Redefining Mom: Rukiya Bernard Juggles Acting and Motherhood

Redefining Mom Rukiya Bernard Vancouver Actress

To further our goal of inspiring and informing our amazing readers, we’re profiling moms who are redefining the word mom for themselves. Today, we’re sharing Rukiya Bernard’s story. You may not recognize her name, but there’s a good chance you’ve seen her face. Rukiya is a Vancouver-based actress. She has appeared in numerous TV and film productions including Supernatural, Eureka, Sanctuary, Stuck (2007) and many more. You can check her out on IMDb and see just how busy she is. She’s lived in Vancouver for the last seven years and juggles life with her husband, two dogs and 18 month old daughter.

Rukiya Bernard is Redefining “Mom”

Rukiya loves acting. She says, “I think I love it so much because I feel like with every character that I play I understand human nature more and more. I get to play out different life scenarios real and surreal and understand myself a little more. It’s so much fun. Sometimes I think to myself, ‘Wow! Am I actually working right now?'” It’s not always easy to balance it all, though. She shares her struggles, saying, “Between acting jobs, last minute auditions, my side business of interior design, Tae Kwon Do, a course at BCIT, modeling, being a wife, being an involved mother, staying connected with my extended family, not having a babysitter or grandparents to help out – it can be challenging.”

Like every mom, Rukiya is constantly redefining her priorities. When asked how she juggles it all, she said, “I pray to the universe that a new eighth day of the week shows up miraculously. Jeez! I don’t know. Every day is different.” Acting presents some additional challenges, too. Rukiya says, “My schedule and the locations that I work in fluctuate so much. I try to plan my life as best as I can – I live off of my iCalendar – if it’s not in the iCalendar it doesn’t happen. I stay up late, wake up early and I’ve become master of prioritization and effective efficiency.”

The Funny Side of Acting and Motherhood

Sometimes being an actor and a mom makes for some serious hilarity. Like the time Rukiya did an audition with the shot tight on her face, so that when casting saw the DVD, they couldn’t see that she was breastfeeding her daughter at the time to keep her from crying. She also says, “Having multiple auditions on the same day can be quite entertaining. I remember I had two auditions as did my mommy actress friend so it was four auditions, two moms, two babies, and one car filled with wardrobe and baby essentials.” Rukiya was dressed in goth-inspired clothing and heavy makeup in the back seat, and her friend was dressed as a nurse driving to her second audition. Rukiya says, “I was all sandwiched between two babies in car seats, one crying – probably because I was scaring her with my over the top make-upped face, feeding the other with a bottle, pumping one boob for milk as we run lines, and I try to change wardrobe into an African Miss Cleo inspired psychic.” Luckily it ended well, as Rukiya shares, “I ended up booking that Miss Cleo inspired role – a guest starring spot on Supernatural.”

Finding Inspiration

In spite of the struggles and the hectic car trips, Rukiya feels that motherhood has made her better. It’s redefining her, if you will. She says, “I feel like I’m more myself than I’ve ever been. I’m less consumed with myself. As an actress, your business is you and it’s quite all consuming. I used to obsess over roles, scrutinizing every possible choice a character can make over a given situation. Now, I just don’t have the time to do all of that. My daughter needs me – so I find myself jumping into character way faster and enjoying a freer approach to my craft. I feel like I’m a much better actress now than I’ve ever been. I’m certainly working way more than I ever have before! It’s weird how that happens.”

To keep her going, Rukiya looks for inspiration around her. Like many parents, she finds it in her child, saying, “Lately my daughter has been the biggest inspiration for me. I love watching her and seeing how she interacts with other babies, toys and entertains herself. She’s taught me over the last 18 months that you don’t need a specific language to communicate. She’s teaching me about how to enjoy the journey and not just the goal.” The learning goes both ways. When asked what she hopes her daughter is learning from her, Rukiya says, “I want her to learn to follow their dreams, do what she loves, not be limited by life’s limitations and be happy. I want my daughter to look at her mommy as the shining example of someone who has followed her bliss, made mistakes and made it all work. Especially as a woman of colour in this day and age, it’s so important to learn to be an independent, creative, entrepreneurial, forward thinking, driven person who can affect another person’s life for the better with the passions that she shares.”

I’m feeling inspired now, myself. Thanks so much, Rukiya, for sharing how you’re redefining “mom”.