Toronto actor Humberly Gonzalez, a graduate of the venerable Canadian Film Centre, continues her rise in television with a leading role in the highly anticipated Star Trek: Section 31, now streaming on Paramount+. The film, which premiered on Jan. 24, sees Michelle Yeoh reprising her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, navigating the shadows of Starfleet’s secretive division while confronting her past.
Gonzalez joins a star-studded ensemble cast that includes Omari Hardwick (Power), Emmy-winning actor Sam Richardson (Ted Lasso), Robert Kazinsky (Pacific Rim), Kacey Rohl (Hannibal), Sven Ruygrok (One Piece), James Hiroyuki Liao (Barry), and Joe Pingue (The Expanse).
Gonzalez, best known for her role as Sophie Sanchez in Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia, has steadily built an impressive resume across television, film, and even gaming. Her latest foray into the Star Trek universe marks another significant milestone in her career, solidifying her status as one of Canada’s rising stars.
“It’s a wonderful day, I just saw myself on a billboard in Times Square,” says Gonzalez, during a recent interview following the show’s premiere.
Gonzalez says filming in Toronto at Pinewood’s famous Star Trek stage was unique, with the entire main cast on set the first day.
“That’s very rare on a film or TV set. A lot of the times it’s very out of order chronologically,” she says. “But we spent two full film days with one scene, which is when you first meet the entire team, and when you watch the film you see that it was the best way to start a project because we all really had to rely on each other. I could tell that I was amongst people at their best.”
The Star Trek: Section 31 team features award-winning actor Michelle Yeoh, who, according to Gonzalez, had a positive influence on the cast.
“She really lifted everybody up,” she says. “Everything comes down from the top. So Casey, Michelle and I are the women of the cast, and I felt very taken care of. I felt I had permission to play because she was very playful.”
A graduate of the Canadian Film Centre’s prestigious conservatory program and the National Theatre School in Montreal, Gonzalez continues to break new ground in the industry. Proudly Venezuelan and fluent in Spanish, she brings a rich cultural background to her diverse body of work.
“I do feel the program is such an accelerator for the talent that we have in Canada,” Gonzalez says. ” They are really nurturing the next wave of Canadian talent, and I always wanted to go to that school.”
And, being a Toronto kid, Gonzalez took great pride in showing off her city to her cast mates while in town for filming.
“We went to a Maple Leafs game, we went to karaoke, we went out dancing, we ate lots of really good food,” she says. “Toronto has a lot to offer. And we grew really close very quickly; it’s such a gift to have that.”
Gonzalez says working on a Star Trek production is a right of passage for Toronto actors. “As a Canadian, it’s such a rite of passage to do Star Trek. We have Pinewood Studios, first of all. And within Pinewood Studios, we have the Star Trek stage. Everybody knows that it shoots there. So if you’re an actor or an upcoming actor in the city, you know about that and you want to be a part of it,” she says. “It’s really a showstopper, the sets, the costumes, the makeup, the prosthetics, the team, it’s such a family. It’s very niche.”
Beyond Star Trek, Gonzalez has been making waves in the world of gaming, lending her talents to the new Star Wars: Outlaws video game where she portrays the title character, Kay Vess.
Adding to her growing list of accomplishments, Gonzalez recently wrapped filming for Netflix’s upcoming series The Waterfront, created by Kevin Williamson. She also starred in Sony Pictures’ horror hit Tarot, a surprise box-office success that grossed $45 million globally on an $8 million budget.
With her star on the rise, Gonzalez is proving that the journey to the final frontier is just beginning.
