Toronto-based actor Ryan Allen has built a reputation for versatility and truth—equally at home in film, television, and theatre, and just as convincing in sharp comedy as he is in grounded drama. This September, he returned to the Toronto International Film Festival with Being Heumann, directed by Academy Award–winning filmmaker Sian Heder and selected to open the 2026 festival. Based on the true story of disability rights activist Judy Heumann and the landmark 1977 San Francisco sit-in that sparked a national movement, the film sees Allen portray Willy Dicks, a real-life figure who helped transport activists from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., and supported them once they arrived. We caught up with Allen to talk about his journey as an actor—and the responsibility of stepping into a story with this much weight and purpose.
Read the full interview
https://occhimagazine.com/ryan-allen-on-being-heumann-stepping-into-a-story-that-changed-america/