Tina Kakadelis
You’ve probably already seen Sam Krochmal on the big screen this year. He has a scene-stealing role with Nick Offerman in the charming Netflix rom-com Voicemails for Isabelle. On the horizon, Krochmal will be starring opposite Nicole Kidman and fellow Canadian Tatiana Maslany in voice-of-horror Osgood Perkins’ upcoming film, The Young People. Before then, though, Krochmal will hit the small screen in the Canadian series Yaga. Adapted by Kat Sandler from her stage play, Yaga is a reimagining of the Slavic myth of the Baba Yaga told through the lens of a small-town detective story. It stars Carrie-Anne Moss, Noah Reid, and, hot off the Heated Rivalry presses, Hudson Williams.
Ahead of its premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, Sam Krochmal sat down with Film Obsessive News Editor Tina Kakadelis to talk about the uniqueness of Canadian filmmaking, his Yaga role, and what it means to premiere at TIFF.
Film Obsessive: Sam, you grew up in Edmonton, and my one touch point of Edmonton is the West Edmonton Mall…
Sam Krochmal: All there ever was.
What was it like to be a kid growing up in Edmonton? Kind of in the middle of nowhere. Was the West Edmonton Mall a cultural touchpoint that kind of gave you the key to exploring this career?
I love this question. West Edmonton Mall…I mean, the first time you visit, especially as a young person, it feels like a magical place. There was so much whimsy and I have so many nostalgic memories attached to that mall. These days, when I’m back in town and I visit it, it’s kind of like, oh, the sparkle is kind of worn off a little bit.
Was the movie theater there where you went as a kid? Is that how you caught the filmmaking bug?
I’ve thought a lot about this. For a lot of people, there’s one keystone moment that kind of inspired or sparked the desire to do this. I would attribute it to a lot of little things. I think as a kid I did watch a lot of movies. Both my parents were really into movies, so we watched lots of films growing up.
Along the way, I was just kind of enamored by the process of filmmaking and the behind-the-scenes of it. I’d watch the behind-the-scenes and the extras on the deluxe DVDs. I got to a point when I was 18 or 19 where I was like, okay, what do I want to do with my life? The only thing I can picture doing for the next 20 years and not being depressed is acting. That gave me permission to at least give it a whirl.
Something I’ve noticed as an American learning about Canadian culture and filmmaking is that there’s a blanket idea of what makes a Canadian production. In America, we’re focused on defining our work regionally. Do you feel similarly as a Canadian? What would a true born-and-bred Edmonton film look like to you?
I think the Canadian film industry has developed some camaraderie because, compared to the US market, we’re such a small fish. It’s hard to get money here. There’s just not a lot of money in it. There’s not a lot of public funding. That kind of unites Canadian filmmaking a little bit. I think there is a kind of feeling that we’re all in this together.
Edmonton has such a vibrant heartbeat when it comes to the art scene there. I grew up doing high school theater. That was the foray into acting for me. The Citadel, the Edmonton Fringe, I think those are cornerstones of a really vibrant art scene.
I do think we’re starting to see more good films coming out of Alberta. Calgary, obviously, has developed a really strong film market, and I feel like Edmonton doesn’t get enough credit. I would love the chance to do a job in Edmonton. I’m waiting for that call because, firstly, I can work as a local. I’ll stay at my parents’ place. Secondly, I think that would be a really cool, kind of full-circle moment to get to work on something local and maybe tell a story.
DTF, your short film, looks like such a funny story with an emotional undercurrent. As co-writer, what do you feel like makes comedies a little harder to pull off than dramas?
Comedies are especially tricky. I think a good comedy usually starts with suffering or sadness. I think the stakes have to be high enough, and the characters have to have a strong enough need that the comedy and the levity come from deep feeling and desire.
For DTF, that story felt very personal to me. It was a rare instance where I got to write a role for myself as a gay man, really struggling in my early- to mid-20s, even now frankly, struggling with the gay dating scene and how vapid the online hookup culture is.
Starting in that place was helpful because it is ridiculous and funny, but underneath it there’s this kind of really transcending desire that anyone can experience. The desire to be seen, to be loved, to be appreciated, to have a real emotional connection. Having that undercurrent let us kind of build on the ridiculousness of it.
The key was to make sure the stakes are there. Make sure these characters have strong desires and kind of let the comedy come out of that.
Turning to Yaga, which isn’t a project you wrote. As an actor, how is it different going from a role you had a hand in writing and performing to something that was written before you joined?
I think it can be a mixed bag. Frankly, it depends on the writing. In the case of Yaga, we were just so blessed to have Kat Sandler at the helm. She’s got a background in theater and playwriting. She came in not only with such a distinct vision and a voice, but the writing was just so good.
