By: Kat Harlton
Lead Photo: Mark Binks
Toronto based actress Arista Arhin can currently be seen in the latest reboot of the iconic television series Star Trek: Discovery on CBS in the recurring role of Young Michael Burnham. Arista is also starring as Alicia Windsor in the family comedy series Bajillionaires on Family Channel about a group of friends running a start-up out of their parent’s garage.
We had the opportunity to catch up with Arista, and talk acting, Star Trek and what’s next.
Kat: Was there anything challenging about bringing your character to life or working on Star Trek: Discovery?
Arista: Portraying Young Michael Burnham was both challenging and thrilling. She is a new character within the iconic Star Trek Universe, and as such it was a bit intimidating to try to find her authentic place as an adopted sister to the universally known Spock and his family. In addition, she is the first human to be raised on Vulcan and considering her constant internal conflict between her human and her adopted Vulcan, logic-driven side, was at times perplexing. On the other hand, actors dream of roles like this one, and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been given the opportunity to play such a complex character at such a young age, and over the course of two seasons of the show. I am truly honoured to be part of it.
Kat: What do you hope the fans will take with them from the show?
Arista: As someone who was not into sci-fi before, I can tell you that I make sure not to miss a single episode! The Star Trek: Discovery series comes after a 15 year hiatus since the last series, and is a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series. This season, the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery joins forces with Captain Christopher Pike, from the U.S.S. Enterprise, on a new mission to investigate seven mysterious red signals and the appearance of an unknown being called the Red Angel. While the crew must work together to unravel their meaning and origin, Michael Burnham is forced to face her past with the return of her estranged brother, Spock.
So this season, among many interesting stories, we get to see how the relationships between Michael Burnham and her long-lost foster brother, Spock, evolves. Season 2 continues to be exciting and unpredictable. New episodes are available on Thursdays at 8 PM on Space, in Canada, and in the U.S. they are streaming on CBS All Access on Thursdays at 8:30 PM ET/5:30PM PT, and internationally, you can catch it on Netflix on Fridays.
Kat: What can you tell us about your role as Alicia Windsor in the highly anticipated family comedy series Bajillionaires?
Arista: Bajillionaires is a brand new comedy about a group of neighbourhood kids who run a start-up company in their parent’s garage and try to come up with inventions that will change the world one day. I play Alicia Windsor, the Chief Product Designer, and the newest member of the team. She is DIY engineering genius and coding savant, and is constantly working on new projects, and developing prototypes. The show promotes positive messages of friendship, youth empowerment and believing in yourself. You can catch it Sunday mornings at 10 AM on Family Channel.
Kat: Do you have any advice for other teenagers who would like to get into acting?
Arista: If acting is your passion, don’t waste any time and pursue it. Take acting classes, find an agent, and start auditioning. Most of all, be patient, persistent and professional.
Kat: Who are your role models, or who do you look up to? (acting or otherwise)
Arista: One of my all-time favourite actresses is Emma Watson. It was so amazing watching her evolve from Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series to Belle in Beauty and the Beast and other roles. I also admire her UN Women Goodwill Ambassador engagement and find it very inspiring.
For more on Arista Arhin, visit: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8799369
Arista is a wonderful actor. I love it when she is in a scene on Discovery. I hope there are a few more. I’ll actually tune into the new comedy to see how she’s doing. Congrats.