Until now, Lachlan Quarmby’s only allegiances were to Liverpool Football Club and board games, but here we are. The Aussie transplant in the land of maple syrup, traded kangaroos for Canucks in 2019. He tried to avoid his passion for the film industry by doing silly things that were never meant for him like Mechanical Engineering, but eventually succumbed. When not doing voices and pulling faces, you’ll usually find him wrestling with his golden retriever Polly, playing Dungeons & Dragons, or pursuing some harebrained side project. Also always aspiring towards his true goal, to play in charity celebrity football matches. Lachlan Quarmby stars as the character “Luke Tucker” in CBC’s new police procedural series titled Allegiance that grapples with identity and belonging, policing and politics, and finding truth within the heart of a flawed justice system.
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Which ’hood are you in?
I say Lougheed because the name Burquitlam feels weird, but yeah, right on the edge of Burnaby, Coquitlam, and New Westminster. I recently moved from Yaletown, where I’d been for a while, and I gotta say I don’t really miss a thing!
It’s super family-friendly, with great restaurants and is central for the wider Vancouver, which is perfect for working in film/TV. My friends do have to travel a bit further to visit, but I say, good. It means they care, you know?
What do you do?
I’m an actor, writer, director, editor — I guess what I love is entertaining people, really. It began with entertaining my friends, which brought me a lot of joy. Now, hopefully, I can bring that joy to many more people, like the spouses of my friends. But honestly, it’s always been there. Ever since I was a kid, my heart was drawn to film/TV, but my head didn’t actually consider it. That is until I kind of cracked one day when I was about to start my mechanical engineering thesis, and I said to my mom, “I want to do acting, even if I die trying, that’s what I want.” She said (Australian), “What took you so bloody long?!” Then it was study, get an agent, move to where the action is, and love the process.
What are you currently working on?
I recently wrapped filming a new police crime drama series from CBC titled Allegiance (premieres February 7 and you can watch it on the free CBC Gem streaming service). The series is about identity and belonging, policing and politics, and finding truth within the heart of a flawed justice system. I play a rookie cop character named Luke Tucker. I feel deeply grateful and lucky to say it’s been the best working experience of my career and a lifelong highlight. The people are fantastic; I couldn’t speak higher, and the story itself is so moving and thrilling. It has been brilliant. The best part about acting is getting to put yourself in people’s shoes that are so different from you; it’s always so enthralling. Luke is a rookie cop from a small town in Saskatchewan. These are two worlds that differ greatly from my own, and it was an honour to explore and represent both. He’s also eager to learn, deeply driven, and brings an old-school type of approach.
This is for many reasons that he keeps close to his chest, and he really wants to rise through the ranks quickly in the Canadian Federal Police Corps, which is the fictional policing force in the series.
Where can we find your work?
In terms of next projects, you’ll have to wait and see, but here’s a clue: I’m donning another uniform. And I’m getting married early this year! Keep an eye on my Instagram if interested / want updates 🙂