When the writing is good, it makes your job as an actor really easy because it feels real. It feels like words people actually say; you’re not trying to wrap your mouth around it. In this case, it felt relatively easy because, right from the get-go, Kat, along with Rachel Talalay and David Frazee, the two co-directors, made it very clear what they were looking for. They gave us a little bit of leeway to have fun in play and find moments off the page that were special and magical.
To prepare, did you read the play?
I did read the play, and I was so intrigued and curious to see how it would adapt to TV, because theater to television is a pretty intense jump. The containers of both those things have different limitations. Kat did a wonderful job honoring the world and the themes of Yaga while taking the luxury to expand the world.
Is there some part of the play that you were like, oh, I can’t wait to see this be grander than it could have been on a stage?
I think the relationship between Carson (Clark Backo) and Rapp (Noah Reid) feels like a really fun dynamic. I think Kat Sandler could have gone in a lot of different directions with how those two characters would play off of each other. I think the way it came out was really cool, and I think their relationship is really special. Also, Rapp’s relationship with Carrie-Anne Moss’ character has super-interesting dynamics.
Talking about a limitation of the play, when you only have three actors playing all these roles, you’re not able to have scenes where all the characters are together in the same room. I think that’s going to be one of the coolest differences with the TV show. We get to actually see all the characters interact with each other, because obviously everyone just has one role, and I think that’s going to be really fresh and unique.
You play Billy, and it seems like you get to have a ball as the comic relief cop who’s new to the job. Can you talk a little more about Billy? Without spoiling anything, what is the journey that he’s going to go on for the rest of the season?
Billy, bless his heart. He’s the local rookie cop working with the main crew helping with the investigation. Often, an actor has to stretch or work a little bit to embody a character. Sometimes you get the luxury of a character who crosses your desk and it just feels like you’re playing yourself.
That was the case with Billy. I literally joke that it’s just me if I were a rookie cop. I really didn’t feel like I was working that hard. He’s over his head, he’s affable, he’s trying his best. He does occupy this levity and this comedy, but I think it comes from him so seriously and desperately wanting to do the right thing, be helpful, and sometimes failing to rise to the occasion.
Yaga has roots in mythology, and earlier this year we saw the massive success of The Odyssey. It feels like we’re turning back to the old stories our ancestors were listening to. In the case of Yaga, how do you feel the story stays relevant for today?
In what feels like a world of spinoffs, reboots, sequels, on sequels, on sequels, and a lack of original spins and concepts, I think Yaga is so refreshing. In the prep for this job, I obviously did a deep dive into the Baba Yaga urban legend because I wasn’t really familiar with the Slavic folklore of it.
In history, the Baba Yaga is depicted as an evil old crotchety witch in the woods who grinds up children’s bones. With this show, Kat has asked the question – who decided she was evil? Who made that declaration?
I think it’s really powerful and a story that is about a female-empowered anti-hero. I think we need more of that on TV. I think we need more television and films where women are unapologetically being badass, whether or not it feels good or bad or good or evil. And Carrie-Anne Moss like, are you kidding me?
Let her be evil anytime she wants.
She’s such an icon. You talk about someone who embodies power and confidence. I’m honored to be able to reshape and retell this story in a new, topical, and important way.
As a born-and-raised Canadian, what does it mean to be at TIFF with a deeply Canadian project that you’re a part of?
It’s so surreal. I was here last year, 12 months ago to the day, basically. It was my first TIFF. I was a young, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed actor. I was so flabbergasted. I don’t think I really grasped how big a deal TIFF was. It feels pretty affirming and a full-circle moment to be back here a year later, not only as part of the cast of a really cool show, but a fully Canadian show.
In a time where I feel like Canadian film is starting to get a little bit more credit finally, I think it’s exciting. Shows like Schitt’s Creek and Heated Rivalry kind of cracked the door open even further to give Canadian content the time of day it deserves. These shows that often start out with a shoestring budget are really swinging above their weight scale. It’s so cool to be a part of one.
I know you reside in Vancouver now. I don’t know if there’s that same East Coast – West Coast rivalry like we have in the States, but is there something you like more in Toronto than in Vancouver?
Oh my gosh, you’re making me pick sides right now! I would say first impression in Toronto is that the people are more direct and that’s really refreshing. I’ve had more conversations with strangers in Toronto than I ever had in Vancouver. I think there’s a bit of that American directness that seeps into this city that’s really refreshing. It feels very warm and accessible. It’s also massive. There’s so much going on all the time, which is really exciting.
