Even as a child, Tasya Teles had the kind of hefty dreams that rarely come true. She wanted to do theatre, she wanted to break out of Canada and shine on television and film. At the same time, she still had a passion for her Vancouver roots and an even deeper one for food and owning a restaurant. Despite the odds, Teles currently enters another season as a main character on “The 100 " and is set to open her second restaurant in Canada, called “The Parlour”. And with further projects in both film and television on the way, the only thing Teles dreams of now is just more time in the day.
“Thankfully I am more of a conceptual builder for the restaurant and I am not doing all of this by myself,” Teles said. “But whenever I’m filming, I am always making sure to manage my time so I can make decisions on the restaurant side. It can certainly be hectic.”
“The 100 ” enters its fifth season, and the first one in which Teles is listed as a main character, her character Echo, a warrior who was born on Earth after a nuclear apocalypse, is seeing some major changes as well.
The character finds herself off the planet for the first time in her life, and in a relationship with another character. It’s a big difference from the person Teles has played for the past few years, but something she is excited about. “Echo is still a gangster, but she is not a violent gangster,” Teles said. “She is always going to be a warrior, that’s just who she is, but she has shed a lot of the attitude and belief that’s been indoctrinated in her.”
Off-screen, Teles spends time in Vancouver taking care of the first restaurant or getting ready for opening the new one in Toronto. “The Parlour” serves a combination of small plates, pizza, cocktails and beers in Vancouver’s Yaletown neighborhood. She can still remember being only 18 years old when her parents introduced her to a man who owned eight restaurants in Canada. Even then, she was quick to inform him of her deep aspirations. “The first thing I said to him wasn’t that I wanted to open a restaurant, but I was going to open one,” Teles said. “And he told me ‘Well it’s a tough business,’ and I said ‘I know but I’m still going through with it.” While she’s seeing success now, it hasn’t always been that way. She can still remember the first time she realized she had to take care of other people’s salaries, and the long hours when needed to put in to make The Parlour a success.
With this kind of stress, Teles aims for comfort when it comes to her personal style. She describes her everyday look as ‘Boho rocker chic’, featuring a cross between tie-dye silks and vintage shirts. Teles is also quick to mention that her style can change depending on the city and the country. While Los Angeles and Toronto might feature more fashion forward choices, her outdoors-friendly hometown of Vancouver is a town ruled by yoga pants and joggers. The one style she can rely on, no matter the location, is her deep passion for the ‘70s and the culture it brings.
“Cher is my spirit animal. When I starting analyzing what looks I want, it almost always is something based off Cher or Bianca Jagger,” Teles said. “I’m in love from the ‘70s, so any fashion from Studio 54 and my eyes are dazzling. That era is just so fun and so important to me.” While rocking her latest hippie-esque look, Teles is still in search of those extra hours in the day. But as she continues her search, she’ll carry the same persistence that helped her reach so many dreams so far. “You have to make sure you are putting in the necessary energy to make it a success, whether it be acting or the restaurant business.” Teles said.
Photos by Liz Rosa
Follow Tasya Teles: @tasyateles