'I love acting': 12-year-old from Sask. First Nation featured in Treehouse TV series

Madison Kingfisher was a dancer who stumbled into acting when her mom responded to an Instagram ad looking for Indigenous talent and submitted a video of her lyrical solo.

"The casting directors were moved by my emotions and asked if I could act in some scenes," she said in a Zoom interview with CTV News.

Now, as her success grows, she hopes her latest role will inspire Indigenous youth across the country.

After starring in feature films, she has landed a role in a new Treehouse cartoon.

Kingfisher plays Mel in the Builder Brothers Dream Factory, a show based off the Property Brothers, Drew and Jonathan Scott. It’s geared towards preschool-aged children and debuts on March 26.

Meadow said she has many similarities to her character.

“We’re like twins,” she said.

Both enjoy powwow dancing and educating others on First Nations culture.

"I think it's really cool to play an Indigenous girl and showing my culture on Treehouse, because I know there's going to be a lot of Indigenous girls looking up to her," Meadow said.

It’s a proud moment for her father Harlan Kingfisher. He grew-up in Sturgeon Lake and never saw Indigenous representation in the media.

"Showing her own culture on the show, I think it's amazing.”

“I’m looking forward to it coming out, and inspiring everyone across Canada," he said.

Meadow had a stage presence from a young age.

Her mother Madison Kingfisher said Meadow was shy growing-up, but performing helped her come out of her shell.

"The first time I saw her on stage there was just this huge personality, that was funny to see coming out of my very shy child," Madison said.

Meadow plans on continuing her acting career. She signed with an agent in Los Angeles, and recently travelled to Greece for an upcoming feature film. She said there will be some big projects premiering this summer, including a Netflix series, and the film Beehive.

“I love acting so much, because I get to share my emotions in so many different ways,” Meadow said.