Born with a heart defect: a tiny girl with a blue face. The oxygen wasn’t getting through. A priest arrived to administer last rites. Her mother prayed and prayed. Miraculously, Vinessa Antoine recovered, and, by age four, was enrolled in ballet. The consensus was that she needed to be active.

By age 18 she was living in New York City and attending the official school of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. But three years of grueling and immersive training was more than enough. She switched from dancing to acting. Studying acting in New York with no visa meant waiting tables and go-go dancing.

More sexy pictures with Vinessa Antoine

Then off-Broadway beckoned: she would play a confused and troubled 16-year-old girl in a dark and foreboding play about incest, homosexuality and interracial relationships. Perfect! She would not be paid. Better still! But even after some good reviews, it was dispiriting to be cold and poor and living in a crappy part of Brooklyn, not to mention the long walk to the subway.

L.A. beckoned. She went. Booked a ton of work immediately. No need to wait tables any longer. OK. Unfortunately, though, the traffic was horrendous and she never really adapted to the culture, the people, the gestalt of L.A. She worked and worked, and worked some more, and then left.

Back in Toronto. Secured an agent. Went to auditions. At the casting for CBC series Being Erica, she was the only black actress in the room. Oh well, she thought to herself. But wait – she landed the part. Judith Winters, the best friend of Erica Strange. A good gig, solid supporting role. Yet how many times were they going to ask her to hit that one note? But then Judith has a baby (No!), goes on mat leave (What?!), and her perfect world is in shambles (Yay!).

Antoine seems happy, at long last. But – hold on – she’s also looking ahead: for a silver screen flickers on the horizon, much like the distant green light in The Great Gatsby. She believes in the silver light, the cinematic future that year by year recedes before her. It has eluded her till now, but that’s no matter – tomorrow she will run faster, stretch out her arms farther. And one fine morning....

Vinessa Antoine met with photographer Franco Deleo for an exclusive TORO Woman photo shoot and revealed insights into her personality in the following Q&A.

Q: What is your present state of mind?
A: Grateful. About my career, my life and even just with what’s happening in the world right now. First of all, I have a job. But more so I really look forward to it. Monday can’t come fast enough for me.

Q: The quality you like most in a man?
A: Driven. Really having balls, and actually achieving something, as opposed to just talking and wishing but not doing anything about it.

Q: The quality you like most in a woman?
A: Honesty. Brutal honesty. I have three very good friends, girls that I’ve known since high school, and we don’t sugar-coat anything with one another. We tell it like it is. And I like that.

Q: What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A: Perfect happiness for me is working. The work part of acting is actually the audition process, but once you get to set I feel like it’s a vacation.

Q: When and where were you happiest?
A: When I was a kid, and we lived in Toronto. We did a lot of family things. We travelled a lot together, and that was great.

Q: Which living person do you most admire?
A: I’d say my mom, which is what everyone says. And that would hold true for me as well. But I look at someone like Michelle Obama, and I just see such a great quality about her. It’s hard to pinpoint. The way that she carries herself. She let’s you in to a certain point, but she just keeps her integrity at all times. She knows who she is and she knows that her kids are super important. She’s a mom and a wife; she’s there for her man. I just think that she’s great.

Q: What is your greatest extravagance or indulgence?
A: I’m a shopaholic when it comes to beauty products, unfortunately [laughs]. I’m talking about hair stuff, skin stuff, makeup stuff. I get so into that and it’s not good. Because I’ll go into a store and they can just see me coming. I’m a product junkie, an addict. I certainly don’t use it all! [laughs]

Q: What is your most treasured possession?
A: When I was in L.A. I bought a pair of $900 shoes. And it’s just so stupid, I don’t know. But they are excellent shoes. I still have them in the box. I’ve worn them maybe two times.

Q: Which talent - other than ones you are blessed with - would you most like to have?
A: Singing. I’m actually taking vocal lessons right now. It’s something very new for me.

Q: Other than your present occupation, what occupation would you like to try?
A: No, no. I just love being an actress.

Q: If you were to die and come back as a person and/or thing, what do you think it would be?
A: Probably a lioness. They’re strong. They’re beautiful. They have a commanding presence even when just lying there.

Q: What is your greatest fear?
A: Waking up and feeling like I haven’t achieved my full potential.

Q: What trait do you deplore most in others?
A: Phoniness. I realize that everyone has a certain wall that they have to put up, but I just really admire people who can be their real selves.

Q: What trait do you deplore most in yourself?
A: Impatience.

Q: What do you dislike most about your appearance?
A: My hair. I’m always on the hunt for how can I make it healthier and shinier and what can I put in it [laughs].

Q: What is your most defining characteristic?
A: I think that I have the ability to morph into different circumstances very quickly and easily. I think it’s because I had to as a young kid. I went to different schools early on, and I just had to learn how to do it.

Q: Who is your favourite writer?
A: James Cameron.

Q: What or who is the greatest love of your life?
A: A past love. He is the one that got away, for sure.

Q: What is your motto?
A: Live it. Learn it.

William Morassutti is the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of TORO. Prior to joining TORO, he worked in Canadian broadcasting as a writer, producer, director, reporter and host.