Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova Is Heating Up
The world is Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova’s oyster, and appearing as Svetlana on the hit show Heated Rivalry is the beautiful pearl at the centre.
Since Heated Rivalry took the world by storm, Kharlamova has been riding the wave. And the hype doesn’t seem to be slowing down: Heated Rivalry was nominated for 18 Canadian Screen Awards, including Kharlamova’s own nomination for Best Supporting Performer, Drama. “I woke up, and I saw the email. And I didn’t know what it was for. I thought I booked a job or something,” she says. “I saw my friend Eve Edwards was also nominated, and Sophie Nélisse is in the same category as well. So it was fun. I’ve got some good competition.”
The cast’s group chat quickly blew up, but the nominations took Kharlamova by surprise. “Eighteen nominations—that is quite a bit. When I saw how many different departments were nominated, I was so happy, because honestly, I felt like people who worked on the show really gave it their all, really gave it their 100 per cent, and I feel like it paid off, and I’m glad that’s being recognized,” she says. “I guess I have so much going on that I didn’t even take into account that we could be nominated for anything.”
In February, Kharlamova made her modelling debut at New York Fashion Week in the Christian Cowan runway show. Her iconic curls were straightened, and she took to the runway with the poise and professionalism of a seasoned vet. She strutted down the catwalk in a luxurious fur-trimmed coat, sheer burgundy thigh-high stockings, a zebra-print clutch, and metallic heels. Cowan’s show, fittingly titled Before The Door Opens, focused on the private interior of the bedroom and the dressing room—the idea of turning your private self into theatre before heading out into the world.
It’s not too far a leap from Heated Rivalry to the intimacy behind the Christian Cowan show, and the persona Kharlamova settled into for the show had, in a way, unlocked a new version of herself: the actress on the catwalk.
“I just wanted to be an actor. I love acting. I love filmmaking, I love cinematography, I love storytelling, I love all of that stuff. The modelling just kind of came hand in hand, I guess,” she says.
That concept of turning your private self into theatre before presenting it to the world is also a storyline in her upcoming project: a TV show called Sterling Point, a coming-of-age drama series that’s slated to premiere on Amazon Prime this summer. “It’s a fun character. And I think a lot of the Heated Rivalry fans are really going to like this character again,” she says. “Sterling Point is just such a nice, summery, coming-of-age show, and I think a lot of people are going to like it, and the cast is super talented and also so nice. I had so much fun on that show.”
Filming Sterling Point came at roughly the same time as filming Heated Rivalry, serving as a catalyst for all that was to come. “I did the auditions pretty close together, too. “When I got my callback for Heated Rivalry, I was actually coming out of a callback or a chemistry read for Sterling Point, so they were kind of happening almost at the same time.”
All at the same time is kind of a metaphor for Kharlamova’s career: she is everywhere, speaking on the Black Screen Office panel, among others, and graced the 2026 Actor Awards red carpet.
Before the Canadian Screen Awards, she’s also presenting at the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards, using both as an opportunity to highlight smaller fashion houses and Canadian designers. “I love anything unique, but I still like my pieces to be flattering,” she says. “I like trying new stuff. It’s nice to work with smaller designers or smaller houses because it can be more fun. I also like working with fellow Canadians.”
It’s been a whirlwind, one she hopes to never take for granted. Kharlamova grounds herself by playing video games—she loves Call of Duty, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart, and Overwatch, among others—but is enjoying the ride and the opportunities it brings.
But nothing—not her favourite movies like Donnie Darko, His Girl Friday, and The Fall, or the Russian films she pored over during her childhood flying between St. Petersburg and Toronto–would be at the centre of a global phenomenon the way that Heated Rivalry is. And while the hit series has been renewed for Season 2 and is slated to begin shooting this August, Kharlamova’s dreams take her into a variety of roles and personas. “I just want to do everything. I want to do some action stuff while I’m young and can run around. I want to do some spooky psychological thrillers,” she says. “I just want to keep working and doing fun stuff like I have been, and meet fun people and keep this party going.”
