A Young Actress’ Journey to the Big Screen
Story by Serafina Piasentin
Photography by Heike Delmore
Born into an acting family, it’s no surprise that ten-year-old River Price-Maenpaa became an actress herself. Growing up watching her parents, Elinor and Matt, acting in Windsor plays and on TV shows such as Chucky and the Handmaid’s Tale, River became inspired. “I can’t really remember anything else I wanted to be besides an actress,” River says.
It all started at a Huggies photoshoot when she was four. Later, in 2020, she booked her first role playing Laurel in “Tales From the Loops,” an Amazon Prime series. In 2021, she was given a fun part in “Blue’s Clues & You.”
From the beginning, acting for River was always a family ordeal. Every step of the way, River’s parents were there to support her and offer her guidance from their own acting careers. Not to mention the roles the family participated in together. The Price-Maenpaa’s, including River’s younger brother, Kai, shot a McDonald’s commercial. River and her parents were integral in a Canada Life commercial, and River and Matt were featured in a Saputo milk commercial as well. Elinor comments how fun these were to do as a family, fostering lifelong bonds.
But it was clear that River was made for a bigger screen. “River was always in a hurry. She started talking when she was ten months, skipped crawling and went straight to walking at a very young age and she has been go, go, go ever since,” Elinor says. River’s curious and wonder-filled personality gives her the foundation for a thorough actress. She is able to really dig into the characters she is playing. This was evident in her first big TV job.
River received an audition call from her agent for “North of Normal” which premiered at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2022 and was released in 2023. This film is based on Cea Sunrise Person’s experience growing up in the wilderness with an addict teen mom, and how she found her way through the world and onto the runways of Paris. River was instantly offered the role of young Cea. “My mom, dad and I screamed so loud at that moment. I couldn’t believe it. As soon as I was on set, I knew we had something special here,” says River.
She explains how challenging it was to get into the character of Cea as, by contrast, River has a bountiful and loving childhood. “I was lucky to meet the real Cea on location. We spent some time together; that made me feel good seeing her and knowing she is okay now.”
River also had help from Elinor, who helped explain what happened to Cea growing up. “There was one scene where Cea’s mom leaves her with her grandparents for a few years. That was a hard scene for me. I would be very sad if my mom left me for a few years,” she says. Putting herself in the shoes of her character helps solidify River into the role.
Elinor describes how she contributes to River’s memorization method, saying, “First, we read the script together. Then, we talk about what is happening in the scene. I make sure she understands it before we start memorizing. After every line we read, I have her repeat it to me. We do that a few times before moving on to the next line. Once one page is read, we repeat it again and again.” This process continues for every page of the script. “River is so quick it’s incredible!” Elinor exclaims. “She can learn her four-page scene in less than an hour.” Once the lines are ingrained in River’s head, the mother-daughter duo focuses on the acting aspect—who she is, what is happening, what does she want in the scene and so on.
When River found out the film was to debut at TIFF, she was thrilled but unsurprised. “It is a beautiful film, and I am very lucky to be a part of it.” She describes the festival as one of the best days of her life. She recalls dressing up and meeting all these great people, especially noting how excited she was to stay up late at the after-screening party.
However, being so young, River touches on some drawbacks she has to adapt to. Most of her projects, including “North of Normal,” are not for kids. “I never really see myself too much on screen,” River says. “At TIFF, I went on stage before the movie, but for the actual screening, I was not there. My mom and dad told me that when I get older, we can watch it all together.” Not only is she unable to watch the films she stars in, but she also cannot remain on set for prolonged periods of time. Since she is a minor, there are certain restraints she must adhere to. River says, “I love, love, love being on set, around the whole crew, playing pretend. I wish I could be there all day long, but my mom has to drag me off set sometimes.”
Despite her young age, River has a firm foothold in the acting world. Elinor calls every role, radio interview, or article an “adventure” and River says she cannot wait for more. While shooting “North of Normal,” she booked and filmed a part in “Ruby and the Well” as young Ruby. This year, she filmed a lead part in a feature film shot in New Brunswick called “Unseen” (coming 2025). The Price-Maenpaa family travelled to the east coast for three weeks to focus on the filming. The story is about a family that fell apart right before Covid. River mentions being even more grateful for her
supportive household while memorizing these lines. After this, River obtained a guest star role in a new FOX show called “DOC” (airing January 2025). Just last month, she booked a role in season three of the show “The Way Home.” She admits “it’s been a busy and exciting year.”
River’s ability to juggle various acting roles, slipping into the mindset of all these different characters while still maintaining a strong sense of self is admirable. This ten-year-old is beyond blessed to not only know what she is interested in, but also to be consistently doing what she loves, while most people her age still don’t know what they like, let alone what their life will look like. Elinor says her daughter’s “future will be wonderful. How it will look like exactly, I have no idea. Whether it is acting or something else, we will support her.” With her family cheering her on and teaching her, River’s future does indeed seem as bright as a TV screen.
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