My call interrupts Steph Song while she’s brushing her teeth. It’s morning in balmy Southeast Asia where she’s attending the Singapore International Film Festival in support of the movie Dim Sum Funeral. Though having fun, she’s exhausted too.

“I spend most of my life in relative peace and quiet,” Song explains. “Lots of long walks with my dog and evenings with red wine by the fireplace, watching whatever crap reality show is on TV. And then I have these weeks of just Carnival, with press junkets and TV interviews and parties and staying up really late.”

Gallery: More pics of Steph Song

Dim Sum Funeral is a dark comedy about four estranged Asian-American siblings who come together when their Machiavellian mother passes away – her last wish was that they join together to throw her a traditional Chinese funeral, which takes a full seven days. It’s one of three feature films that Song has coming out this year. Another is The Thaw, starring Val Kilmer. He plays an archeologist who thaws out a mastodon carcass only to discover it contains an ancient parasite that returns to life after the deep freeze lifts. “And then you add five college students into the mix and the screaming begins,” Song deadpans. She’ll also co-star with Kevin Sorbo in the science-fiction feature Paradox, a story about a parallel Earth that is ruled by magic. “As opposed to our own Earth,” I say, “ruled by science.” Song exhales philosophically before replying, “Yeah.”

It’s fitting to speak to Song long distance, as travel played such a prominent part of her youth. During her childhood, she lived in various parts of the Canadian prairies, along with South America, Columbia and Australia. Currently, Vancouver is home, where she lives happily with her beloved dog, Oliver, and a small circle of close friends.

Before her trip to Singapore, photographer Darryl Humphrey caught up with Steph Song for an exclusive TORO Woman shoot. She also shares more insights into her personality with the following Q&A.

Q: What is your present state of mind?
A: Sleepy. I just woke up.

Q: What is the quality you like most in a man?
A: Honesty.

Q: The quality you like most in a woman?
A: Strength of spirit.

Q: What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A: Not ever having to work out [laughs].

Q: Which living person do you most admire?
A: Well, I have a core group of people – I’m incredibly selective about my friends – a very tight group is in my life on a daily basis, and they all have incredible qualities. I would be hard pressed to choose one person, but that core group, taken together, embody everything that would make up the perfect human being.

Q: What is your greatest extravagance and/or indulgence?
A: Sleep. I have a hard time sleeping, but also with my present state of mind and the amount of travel that I’m doing right now, I’m a bit deprived. I must have very strong, solid bio-rhythms or something, but I find it difficult to adjust to different time zones.

Q: What is your most treasured possession?
A: Well, that core group of people that I mentioned before keep me sane, they keep me grounded, they keep me laughing, and they’re just such a huge part of my life that I can’t imagine my life without them. And my dog, Oliver. He’s an Australian Shepherd. And he’s just beautiful. He’s very, very special. I thought I was pretty happy before I got him, but I could not have been more wrong.

Q: He’s in your core group?
A: He is! [laughs]

Q: Which talent – other than ones you are blessed with – would you most like to have?
A: I wish I could be a bit more thick-skinned. In the sense that I wish I had thick skin that I could just turn on when necessary. Like when you’re reading bad reviews (not that I’ve had that many) but stuff gets said about you in this industry, and people make stories up, and it’s difficult to not take it personally because it’s a story about you. It’s difficult to turn that off, and people are going to say whatever they want to say, and it’s difficult to not care.

Q: Other than your present occupation, what occupation would you like to try?
A: Well, I can’t imagine not being in this industry. I wouldn’t mind being a director. I would love to take a stab at it, though I have no immediate plans to move in that direction, because I’m really happy where I am. But if the opportunity presented itself, I definitely wouldn’t turn it down.

Q: If you were to die and come back as a person and/or thing, what do you think it would be?
A: As a person, I’d like to come back as Harry Houdini. And as a thing I’d like to come back as a redwood. There’s something quite majestic about just being able to be still, and watch the world move around you.

Q: What trait do you deplore most in others?
A: Insincerity.

Q: What trait do you deplore most in yourself?
A: Laziness [laughs]. I’m a procrastinator. I wish I wasn’t. For instance, I haven’t done my taxes yet!

Q: What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
A: Cleanliness [laughs]. No, but you know what really is an overrated virtue? Virtue!

Q: What or who is the greatest love of your life?
A: The dogs that I’ve had over the years. I’ve had many: my first dog was a great love of my life, my current dog, Oliver, has been a great love of my life – I have a man in my life, of course – but there’s something unconditional about what a dog gives you. They trust you implicitly. You are responsible and you care deeply about something other than yourself, which is wonderful.

Q: What is your motto?
A: Well, once upon a time I did have a quote written on a piece of paper, and it was just something that fuelled me to throw myself into my work as much as I could. And not just my work but everything around me, and I think that you have to be passionately engaged in life to enjoy it the most – you have to be willing to get dirty, and get all your tears out, and all your laughter out. I think you have to not hold back, and be as brave as you can and courageously live it. The quote was: “I don’t intend to tiptoe through life just to arrive safely at death.”

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