I spent about 2 months in Toronto while filming the first season of The Strain. It was the dead of winter, during one of those polar vortex years. I was there alone, living in a generic corporate apartment in the city.

I was a block or two away from the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

When I don't know anyone, when I'm in a strange or new place, the one thing I always feel happy or comfortable doing is going to the movies.

It's the perfect solo activity. It doesn't even matter what movie it is, the experience is the point.

I went to the TIFF every weekend to see whatever little indie they had on offer. They had a huge Cronenberg exhibit at the time, which I got to privately tour with Peter Weller, who directed my episode of The Strain. That was one of the coolest, most surreal mornings of my life.

I loved working on The Strain. I loved the cast and crew, and Peter and I got along really well. He's a story machine, and I'd just sit during set ups and ask "then what happened?".

But after wrap, the TIFF is what got me through the isolation of those weeks. It felt like home.

I will always remember that time and that place, and I hope I get to go again some day.

I love going to movie theaters. I know I'm not alone. This time right now is hard, but I have to believe we'll get to sit together again in the dark and watch new stories told with light.

As a bonus, here is a photo of me on that set, the coldest I have ever been in my life.