Artist Profile: Raymond Ablack on Catching the Acting Bug — And Never Letting Go

Raymond Ablack is no stranger to the screen. A Canadian actor with over two decades in the film industry, Ablack first became widely recognized for his role as Sav Bhandari in “Degrassi: The Next Generation” and has since built a diverse resume from roles in rom-coms to indie dramas. Most recently, he’s become a fan favorite in Netflix’s “Ginny & Georgia,” where he plays Joe, the brooding yet earnest cafe owner whose quiet presence carries increasing emotional weight with every season.

The series, known for its unexpected mix of sharp humor and raw emotional turns, has leaned into even deeper territory with its exploration of larger emotional themes in Season 3, starting with Georgia on trial for murder and Joe caught somewhere between loyalty and heartbreak.

“It puts Joe in a crunchy spot,” Ablack said. “He’s been trying to protect his heart — but also he cares so deeply about her.”

While “Ginny & Georgia” may have brought Ablack into millions of living rooms, his journey to the screen began long before Wellsburg.

Ablack’s love for performing started when he was a kid growing up in Toronto. At age 11, he played young Simba in the theatrical rendition of “The Lion King,” and the experience opened his eyes to a new world.

With a background in competitive hockey, karate, and swimming, Ablack was open to exploring all his interests as a kid.

“I didn’t know that theater existed as a life,” he said. “They say you catch the bug — and I guess I caught the bug in the theater.”

His early discovery of his passion came from a foundation of support.

“Anything I wanted to try my hand at, my parents were happy to drop everything and put all their money and support behind me,” he said.

That support extended to all of his siblings — his sister, Rebecca is also an actor, another sibling skates professionally with Disney on Ice, and his younger brother plays competitive hockey.

“Being able to pursue those things opens up the world beyond just academia,” he said. “I only get to be here doing this as my work because I had parents who supported me as a kid.”

That early encouragement has helped Ablack stay grounded and grow ambitious, even as “Ginny & Georgia” has drawn more attention and acclaim.

With the third season of “Ginny & Georgia” airing after a long break, Ablack said the time apart gave the cast a chance to grow — both personally and artistically.

“To sit with the character and the story and let it just simmer inside of you— that actually reinforces the plot and the character. I think that helps in the performance,” Ablack said.

The gap between seasons gave way to new energy on set, yet feelings of familiarity remain.

“It feels like the sets in the studio have been left untouched. We just pick up and play again,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s always the case on every show, so I feel lucky for that feeling.”

That feeling of familiarity is heightened by one rare detail: Ablack is returning to sharing the screen with his real-life sister, Rebecca Ablack, who plays Padma.

“No one knows how to press my buttons better than my sister. We both know somewhere in the pit of our stomachs that this may never happen again, so we try to enjoy it a lot and have fun with it while we’re there,” Ablack said.

Beyond the show, Ablack has been grateful for positive fan responses.

“It’s flattering,” he said. “It always just brightens my day.”

Living in Toronto, Ablack discusses how the attention remains manageable — usually someone kindly stopping him on the street to say hello or ask for a photo.

“It doesn’t happen so incessantly that it’s a nuisance,” said Ablack “It's just a very nice feeling when people like what you’ve done.”

When asked about his growth as an actor, Ablack did not sugarcoat the difficulties of the experience while enforcing the importance of those difficulties to one’s evolution and growth.

“You evolve through bumping up against failure and then seeing what doesn’t work,” he said. “Some performances are too big. You learn how to scale. Just through trial and error.”

“I make the same mistakes, often trying things out, but I am sitting here today on a wonderful series like ‘Ginny and Georgia.’ I feel pretty happy with how I've corrected mistakes and attempts in this art,” said Ablack

Ablack wishes he could have shared this sentiment with his younger self — or with any aspiring actor today.

“Just do it and just keep trying. Stay with it,” Ablack said.

As for what’s next in his career, Ablack is still open to the possibilities.

“I don’t know what that thing is, but I know what it feels like when I read something that I identify with,” he said.

The heart of Ablack’s story isn’t just acting, it’s family, support, and a lifelong encouragement to follow what moves you. Whether it’s on stage, on screen, or just in everyday life, Raymond Ablack is still chasing that same spark he found as a kid: The joy of discovering something worth doing forever.

—Staff writer Ashley Liu can be reached at ashley.liu@thecrimson.com.