We have to laugh, no matter what THE PROVOCATEUR

Cody Lightning is a force of nature. The actor, who made a splash as a child star, makes his directorial debut with “Hey, Viktor!” one of the most anticipated films at TIFF. Edgy and irreverent, but always earnest in its depiction of a desperate actor looking to rekindle his childhood success, it’s an amalgam of 2000s talking-heads TV mockumentaries and lo-fi skater videos.

When I meet Lightning, it’s quickly apparent that the film perfectly captures his singular vision.

Lightning was born in Edmonton but moved to Los Angeles when he was a toddler to get his start in acting. His mother, Georgina Lightning, who was involved in performance arts programming in Alberta, knew that if her children were to get their big breaks they’d have to leave for a major American city. After deciding against New York City, sunny California it was.

Lightning and his siblings grew up getting roles in films and TV, while helping to support their family. “We worked as a family collective,” explains Lightning. “Any time any of us secured a role, it would go towards our household so we could sustain ourselves.”

His break arrived at 12, when he was cast as young Victor in the coming-of-age dramedy “Smoke Signals.” The film was released to critical and box office success, and has since cemented its status as a hallmark film in mainstream Indigenous cinema. It’s often credited as being the first Indigenous-directed and acted film to reach widespread audiences. Its catchphrase “It’s a good day to be Indigenous!” still adorns sweatshirts and hats to this day.

While the typical route for child actors to get their foot in the Hollywood door was through the Disney or Nickelodeon — in family-friendly, easily brandable comedies — Lightning followed a different path. He acted in critically acclaimed indies, alongside Johnny Depp (in “The Brave”) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (in “Manic”). He won an award; he was nominated for another.

But it wasn’t a rapid ascent to the top. “Child stardom for me as an Indigenous person was different than for the other kids,” he says. He often found himself typecast and considered unsuitable for roles that didn’t follow a typical Native American archetype (“leather and feathers,” he calls it).

This constraint, mixed with typical teenage rebellion, led to a career dry spell. “Hey, Viktor!” which has its world premiere at TIFF, is his return to form.

“I’m a storyteller,” says Lightning. “I have so many stories from the things that my friends and family and I have experienced, and I can bring all of that to light.”

But he’s not interested in mining his past for a conventional drama — “Hey, Viktor!” after all, is more “Jackass” than it is “Hidden Figures.” The mockumentary follows a fictionalized version of Lightning who, frustrated with his lack of roles, wants to reconvene the “Smoke Signals” cast to create a sequel. It’s funny and crass — a comedy with few dramatic strings attached.

“We have to laugh, no matter what. Even if the subject matter is serious, dark, traumatic, there has to be some laughter in there, because that’s who we are, especially as Indigenous people,” says Lightning. “I’ve learned so much from the youth and the elders that I work with. The elders who have gone through residential schools and other horrible things still show up to ceremonies, cracking jokes.”

This sensibility is apparent immediately in “Hey, Viktor!” in which Lightning mocks the expendability and stereotypical casting of Indigenous actors instead of lamenting it. In one scene, he books a commercial and dons a traditional headdress while standing in front of a pumpjack, condoning fracking as good for Indigenous communities. In the film, however, Lightning is able to poke fun at those casting practices instead of being at their mercy.

“Hey, Viktor!” only marks the beginning of Lightning’s return to the industry. He has two projects in the pipeline: a TV series and a feature film called “Smash the Blades,” based on an annual Alberta hockey tournament that features many Indigenous players. Lightning has coached a hockey team for six years and intends to explore the dynamic relationship between the coach, players and the broader community: putting to screen the “dark, serious, personal stories” but also — it’s a Lightning production, after all — making sure audiences are “able to laugh.”