Alison Araya

Alison Araya was born in Sydney by pure geographic chance. Her parents left Chile to escape the dictatorship and ended up in Australia, where she began training at local drama schools. But the Australian market soon felt too small for her.

She decided to move to Canada to try her luck in the Vancouver industry. It was not an easy path, as she had to juggle auditions with precarious jobs for years.

And the gamble paid off.

A Haven for Canadian Television

Her break on Riverdale in 2017 marked a change in her work pace. She played Officer Weiss over several seasons, which gave her a financial stability that few actors achieve in the Vancouver scene. She filmed more than twenty episodes on one of The CW's most-watched dramas.

Araya didn't limit herself to supporting roles as a cop or a nurse. In 2021 she appeared in the Netflix series Firefly Lane, playing Aunt Esperanza. There she was able to explore her Latin roots in a more organic way, far from the usual stereotypes on American television.

Araya doesn't wait for the phone to ring.

From Superheroes to Producing Her Own Projects

James Gunn cast her in 2022 for the series Peacemaker. Her role as Amber let her work with dark comedy and physical action. It was a demanding shoot where the fight choreography mattered as much as the script.

Acting doesn't fill all her hours, though. Araya founded her own production company to develop stories that reflect the biculturalism she lives herself. In 2023 she focused her efforts on the short film Earthlicker, where she also worked as a screenwriter.

Controlling the creative process is her absolute priority.

In 2021, she worked alongside Sandra Bullock in the feature film The Unforgivable. It was a big-budget production in which she played a lawyer in a prison drama. The film racked up millions of viewing hours in its first week of worldwide release.

During 2023 she joined the cast of The Night Agent, playing police officer Marla. The series was shot entirely in British Columbia under strict security protocols. She's a tireless worker who usually takes on three or four projects per calendar year.

Araya keeps her residence in Vancouver and remains connected to the Latino acting community in Canada. In 2024, her involvement in Shogun for FX was limited to a technical and support role on set.