Amanda Arcuri was in high school when a single voicemail from a casting director changed the entire trajectory of her life. The Toronto native first dove into the world of acting in 2014 when she landed the role of fan-favorite Lola Pacini on the acclaimed Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation. What started with a casual “sure, why not?” after-school audition would eventually snowball into a full-blown career.
“[Degrassi] gave me a place to go,” the Argentinian-Italian actress, now 26, tells The Nerds of Color. “I really thought that I wasn’t gonna go anywhere. I was failing all my classes in high school, so I didn’t know what path I was going to take.”
In 2018, Arcuri earned a Canadian Screen Award nomination for her performance in the franchise’s next installment, Netflix’s Degrassi: Next Class. From there, she booked roles in the feature film Every Day (2018), Freeform’s Party of Five reboot, and the lead character in the horror flick Do Not Reply (2019). She’s also guest starred in Star Trek: Discovery, Hudson & Rex, and Ransom, to name a few.
“I’ll always be grateful for Degrassi,” she says. “Some might say it saved my life.”
Now, Arcuri is expanding beyond her teen drama roots. She plays Sally in Apple TV+’s new sci-fi film Fingernails — which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and had a limited theatrical release before hitting streaming in November — starring Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed, Jeremy Allen White, and Luke Wilson.
Directed by Christos Nikou, Fingernails follows Anna (Buckley), who begins to doubt her relationship with her boyfriend Ryan (White) when she takes a position at the Love Institute and meets Amir (Ahmed). The Love Institute claims to be able to scientifically determine couples’ compatibility through a series of tests. For the final component of the experiment, each participant must rip out a fingernail (yes, you read that right) which is then tested alongside their partner’s. Supposedly, if the couple scores 100%, then both partners are in love; if it’s 50%, only one party is in love; it’s 0%, neither are in love. Emphasis on supposedly.
After the SAG-AFTRA strike, The Nerds of Color spoke with Arcuri about Fingernails, her first time attending the Toronto International Film Festival, working with Buckley and Ahmed, her years on Degrassi, and more. Here’s what she had to say.
THE NERDS OF COLOR: What did your audition process entail?
ARCURI: Oh, this is gonna be fun. So I mean, it was normal — like, you send out the audition and they ask for pictures of your face. It was supposed to start filming in October, like Halloween. I had auditioned for it in September or the beginning of October. The day’s getting closer, and I’m like, “I’m not booking this.”
And then it’s October 31, and I’m like, “Alright, I didn’t book it. It’s fine.” A couple of weeks go by, and I’m still thinking about it. I can’t stop thinking about it. And my friends [are] like, “Don’t worry, you’re gonna book it.” I’m like, “Now it’s not gonna happen.”
So, I have my regular job at a restaurant. It’s November. They’re already filming. I’m showering; it’s like eight in the morning. I come out and I have five missed calls from [my agent] and a bunch of messages. She’s like, “Amanda, call me right now! They need you on set. You’re replacing the girl that they originally hired.” So I had to haul ass and call my other job and tell them, “Hey, I’m not coming in.” Yeah, that was fun [Laughs]. The other person that they hired got sick … it was a tight filming schedule. So they just threw me in, and it was great. It was so much fun. Everybody was so nice on set. They [were] like, “You manifested this!”
What was it like working with Jessie Buckley and Riz Ahmed?
It was so much fun. They work really collaboratively with each other and with the director. It [was] kind of my first time seeing [a set] where everybody has a say. Like, we’re all working together, we’re working through the scenes, we’re changing lines. I’m used to sets that are very strict. It was lovely. They were really nice and caring and thoughtful with everything that they did. … Jessie’s just … I can’t, like, I was literally in awe of her.
I know your characters didn’t share any scenes together, but did you interact with Jeremy Allen White on set at all?
My guy friends were excited because they watch The Bear, [but] no, I didn’t see him at all. We had different days. … But I saw Luke Wilson [Duncan]. That was amazing, because I watched so many Luke and Owen Wilson movies when I was growing up.
You got to go to your first TIFF for the movie, but the timing was a little tricky with the SAG-AFTRA strike here in the US. What was that like?
It was very exciting, but also, I was so nervous. I was calling my agent a million times like, ‘What am I allowed to do? What am I not allowed to do?” … There was a moment [when] we had to go up on stage, and I was like, “Am I allowed to do this?”
Almost all of my family that’s here in Canada came to watch, so that was exciting. A couple of people that I know also went to watch, but they didn’t know I’d be there, because obviously I couldn’t promote it. … It sucks, because I wanted to be able to promote it — it’s such a good thing for me. I have a couple of scenes [in the film], but regardless, it felt very important. But at the end of the day, the strike and what we were fighting for is more important. There will be more TIFFs for me.
You seem to have really great chemistry with your onscreen boyfriend Christian Meer [Rob]. What was it like working together?
It was really fun. He’s like a golden retriever … he had a lot of energy. And it was just about him and I making each other feel safe and comfortable, because he’s a little bit newer than I am. … Our relationship felt very puppy dog.
Did you guys do a chemistry read together?
No, he actually chemistry read with the other person that was supposed to be starring in it. And so when I showed up, it was like, “Whoa.” But I think it worked out well, because … there’s a contrast. The person that they were gonna get was slim, tall, white like. And I think the contrast between me and Christian is, he’s tall and lean, and I’m short and…you know? It kind of makes sense. Like, it’s cute. It looks good.
