The CBC Actors Conservatory is recognized thoughout the industry as a vital hub for spotting and supporting exciting and original on-screen talent. This full-time creative and professional experience, which is programmed by the Canadian Film Centre, has launched close to 100 actors since it began and allows actors to expand their skills while empowering them to navigate career and marketplace opportunities. Each "CLOSE UP" showcases actors in a dramatic, character-driven scene. All CLOSE UPs are professionally produced and edited for a Canadian Film Centre Industry Showcase in the spring.

Adrian Pavone (they/them) was born to an Italian and Guyanese household in Scarborough (Ontario, Canada) where they developed a passion for performing in their high school musicals. They went on to complete a Psychology and Performance Studies degree from the University of Toronto. Adrian was featured in shows including: Netflix’s GRAND ARMY, Paramount+’s STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, and Amazon Prime Video’s GEN V as a supe with ice powers. Other notable credits are: FLOOD; Makram Ayache’s award-winning play “The Hooves Belonged to the Deer”; and the CBC Gem Original Vivek Shraya’s Canadian Screen Award (CSA) winning HOW TO FAIL AS A POPSTAR, which garnered Adrian a CSA nomination for Best Lead Performance, Web Program or Series.


Adrian is currently in the 2025/26 cohort of the CBC Actor’s Conservatory at the Canadian Film Centre. They have played roles that have led them to a deeper desire to explore identity with a special interest in the implications of including Queer or mixed-race actors where they might not typically belong. Most of all, they want to work with good, passionate people, and collaborate on a Swords ‘n’ Sandals or Space Opera flick.

Set in a fantasy world of kings and queens, Prince Amaelic discovers that his father, King Byron, no longer plans on passing the throne to him. When he realizes that his anger and resentment stem from ideological differences and his upbringing, he’s led to an impossible decision.