We sit down with the queer Canadian heartthrob, who recently joined the cast of CBC’s hit police procedural drama TV show, Allegiance — CBC’s most-watched new TV series…
By Christopher Turner
Photos by Steph Montani
Calgary born-and-raised actor Samer Salem is in for quite a ride. He recently returned to Canada to join the cast of the hit police procedural drama TV show, Allegiance – CBC’s most-watched new TV series of the 2023–24 season. While the queer Canadian has found success with supporting or recurring roles on television in The Handmaid’s Tale, The Boys, Yellowjackets and The Expanse, and on the big screen in the much-hyped 2022 queer rom-com My Fake Boyfriend, his starring role as Detective Corporal Zak Kalaini will turn him into one of Canada’s most recognizable faces.
More than your typical cop show, Allegiance aims to complicate mainstream police show narratives by offering a more nuanced perspective in how it approaches topical issues like safe supply, sextortion, mental health, addiction, youth crime, policing of BIPOC communities and restorative justice. Season 2, which will premiere on January 15, will be rooted in even more topical storylines, including online gambling, tech janitors and international schools. Salem’s newly introduced character, Detective Kalaini, is smart, speedy, confident and irreverent, and transfers in to become the new partner of lead character Sabrina Sohal (played by actress Supinder Wraich) as they investigate cases across Metro Vancouver and Surrey, British Columbia. (The show is shot in Surrey and Vancouver.)
“The series is about identity and belonging, policing and politics, and finding truth within the heart of a flawed justice system,” Salem says. “Before you start throwing shade at the fact that this is a police TV series, Allegiance is reallydifferent from the typical cop shows, like Law & Order!”
Salem, whose parents immigrated to Canada from Lebanon, wasn’t always on a path to a leading role on one of Canada’s biggest TV shows. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Calgary, he decided to abandon a career in medicine to pursue a secret desire to try out acting. At that point, he had no experience on stage or in front of a camera. But he was persistent. He enrolled in his first acting class in Vancouver, and never looked back. It took him five years of working graveyard shifts as a nurse in Vancouver while going out for auditions, but his leap of faith finally paid off in spades when he booked his first significant role.
IN recently sat down with Salem as he was on set filming Allegiance in Vancouver; we chatted about what viewers can expect from Season 2, his role models, and what’s next for the one-to-watch actor.
Let’s kick things off and talk about Season 2 of Allegiance. What can you tell us about your character, newly transferred partner Zak Kalaini?
Zak is in his early 30s and is smart, blunt and irreverent. He recently transferred from Calgary, and his sensibilities put him at odds with Sabrina [the lead character in Allegiance], his new partner in the Serious Crimes Unit. Zak came to policing after spending time in law school. He was deeply committed to the pursuit of justice. The only problem? He realized he didn’t really like lawyers, or the verbal one-upmanship and backroom deals. Instead, Zak thrives on the adrenalin of hands-on, real-time human interaction. Although he doesn’t hit the heights of Sabrina’s emotional intuition and compassion, he’s good at reading people. His ability to code-switch and put suspects at ease often keeps him three steps ahead.
What can viewers expect in this season of Allegiance?
Loads of drama and action, just like the first season, which premiered on CBC in February 2024. I’ve been a fan of Allegiance since it debuted, so I’m so excited to officially be part of the Allegiance family! The upcoming season will be rooted in another powerful set of engaging and topical storylines. My on-screen partner, Sabrina, joins the Serious Crimes Unit and has six months to prove she’s got what it takes to be a detective. She’s paired with me, someone who has a decade more of experience compared to her and a very different approach to the job. While navigating a complex love life and an equally complicated family life, Sabrina is determined to take down the man responsible for framing her father in the first season.
Some readers might remember you from the 2022 queer rom-com My Fake Boyfriend with Keiynan Lonsdale. What was that experience like for you?
That movie was a lot of fun to shoot. It was my first rom-com. I’d never done anything in that genre, and it was fun to play in a different style of acting. The rest of the cast were fantastic to work with. Great experience all around!
Do you consider yourself a role model for 2SLGBTQI+ viewers across the country?
I haven’t really thought of myself as a role model, to be honest, but the older I get, the more conscious I am of how my choices can have ripple effects outside of the sphere that I exist in. I’d been out for a long time in the industry. Agents and casting, etc., all knew I was gay. But I didn’t come out publicly until I did press for My Fake Boyfriend. That was a conscious decision, and in doing so I thought, you know, if this makes it easier for even one kid to come out to themselves or to their family, that’s a good enough reason.
I’m learning more and more that there is a responsibility that comes with being in a public-facing position – an opportunity to help shift a narrative, change the landscape of our industry and society in general. For so long, there was this pervasive view that ‘out’ actors wouldn’t get work in Hollywood. And that’s obviously no longer true. If I can continue to make it easier for those in our community, or people of colour to get their foot in the door, it’s not an opportunity I want to waste.
Who do you consider a role model?
I’ve got a few: Ian McKellen, brilliant actor. Andrew Scott and Denzel Washington.
What’s one piece of advice that someone gave you that has really made a difference to you?
Go slow to go fast.
If you weren’t acting right now, what would you be doing?
I think I’d have likely gone and become a doctor. Or an architect. Ha! Who knows? Life is wild.
Let’s switch gears. What’s your favourite TV show, movie and song?
I can’t pin down a favourite TV show, but right now I’m watching Silo with Rebecca Ferguson. Her performance is stellar. I’ve also been watching Shrinking – very funny, highly recommend. Favourite movies are Braveheart and Shawshank Redemption. I won’t lie, I’m an Adele stan, so probably something of hers. I just came upon a song called “Stick of Gum” by a Canadian artist named Nemahsis; it’s a great listen.
What’s next for Samer Salem?
Definitely a vacation! I’m looking forward to winding down during the holidays. Besides that, we’ll see what comes my way. The last year has been full of surprises and blessings, so I’m staying open to whatever else the universe is cooking up for me. I shot a movie with Lucy Hale a while back called F Marry Kill, which premiered back in December 2024, and Chicken Sisters for Hallmark +. Chicken Sisters will get its Canadian release this year. Both those projects are a lot of fun, so definitely check them out!
The complete first season of Allegiance is available to stream in Canada for free on the CBC Gem streaming platform. Season 2 of Allegiance is set to premiere on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 9:00 am ET on CBC Gem, and at 9:00 pm ET (9:30 pm NT) on CBC TV. Weekly episodes will also be available to stream for free on CBC Gem.
CHRISTOPHER TURNER is the editor of IN Magazine. He is a Toronto-based writer, editor and lifelong fashionisto with a passion for pop culture and sneakers. Follow him on social media @Turnstylin.
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