling quite hard,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his would be an amazing business and a really good-hearted gesture of human kindness that would benefit the artists singing because they get to do what they love, and also bring smiles to these people who are isolating at home.鈥�
Juillet says her father enjoys Luciano Pavarotti, Harry Belafonte and 鈥渁nything from the Paul Simon 鈥楪raceland鈥� album.鈥�
Any local artists or singers interested in treating Juillet鈥檚 father to a birthday performance on Dec. 15 can contact the Vernon Morning Star at newsroom@vernonmorningstar.com.
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