Known for her role as Brittany in the romance Love by Accident, actress/writer Joella Crichton is a versatile talent who has also appeared in the crime horror series In the Dark.
In the award-winning documentary Becoming a Queen, Joella creates an intimate portrait of one woman’s quest to become Queen of Caribbean Carnival for an unprecedented tenth time in her final competition. Joella explores expressions of identity, love, and family through Caribbean artistry against a larger society that often lacks understanding of its significance.
Becoming a Queen takes us inside Toronto’s world-famous Carnival, an annual celebration of Caribbean pride and identity in this ultra-multicultural city. Among the biggest events of its kind in the world, Toronto’s Carnival draws participants and tourists from across the Caribbean, Europe, and North America. This immensely enjoyable and insightful film invites viewers to experience Carnival through the eyes of Joella and her tight-knit team. It’s the celebration of the year, suffused with meaning and significance. And at its center is the King and Queen competition that Joella has been preparing for. In this one-on-one interview, Joella reveals the challenges and sometimes heartbreak that go into becoming and maintaining the title of Carnival Queen.
What an exciting event. Why did you get involved in this documentary?
Joella: Director Chris (Strikes) and I attended an event that had gathered artists of color. We did a short film together at first. And when he came for a reading at my house, he saw all these pieces of costumes and asked, “What is all this?” So I explained it’s all the stuff I do for Carnival. He said, “This is a great story and I think it would make a great documentary.” At that point, I didn’t really feel it was an interesting enough story. But I thought it would be nice to share this experience, to show people the culture and the art forms that go behind it all.
The prep work for your quest must have been exhausting. How did you approach it?
Joella: So with the costumes, we have a designer—Kenney Coombs. We start early, about a year before the show to design the costume and gather the material. Even physically, making sure I’m in shape is a big part for me because the costumes are so elaborate and heavy. A lot of it is thinking up the theme and deciding how can we win that year, and what can we do to make those changes and build something bigger and better.
What was it like to enter your first Queen competition at 18?
Joella: I was so scared. I had no idea what I was doing. I jumped right in because if I hadn’t, I probably would have never done it. But at that age, you take the risk and you don’t have as much fear. The experience was so wild, exciting, and exhilarating. You can never recapture that feeling. I didn’t even win but I had such a blast.
Can you go into the biggest challenge you faced in achieving the coveted goal—a tenth consecutive win in this competition?
Joella: I think it’s in the consecutive winning, that’s what made it tough. There were many times when I thought staying on top was the most challenging. It’s always easier when you’re the underdog. But being number one makes it scarier. Coming up with unique ideas was always tough. So we focused on how we could make it unique and different. After three wins, I thought there was no way this is going to happen again—but it did.
When you fell backward once. How did you find the courage to go on?
Joella: It was so heartbreaking and disappointing. It was a huge sigh, a big letdown. But a lot of people who I didn’t know complimented me, saying I was so amazing and you have to keep going. And I wanted to. I felt like it would’ve been a crappy way to leave, so I pushed myself. I really wanted to come back and prove that we could do it. So it felt really good to come back again.
What went through your head when you won First Queen of the Bands in 2008?
Joella: I just could not believe that we did it. It was like such a dream. I never believed that I would have gotten it. And when I did, it was so exciting and you feel acknowledged. Because all the hard work we did brought out a compliment from someone who said, “You deserve it.” We had such a good time after that. It was nice for Kenney—our costume designer—to get it because he had been in the carnival for so many years and had never won queen. It was the cherry on top of all the work. Kenney is like a father figure to me and he treats me like one of his daughters.
Is it exhausting pulling and turning that huge costume?
Joella: The costume sits on a tripod with three wheels. But you still need lots of endurance. So I work out my legs and do a lot of running. Being in shape is part of the performance. Halfway through you can feel your legs burning. I just tell myself, okay, two more minutes to help get through it. The max you can be onstage is four minutes. It’s typically the length of a song but if you’re on for less than two minutes, you get a deduction.
How do you come up with a dance routine within the walk of Queen?
Joella: It’s more like free form. You’re portraying the costume. But you can’t dance as if you didn’t have something on your body. You know what the music will be ahead of time. You sort of think through it and figure it out as you go on stage because there’s so much work to do. A lot of times people don’t get to try their costumes before they go on stage.
Can you talk about your childhood and how grew up in the Carnival atmosphere?
Joella: In Toronto, Carnival is in the summer. So we’d be out of school and my Mom used to make costumes for a band. They did a kid section, which was my Mom’s part of the band. We would spend pretty much every night helping her make these costumes. So other kids would come and play to enjoy the music and food. And we’d have this big family atmosphere and people making the costumes would treat you like you were their daughter. It was part of the tradition to grow up in the Masq or Masquerader Camp.
So you’re also a competitive skater. How has that helped you in this competition?
Joella: I grew up figure skating. And one thing I found to be similar between the two performances is that you get that one chance to impress the judges. In skating, they announce your name and that’s it—it’s your time to shine. And that’s very similar to wearing a costume. The aspect of putting on a show—skating or Carnival—is the same, especially when things are going well. Both are artistic. And in both, you have to push yourself.
Becoming A Queen premieres on digital channels this June from Gravitas Ventures
Alex A. Kecskes is a published author of "Healer a Novel" and "The Search for Dr. Noble"—both now available on Amazon. He has written hundreds of film reviews and celebrity interviews for a wide variety of online and print outlets. He has covered red carpet premieres and Comic-Con events for major films and independent releases.
