Sherry White
Director, Producer, Writer and Actor
Master of Fine Arts, 2023
With writing, I’m able to work every day and be much more prolific, whereas as an actor, I was always waiting for someone to hire me. I had a lot of anxiety about it and with writing, I just feel much more empowered. As a writer, you really get to own it a lot more.
If you’re a fan of Canadian TV, you’ve likely come across the work of Sherry White, MFA’23, a Newfoundland director, producer, writer and actor. Her range is impressive, having written and produced the police procedural Rookie Blue, written episodes of sci-fi powerhouse Orphan Black, riffed off the Rob Ford saga for an episode of the Toronto version of Law & Order and launched Pretty Hard Cases starring Meredith MacNeill (Baroness von Sketch) and Adrienne C. Moore (Orange is the New Black).
What began as an acting career has shifted into roles behind the camera. Sherry recently wrote and directed Blueberry Grunt, now playing at film festivals across Canada, including the Atlantic International Film Festival, the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival and Devour! The Food Film Fest. The dramatic two-hander film features a married couple, Harold (Joel Thomas Hynes) and Vivian (Liisa Repo-Martell), who pick blueberries and camp out against a backdrop of gorgeous Newfoundland vistas while they try to patch a relationship pockmarked by shared trauma.
With poignant moments pointing to how a couple’s emotional stability can dissolve in a finger snap, Blueberry Grunt is harrowing, haunting and comedic—a recipe very few films can pull off.
Here, Sherry talks about the film’s origin story, how audiences see themselves in Harold and Vivian, and why she prefers screenwriting over acting.
Where did the idea for Blueberry Grunt come from?
I long had this idea of blueberry picking with someone over a long period. I remember having friends whose entire families would do that over a week, and they were really put to work and were often driven mad by the flies, and it seemed to me a really big test of a family every time they did it.
When I was doing a creative writing course in short fiction with Lisa Moore at Memorial [to study theatre], I wrote a short story that would eventually be adapted into the script.
The short story allowed me to get the tone in a way that a [film] treatment doesn’t, and it allowed me to get in the heads of the characters … so then it just made the script pour out of me so much more easily.
Without giving too much away, can you share what you think the film says about honesty, transparency and communication in a relationship?
We sort of admire cynicism more in the world than we do when somebody is kind of gullible and happy. We judge that a little bit harshly, and I think when people walk away from the film, they realize there’s nothing wrong with letting a person feel their joy, despite the hardships in life.
A lot of people ask, “Who am I in it, which one am I in the relationship, Harold or Vivian?” For me, I’m really both of those characters.
What did you find memorable about earning your MFA at King’s a few years ago?
When I discovered that program, and I found out about it, I was like, this is amazing, this is perfect, because I could continue working and, you know, do the master’s while I was working. And so, yeah, I was very thrilled to get into the program and to do it.
I always wanted to do more memoir writing, which is so different than screenwriting. I loved working with the mentors.
I had worked with Lorri Neilsen Glenn, who was one of the most encouraging, enthusiastic champions—I adored her. And I also was lucky to work with Gillian Turnbull for a semester. I really missed the feedback, accountability, encouragement and insight so I’m excited to be taking part in the post-MFA mentorship at King’s [now].
You’ve also worked as an actor but it looks like you fell in love with writing more than acting. Can you take us through that decision?
With writing, I’m able to work every day and be much more prolific, whereas as an actor, I was always waiting for someone to hire me. I had a lot of anxiety about it and with writing, I just feel much more empowered. As a writer, you really get to own it a lot more.
Published Oct. 2025
Are you interested in launching or advancing a career in film or television? Through our Ask an Alum program, we can connect you with Sherry and other alumni who can answer questions and provide advice to assist you in your career path.