Where were your scenes filmed?
We filmed in Toronto. The part in the Love Institute [was] filmed in Scarborough … across the street from Degrassi. I was like, ‘Oh my god!’ And then I think another part we filmed in Hamilton, which was the jumping out of the plane thing.
Do you remember your reaction when you realized *why* the film is called Fingernails?
I got the script at the same time as [my audition]. I read it and I loved it. I mean, it’s very interesting. And I know that the directors did studies on nails and if those things are true about it, like, love signs. I personally would actually never rip out my nail. It doesn’t gross me out — I just wouldn’t do it.
It’s an interesting time for this movie to come out since we’re living in the age of dating apps, which can feel sort of similarly dystopian sometimes. Do you think the idea behind the Love Institute has any merit?
No, I think it’s ridiculous. I think at the end of the day, I’d do it for my partner like Jeremy’s character does, but I don’t think it’s necessary. If you feel it in your body, if you feel it in yourself, you don’t need that to determine it. And I guess the movie, the movie shows that, right? You don’t need it to say 100%. You just know how you feel with the right person or the wrong person. … [With Sally and Rob], you can clearly see that they’re in love. They never needed to do the tests. It’ll grow or it’ll fail, but it’s love.
There’s a scene where Rob decides he doesn’t want to finish the test and your character gets very upset. What was it like filming that?
Actually, that was improv at the end. We were just arguing, like, “Why did we do all that? Why are we doing all these tests? If you’re not going to do it, why did we do all these exercises? … you can’t chicken out now. What if in the future something big happens … we go through hard times, and you can’t push through?”
I mean, I’m kind of with Rob on that scene, though.
Yeah, I get it. I’d be like, “It’s okay sweetheart, we don’t have to do it.” Sally’s like, “Let’s get this shit done.”
[My Degrassi character] Lola would have all of her fingernails gone. She’d be like, “Which one is the one?”
Speaking of Degrassi, what’s it like going from teen dramas to roles like this?
Exciting. This is what I want to be doing. I love films. And even if I don’t end up doing films, like, I love TV shows. All I do is watch TV and movies. I don’t do anything else — it’s like my hobby. I watch a million shows.
I finished Peaky Blinders a couple of weeks ago, so I’m still trying to find something [new] to watch. I mean, usually I just revert back to the X Files. Me and my partner were watching the new Scott Pilgrim, and he goes, “Look, that’s you!” at Envy Adams. I was like, “Please. I’m not Envy Adams! I literally used to have [Ramona’s] same hair.” Like, what are you talking about?
Degrassi was your very first acting gig — do you remember what you were doing when you found out you’d gotten the part of Lola?
I found out through a phone call I missed … I remember it was dark. I got home. There was a missed call. I listened to it, and it’s the casting director. She’s like, “Amanda, call me back! I have some really exciting news.” So I called her back, and then she told me that I booked a different role … I auditioned for [Arlene] first, and they made Lola for me.
When I booked Party of Five (2020), it was because I had auditioned for the lead role. I was on my way back to the airport and I got a call … they told me I wasn’t gonna get it. And I was like, “It’s okay.” Like, I knew it wasn’t gonna get it. But then they said that they wanted to offer me a role on the show anyway, because they enjoyed me. So that was exciting too.
Looking back, how did your years on Degrassi shape you as an actress?
I’m very grateful for it. I’ll always be grateful for Degrassi … it gave me a place to go. I really thought that I wasn’t gonna go anywhere. I was failing all my classes in high school, so I didn’t know what path I was going to take in university or college if I were to go. And finding Degrassi really helped me. Some might say it saved my life. It really did help me, like, it really pushed me. I knew right there that [acting] was the only thing I ever wanted to do for the rest of my life. I’m very grateful. … It’s very sad that [the HBO reboot] got scrapped. It would have been so good for the kids nowadays that want to be actors here in Toronto.
I still [get recognized] by Degrassi fans. Older people, younger people, people of all ages. … It’s actually very interesting because my hair’s brown [now] and [people will be] like, “Oh my god, you look a lot like Lola,” or “You look like somebody.” I’ll be like, “Who?” [Laughs] … sometimes people just know me because I’m on Instagram a lot.
I did have one specific Degrassi question I wanted to ask. Next Class was canceled before your character got to go to senior prom, but what hair color would you have wanted Lola to have for the occasion?
I think I would have done Season 1 Next Class pink, but long. Or maybe just white. Lola would pretend it was her wedding.
Do you ever go back and rewatch any of your past performances?
I’ve tried to watch Degrassi a couple of times, and I’ll just be like, “Amanda, you suck!” [Laughs] That’s about it. … Sometimes I’ll read the comments, because they pop up on TikTok, like, “This acting is horrendous.” And I’m like, “I was just a kid!”
Who are your biggest acting inspirations?
I love Michelle Williams. Blue Valentine is my favorite movie.
Finally, is there a new kind of role/genre you’d really like to take on in the future?
I’m not opposed to anything. I would love a rom-com; I love rom-coms. … I’d love to work on a Greta Gerwig film. She’s amazing.
Fingernails is streaming now on Apple TV+.
Note: Interview has been condensed for length and clarity.