“It’s a love letter to Scarborough”: Fefe Dobson on coming home to star in the very Toronto film Morningside

It’s been more than two decades since Fefe Dobson broke into the ascendant Canadian pop-punk scene with her self-titled debut album, which featured hits “Bye Bye Boyfriend” and “Take Me Away.” Born and raised in Scarborough, Dobson successfully carved a space for herself as a Black artist in an overwhelmingly white-dominated genre. Three albums later, her quintessentially angsty sound endures, most recently with her 2023 release, Emotion Sickness. Less well-known, however, is her acting prowess, which earned her a 2013 Canadian Screen Awards nomination for best supporting actress for her role in Home Again.

Now, she’s gracing the big screen for the first time in over a decade, starring in the Scarborough-based film Morningside, which follows the interwoven lives of people at the fictional Morningside Community Centre as they navigate their relationships, their careers and the neighbourhood’s gentrification. Dobson plays Steph, a caring nurse whose boyfriend is an aspiring police officer. Here, she tells us about her early years in Scarborough and how the film helped her reconnect with her hometown.

You’ve had a busy couple of years between releasing Emotion Sickness in 2023 and touring. When did you find time to film Morningside? The director, Ron Dias, is one of my best buddies. He asked me to film at a good time—I had a break after my album release. We met up at the Fairmont Royal York, which is one of my favourite spots. I actually wrote most of Emotion Sickness in a hotel room there. Ron sat with me, we had a couple of drinks and he explained the film. Right away, I told him, “Bro, I’m in, I got you.” We filmed right before Christmas in 2023, and it only took a week or so.

Related: “I never got tired of trashing hotel rooms”—Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley on his new memoir, Walking Disaster

What about the script resonated with you?
Morningside is a love letter to Scarborough. There’s a lot of hope and resilience in this film. When Ron asked me to work on it, it was a no-brainer. I was born there, I grew up there, I went to school there.

What was it like to revisit your roots in the midst of a comeback? I’m living out in Nashville now, and my family’s in Oshawa, so I don’t go to Scarborough very often. Being back was trippy. Scarborough hasn’t changed much at all—it felt like the twilight zone. There’s a pretty traumatic scene in the film where some of us are pulled over by a cop. It was filmed right down the street from the apartment complex that was my last childhood home. It’s the first time I had passed that area in years, and even the same pizza shop was there. It felt like travelling back in time. It brought up some crazy feelings, which did help with the scene. I’ll be at Scarborough Town Centre for the premiere, which is another trip for me because I haven’t been there since I was probably 14. But, I think, in making this film, I’ve begun a new relationship with Scarborough. It’s a good feeling being able to go back knowing I’ve accomplished something.

What is that new relationship like? I’m seeing things through a different lens, with all the wisdom of adulthood. I’m appreciating things that I couldn’t when I was younger. I’m reminded of childhood moments with my younger brothers, hanging out in the playground behind my complex or taking them to the park. I wish I could go back in time and hug them more.

Catherine Hernandez gave your hometown its flowers with her novel Scarborough and its film adaptation. The same could be said of David Chariandy’s Brother, adapted by Clement Virgo. What’s still missing from the Scarborough canon? It’s hard to say, because at the end of the day, everyone’s story is different. Growing up there in the ’90s, it was rough. I was badly bullied in elementary school. I grew up with a single mother living in government housing. We were just getting by. So if I were to create a film based on my life in Scarborough, it would be different. Everyone’s experience is unique. That’s why storytelling is important. It’s how we learn, heal and guide one another.

Is that what led you to make music? Absolutely. There was one unreleased song, “Complex Life,” that was supposed to be on my first album. It was about my life in my apartment complex. I performed that song a lot on tour, when I was first introducing myself as an artist.

Morningside explores grief, anger and resilience—as does much of your music. Do the processes of acting and singing feel different to you? They go hand in hand. But, with music, you’re trying to be authentically, 100 per cent yourself. When you’re acting, you’re becoming the opposite of that—you have to be authentic to the character. It’s a change of pace. With my character, Steph, I wanted a more natural feel. I spent way less time in hair and makeup than if I were doing a music video. I enjoyed not having to be perfect. That was different for me.

What was it like working alongside other artists from Scarborough to tell this story? It was amazing. Ron only brings the coolest people around—it was like a perfect marriage between all of us. I don’t classify myself as an actor. But I was walking into a world of them. I had to be humble about that. I spent a lot of time observing everyone’s processes and trying to learn. Even though the film can get heavy, there was a lightness on set that got everybody through some of those darker moments. There was a sense of community.

Morningside features some iconic Scarborough spots: the Real McCoy, Federick Restaurant, the Warden station patties. Is there anywhere else you want to shout out? My high school, Wexford Collegiate. It’s a performing arts school. I had really great teachers there who mentored me as a young musician. Miss Merriam is still very special to me. She also taught Shamier Anderson.

For the long-time fans, do you have any new music on the horizon? Yeah, I’m about to jump back into the studio. I’ll also be touring in the summer. I’m opening for Avril Lavigne for a couple of shows, and I have a bunch of upcoming festival dates. But I’ll have new music before then.

One of the characters in the film, Amber, is a 14-year-old aspiring singer-songwriter. Did you always know this is where you’d end up? Amber knew where she wanted to go. She had a vision and a path—and so did I. At school, I would sing for other kids during recess. At home, I would jump up on our table to perform. I started making demo tapes when I was a preteen. I did an Apollo Night contest in Scarborough at 12. In elementary school, I remember a teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said a famous singer. She asked, “But what’s your Plan B?” Even at that age, I was insulted. There was never a Plan B. When the odds are against you, it can fuel you.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.