‘A thrilling experience’: Winnipeg actor set to appear alongside Oscar winner in “Love Hurts”

Winnipeg actor Stephanie Sy shares her experiences filming “Love Hurts,” which comes out Friday, in her hometown.

For Winnipeg actor Stephanie Sy, the last few years have been a bit of a blur.

“I truly could not tell you what happened this year or last year,” she laughed during an interview with CTV News Winnipeg.

It’s understandable.

The local actor has had a dizzying few years, appearing in a slew of feature films, television series, and stage plays.

For its part, 2025 has already been particularly packed.

On Saturday, Sy wrapped a weeks-long run belting and baking her heart out in Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre’s production of “Waitress.” On Monday, she flew south to attend a screening of her latest film—the bombastic, Winnipeg-shot action flick “Love Hurts.”

It stars Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan as a hitman turned realtor trying and failing to put his violent past behind him.

Sy plays house-hunter Sherry Reeber alongside fellow Winnipegger Adam Hurtig, her movie husband. All of their scenes were with the Oscar winner.

“We were oh so lucky. (Ke) truly is the most generous kind, but strong and assertive leader, and he knows what he’s doing.”

The role was also an opportunity for Sy to reunite with Jonathan Eusebio - the stunt coordinator on “Violent Night,” another Winnipeg-shot action movie that Sy had a role in.

“He’s also Filipino, so we had just an instant bond from that movie,” Sy said.

This time around, Eusebio was in the director’s chair, leading Sy, Quan, Oscar winner Ariana DeBose and a cast and crew with plenty of Winnipeg representation. Among them – Sy’s partner Matt Schween. He worked as a camera and Steadicam operator on the shoot last spring.

“It was a very special, enjoyable, thrilling experience to be doing this movie, let alone with Ke and everybody involved, but also just having my partner around to see all of it kind of happen for me and to also see him shine.”

“Love Hurts” is set to open Friday on thousands of screens across North America.

Sy hopes it will serve as a celebration of the Winnipeg film community—one she feels has earned a reputation that sounds distinctly Canadian.

“We’ve got good people. We’ve got people who are really talented and who are good at their jobs and who can be kind while they do it.”