Victoria Sawal, born in 1993, holds Canadian nationality despite having Filipino parents. She lives with her father, Vic Sawal, and mother, Evoie Oducado, in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.
The 31-year-old was raised with mixed ethnicity and often flaunts her Filipino background despite having Canadian nationality.
In a recent interview on The Umbrella Academy’s red carpet, the actress said, “Sorry, I’m Canadian. I’m going to say sorry every time,” proving her familiarity with Canadian dialects and habits.
However, she didn’t forget to pay respect to her parents’ origins as she celebrated the series’ release by visiting Dollar Hits, a popular food joint that serves the best authentic Filipino street food.
Moreover, she captioned an Instagram story, “Are you Filipina? OPO (yes),” depicting that she enjoys both of her cultural heritage.
Her father is a ‘Trekkie’ and was super stoked when Victoria landed a role in Star Trek: Discovery!
The actress loves to maintain a private lifestyle, avoiding revealing much about her family and siblings, but it’s evident that they have been her biggest source of inspiration.
Looking at her mother’s Facebook post, Victoria often comments on her parents’ pictures, with the most recent one saying, “My favorites. Love you both!“
With such a support system, the actress started her acting debut in 2013 as a Chinese girl in an anti-kaiju refuge in Pacific Rim. From there, Victoria landed several small roles in works like Millions, Beat, Easy Land, Endlings, and Escape.
Despite not landing breakthrough roles initially, Victoria stayed hopeful in the industry and secured the role of Jodi in Y: The Last Man.
From 2021 to 2022, she portrayed Tyler in The Handmaid’s Tale before working as a voice actor in the TV series Token. Similarly, when Victoria received the offer to play Lieutenant Naya in Star Trek: Discovery, her childhood dream finally came true.
The third season of The Umbrella Academy foreshadowed Victoria’s character Jennifer’s appearance, which played a huge role in the finale.
Moreover, her character brought a new dimension to the show, answering some of the queries that the previous seasons raised, including Ben’s death.
Additional Information
- Following her role in Sanguine, Victoria Sawal earned a nomination for Best Actress at the Days of the Dead Film Festival in 2024.
- The actress is fluent in Tagalong and worked as a ghostwriter for various artists before entering TV and film.
- She works for Operation Olive Branch, a grassroots movement supporting and increasing Palestinian families’ aid requests.
