Hollywood-based Indian actress Freida Pinto has appealed for support for her friend Carmen Spagnola, whose farm and animals were lost in the devastating wildfires that have affected British Columbia’s Okanagan region.
Pinto took to Instagram to draw attention to the scale of the destruction and the displacement caused by the fires. She also highlighted Spagnola’s personal loss, describing her as someone who had brought her “so much peace over the years”.
In her post, Pinto encouraged followers to visit Spagnola’s Instagram page and see her farm and animals before the wildfires. She also shared that Spagnola’s friends had launched a GoFundMe campaign to help her rebuild.
Pinto said the rebuilding process would be difficult but praised her friend’s resilience in the aftermath of the disaster.
“Her rebuild is not going to be easy but her strength through it all is remarkable,” Pinto wrote, while thanking her community for taking the time to read her appeal.
The 41-year-old actress rose to international prominence with her debut in the 2008 Oscar-winning drama Slumdog Millionaire. She subsequently appeared in films including Miral, Trishna, Desert Dancer, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Immortals, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Love Sonia, Hillbilly Elegy and Mr. Malcolm’s List.
Pinto has also worked in television, including the Showtime miniseries Guerrilla and the series The Path.
She married photographer Cory Tran in 2020 after their engagement in November 2019.
Pinto is set to lend her voice to the upcoming animated fantasy film Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, directed by Lauren Montgomery. The film continues the story of Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender and follows Team Avatar as they encounter Tagah, a surviving airbender, and search for an airbending staff to help restore the Air Nomads.