Before Miku Martineau was leading Netflix shows, she was a regular Toronto kid growing up in the Beaches, spending much of her free time playing sports and games outside (including her own kid-friendly version of The Hunger Games). Now, after roles in Kate, Star Trek: Section 31 and Netflix’s Bet, the Toronto actor is diving into her first coming-of-age story as the star of Crew Girl. The sports drama premieres on Netflix on Sept. 10 and follows 16-year-old rowing prodigy Teagan Tao (Martineau), whose life is upended by a family scandal. Teagan starts over at Easton Prep, where she joins the boys’ varsity crew as coxswain while navigating rivalries and, of course, a bit of a love triangle.
We caught up with Martineau to chat about learning to row, growing up in the Beaches and what it means to be part of a new generation of Asian representation on screen.
What attracted you most about playing Teagan?
I have never really dove into a coming-of-age story before. I feel like I’m a very character actor, and I’ve gotten to play a variety of roles, and so Teagan really intrigued me because she’s this resilient 16-year-old girl who’s also an athlete, and her life gets completely turned upside down. And I’ve never really dove into that space before, and it sounded so much fun. And I wanted to learn how to row, too.
What was training like for the role?
The training was intense, and I have so much respect for rowers! We had fantastic coaches. I was filming this independent sci-fi film right before I left for Victoria, BC, which is where we shot Crew Girl. And on the weekends of shooting that film, I was rowing on a random lake in New York, and I was working one-on-one with a coach in a single scull, and so that was an amazing experience. I did a few weeks of that, and then when I got to Victoria, we had a two-week boot camp where I was continuing practicing on the single scull while also learning how to be a coxswain and watching the boys row, and it was so much fun, to be honest. I love learning different skills and different things, roles. So, I had the time of my life.
Without giving anything away, are you Team Josh or Team Cam?
I’m going to say — I’m Team Teagan! I think there are so many wonderful things about her dynamic with Josh and Cam. I think Josh and Teagan are fiery, and everybody loves an intense and passionate relationship. But also, her and Cam’s relationship is quite grounded, and they have a lot of similarities of feeling like the underdog. And I think Teagan brings out the fire in Cam. So, there’s great qualities about both. But at the end of the day, Teagan is a young girl who’s pursuing something she’s passionate about, and she’s also willing to make mistakes along the way because she is a young girl.
With shows like Heated Rivalry and now Crew Girl putting sports at the forefront, why do you think sports make such a good backdrop for TV drama?
I think it makes such a good plot point for TV dramas because sports are intense, and they’re emotional, and they’re rewarding, and there’s so much emotion involved in a sport, whether it’s love or anger or hatred or tension. And all of those compiled make such a good show in my mind.
FAST FACTS
- Name: Miku Martineau
- Favourite Toronto restaurant (other than The Beacher Café)? Zakkushi.
- Current TV obsession? Sex and the City.
- Name one actor you’d love to work with and why. Jennifer Lawrence. She’s immensely talented. She has such a wide range, and also, she just seems like such a fun person to hang out with!
Going back a bit, what were you like growing up in Toronto?
It was lovely. I grew up in the Beaches of Toronto, and I grew up also going a lot to my grandfather’s place, which is like two hours north of Toronto. I just spent a lot of time outside, playing outside. I was very passionate about playing pretend games, as you do when you’re a kid, like The Hunger Games, for example, outside, but like a kid version. I was very creative and imaginative in that way. And growing up in a community where I [felt] safe to be outside and walk around was really nice.
You once mentioned that your family owns The Beacher Café. What was it like growing up around the restaurant?
Yes! The restaurant business — I have to give props to my family because it’s not easy all of the time, and they’re such hard workers, my mother and my father. The restaurant was so lovely. It’s still there, and it’s such a community-based restaurant. I’ve grown up there. I’ve known people who’ve worked there for years since I was a kid, and people in my neighbourhood still go there. So, it’s so nice to see familiar faces. And I definitely get my work ethic from my parents. They’ve definitely instilled that in me, and I’m really proud and honoured to have grown up like that.
What does a perfect day look like for you in Toronto?
My perfect day looks like getting eight hours of sleep, having a nice breakfast, going on a long walk on the beach, hanging out with my cat Brick, maybe going on a walk with a friend, and just soaking up the sun.
You’ve talked about how much it meant to see Michelle Yeoh as an Asian woman leading big roles. How does it now feel to be that kind of representation for other young Asian actors?
I am so proud. I’m so proud to be a Japanese-Canadian actor and to have played a younger version of Michelle [Miku plays a younger version of Michelle Yeoh’s character, Emperor Philippa Georgiou, in Star Trek: Section 31]. Also, I was overwhelmed with honour and gratitude. I mean, in her Oscar speech, she said, ‘For all the little boys and girls who look like me… this is a beacon of hope and possibilities.’ And that’s really what it means for me to be in leading roles right now. It is because of actors like Michelle — who years before me paved the path in the industry — that I’m able to be given the opportunities to audition for leading roles.
My first ever ‘leading’ leading role was in Bet on Netflix, playing Yumeko. And when I had booked Bet, I was just finishing Star Trek, so I got the opportunity to tell Michelle that I had booked the role that I was talking about to her. That was such a huge moment in my own personal life and career — to be able to share that with such an icon in this industry. So, it means so much to me.