Leishe Meyboom discussed joining hit Netflix series Locke & Key for Season 2, where she portrays the character Abby.
Prior to joining Locke & Key, Leishe had appeared in projects such as Nurses and Hudson & Rex. Leishe’s character Abby recurs throughout Season 2 of the hit Netflix fantasy drama, joining a cast that also includes Darby Stanchfield (Nina Locke), Connor Jessup (Tyler Locke) and Emilia Jones (Kinsey Locke), among many others.
Read on below for Leishe’s interview with Courageous Nerd about Locke & Key Season 2. Or, alternatively, listen to the audio version on our YouTube channel, linked below.
Welcome Leishe and thanks for taking the time to chat with us today.
Leishe Meyboom (LM): Oh, thanks for having me.
Who or what first inspired you to start acting? Why did you decide to pursue it professionally?
LM: Oh, that’s a great question. I come from a really big family, everyone is involved in the arts and film. I’ve always loved performing since I was a little kid, especially being a middle child. I was always clamouring for the attention and spotlight.
I’ve always loved it, I did theatre as a kid. I’ve just always loved getting dressed up and playing, using my imagination.
You recently appeared as ‘Abby’ on Locke & Key Season 2 for Netflix. Were you a fan of the show beforehand? Considering the show’s secretive nature, how much did you know about your character going in?
LM: I knew who I was going out for [and that] she was a new character. I actually did watch the show prior to auditioning for it. So, it was really exciting to know that they were adding a new Savini member.
For anyone who hasn’t seen Season 2 yet, how would you describe Abby and her role in the story?
LM: She’s a new kid in town who originally becomes Scot’s (Petrice Jones) right-hand man. They become really close over the summer and she starts making these films with the Savini Squad. She does the sound and the music to their films. So, she ends up becoming a close confidant for Scot and for Kinsey (Emilia Jones).
We have previously interviewed your Locke & Key co-star Jesse Camacho (“Doug”) on two occasions – he mentioned you two were friends in real life. How helpful was having a familiar face in joining not only an established cast, but also a worldwide hit show?
LM: I met some of the cast before we got to set. We all hung out, said hello and grabbed a pint. It was nice. We’re all relatively the same age so it’s nice to hang out with people you can get along with really well. From day one, Jesse was always like, “Come hang out with us!” He really took me under his wing.
As a streaming platform, Netflix obviously released all of Season 2 simultaneously on October 22. How exciting or nerve-wracking was it for you, to have the entire season premiere all at once?
LM: I think it was nerve-wracking no matter how they were going to air it out. It’s one of my first big shows. Either way, I was like sweating buckets and really anxious to see how people were going to receive Abby.
Abby is introduced as a friend of Scot’s (Petrice Jones). Did you know Petrice beforehand and how was your experience working with him?
LM: We never really talked about it. Petrice is a very, very lovely person. Again, we were all friends so we kind of just got to fall into being similar like our characters, I guess.
When joining a show like Locke & Key, are you privy to information that your character wouldn’t know?
LM: It depends. Most of the time, I was finding out as I was reading the script. So, that was kind of cool, too. You get to be like, “Wait what? This is crazy.” It’s kind of fun because we all get to bring snippets of information to each other. We can create our own, “I think this is going to happen. I think that’s going to happen.”
Without giving anything away that you’re not supposed to, do you have any hopes of coming back for Season 3? It’s already wrapped filming, right?
LM: Yeah, it wrapped I think in August. I think I can say… I don’t know! I will keep that open-ended. I don’t know if I can say or not. But yeah, Season 3 is on its way. Stay tuned!
For you personally, how much of a milestone was landing this role? Acting is of course very competitive, with more rejections than successes, right?
LM: Yeah, it is a huge milestone. I don’t really know where it’s going to take me but I’m really proud of myself for achieving something like this. Who wouldn’t want to be on one of Netflix’s Top 10 shows? It’s pretty insane.
As Locke & Key is shot in Canada, were you local to where filming took place?
LM: Yeah, dude, it was like an hour away from me. It was neat! I’ll just go to the studios at the other end of town. Pretty simple, pretty local.
Looking ahead to 2022, what do you hope to accomplish in the coming months?
LM: I don’t really know. I’d love to do some travelling, maybe some other artistic endeavours. I think just working on myself and living my best life! Everything’s so unpredictable, as we know and have experienced the last couple of years. It’s hard to look too much ahead and rather just be present within the opportunities that I have now, today.
Thanks again for taking the time, Leishe. Take care and stay safe!
LM: Aw, thank you so much.
