Meet Leanna Tallmeister | Actor, Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leanna Tallmeister and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leanna, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born and raised in the Greater Toronto area, more specifically, a little town called Unionville. Both of my parents are first generation Canadians, with their parents being immigrants from Italy and Estonia. I was very lucky to be raised in a close family with a genuine love of the arts and entertainment, so my early passion for theatre was highly encouraged. I grew up on stage, starting ballet at three years old and eventually moving into drama school as a teen. My parents were so supportive of me auditioning for film and tv, starting at the young age of 16, even moving me to New York for a while to study at the Lee Strasberg Institute. So, when I decided to move to Los Angeles to really pursue film, I had a lot of encouragement. I know this level of support is not common for artists and performers, so I really feel like I won the lottery there.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My first love has always been acting. I am attached to it as an art, practice, and profession to the point that no matter what else I’ve pursued in life, it has always pulled me back in. I’ve tried to drown it out and deny it– I considered medical school, worked in a medical office, and even once took a job in accounting….which I left after one week because I ended up booking a role in something too good to pass on. That, and I don’t like math. (I tend to listen to messages when the universe shouts them at me)

I generally tend to get called in to play women that are caring, concerned, nurturing. Often medical roles, specifically nurses, which is ironic and I love it even though I want to play a doctor. (I would love more than anything to get called in to audition for season 2 of The Pitt.)

For the last two years, I’ve been producing independent narrative projects. My husband, Will Turner, is a brilliant cinematographer and my creative partner. He encouraged me to take the jump into producing, knowing how afraid of it I was. I had actually graduated from the producing program at UCLA in my early twenties, but was always so introverted and intimidated by the concept, that I opted to stay in the acting lane to avoid that whole challenge. “Who am I to make a movie? Where do I begin to make that happen? Also, what even is a producer?” These are some of the many questions you have when you start out in this town that you can’t really answer until you just do it yourself. I decided to start calling myself a producer and actively taking on that position, focusing initially on narrative shorts. I started by just putting together my resources- my people. When I realized that at its core, good portion of producing lies in team-building, connecting people, and putting the players together, some of the fear fizzled away. And being able to take words from a page to a screen is the definition of fulfillment for me. I get giddy thinking about it.

I produced and starred in Nick Duarte’s “Sea Change”, a film about a young caregiver seeking treatment for her younger sister’s rare terminal illness. We premiered at The Big Apple Film Festival and screened at Hollyshorts, all in partnership with Crown Chimp Productions. In 2023, I co-produced (along with executive producer, co-writer, and star Soraya Garré) the psychological thriller “Haunted”, directed by Jon Amiel, focusing on topics of mental health and teen suicide. It premiered in 2024. I was excited to work with Jon because his movie “Copycat” was actually the first thriller I ever watched, so to work with him in his element was a special experience for me.

More recently, I produced “I Don’t Sing Anymore”, directed by Dahlia Heyman, who is a special kind of multi-talented genius that I want to work with literally forever, until end of days. It was our second project together and we are currently in post production. Written by Sam Watkins, along with Heyman, I Don’t Sing Anymore stars Rhomeyn Johnson as Robbie “Drag” Dunham- a once celebrated jazz singer at the end of his career, and Hunter Hawkins as Abilene- the starry-eyed new singer in town, who just so happens to be his biggest fan.

This path is not easy. Being freelance anything right now, is so hard. Being crew, being talent, being anything right now in this business feels like you’re taking the path of highest resistance. But I’ve been relying on and leaning on my film family out here in LA during this time and I’ve never seen more creativity get juiced out of people than I have during this slow down.

I decided, along with Will Turner, to lead productions that are encouraging and positive from the top down, and to produce scripts that are meaningful, impactful, diverse, and empowering. We are lucky to have a network of film professionals who are also our friends, who are talented artists and dedicated professionals. And that network continues to grow. We like our sets to be a place where people feel safe, respected for their artistry and skills, and where we can all wrap out each day feeling good about what we’ve created together. We continue to seek ideas, scripts, and funding to bring more independent production to Los Angeles.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Before the fires, I would have said Palisades. There wasn’t a single spot in the Palisades that wasn’t Heaven on Earth. So many of my early LA memories are from there. Just a corner of the planet that was truly a jewel. My go-to perfect day was always a hike at Temescal, followed by lunch at Cafe Vida. It broke my heart to see they were ruined and I really hope they can rebuild.

I am a huge fan of the ocean. Zuma Beach if you want hot white sand and lots of dolphins. Venice for baby leopard sharks, stingrays (shuffle your feet!), and learning to surf. Will Rogers and Topanga were some of my favourites pre-fire as well.

If you want to feel like life is good and you’re on cloud nine in a Y2K Coca Cola commercial, you just have to hang out at Venice Beach at the skate park. Watching people skateboard and roller skate in the sunshine is one of the most beautiful pleasures in life. Skating is so pure and comes from such a sweet, playful place in the heart.

If you want to feel like you’re in a Mariah Carey music video, you’re crazy not to do Santa Monica Pier roller coaster with your hair down.

Belles Beach House for White Lotus vibes after a salty day on the water.

Moving away from the ocean, let’s say you’re feeling Old Hollywood…nothing like a day in Beachwood Canyon or Los Feliz. Old Hollywood homes, especially anything Frank Lloyd Wright! There are so many architectural gems to be found in this city. I have a fascination with old homes with dark histories- and of that, there are plenty around here.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shout out many thanks to Soraya Garré, who I have known for over a decade now, for mentoring me over the last couple of years and hiring me as her co-producer. Her trust in me to produce one of her biggest ventures lead me to new opportunities, connections, and a newfound confidence within. Not to mention that acting in one of her French episodes was the reason I became SAG!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leannaeliset

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3560823/