Canadian Idol S3 winner Melissa O’Neil has forged quite a different path for herself since her days on the reality singing competition. The 27-year-old star has switched to acting, landing a role as a regular on the sci-fi series Dark Matter, which is now in its second season.
O’Neil, who released an album in 2005 shortly after her win, transitioned from music to acting, starring in musicals such as Les Miserables in Toronto, Canada. In an interview with Calgary Herald, the actress reveals she was preparing to play a part in the same musical on Broadway about the same time the auditions for Dark Matter took place.
She recalls: “(My agent) said, ‘You’ve already played that part in Toronto. Do something new’. And I’m so glad I did. Because it’s been such a ride.”
Dark Matter centres on a group of six people (named One to Six) who wake up in a starship with no memory whatsoever. The series follows the team’s adventures as they discover who they are. O’Neil tells tv-eh.com the show’s warm reception took her by surprise.
“When we went to San Diego (Comic-Con) and they told us what conference room we were in, I thought, ‘Who are they kidding? Who is even going to come?’ And when we walked out on stage, the room was filled. I don’t think I have much perspective on what I’m a part of yet. For people to tell us how many viewers we get every week in Canada or around the world, I still can’t really wrap my head around that.”
Dark Matter S2 airs every Saturday at 8.20pm on Syfy HD (HyppTV Ch 611).
