Tantoo Cardinal on the age-gap relationship in her latest stage production, ‘Witch’

Tantoo Cardinal in Toronto on Friday Jan. 23, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

TORONTO — Age gap relationships can make some people uncomfortable, Tantoo Cardinal says, so maybe audiences should have a heads-up about what they’re getting into before coming to her new play.

She’s contemplating the subject as she speaks, wondering how much to reveal about one of the elements of Soulpepper’s forthcoming production of “Witch,” in which she stars: her character, Elizabeth Sawyer, entertains a flirtation with the devil, portrayed by a much younger man.

“I think it’s a new dawn and a new day. I think it’s fine and it’s fabulous and it is wonderful, and let’s go, let’s do it,” Cardinal says of relationships between older women and younger men.

“But when we do that, we have to recognize that we are in this transition where we are nurturing — we’re delivering an opportunity for people to shred a prejudice or shred some concept that’s been put into their heads.”

That was a concern even for Cardinal, 75, as she embraced the sexual tension between her character and the devil — also known as Scratch — portrayed by 29-year-old actor Nicholas Eddie.

“There’s a certain amount of work that had to go in to allow myself to be comfortable there — and of course that’s a part of Elizabeth’s journey as well,” she says.

So-called “age gap relationships” among celebrities tend to draw attention and criticism — take for example Leonardo DiCaprio, 51, who is frequently roasted for dating women in their 20s; the media scrutiny on 73-year-old Bill Belichick and his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson; or persistent questions about the relationship origin story of French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte.

Each has invited its own brand of critique, but often what’s brought up is the perceived power dynamic, says “Witch” director Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster. In a patriarchal society, men are often assumed to be more powerful than women, regardless of whether that’s really the case.

Age — and the experience, respect and sometimes money that comes with it — add to the power differential.

“Patriarchy and paternalism can be part of that, sandwiched on top of each other and you sort of have to fight against that in the relationship,” Ch’ng Lancaster says.

Between an older woman and younger man, she says, “I wonder if equilibrium is more easily found.”

“A woman may have built all this power and reputation around her, and forcefulness, and (she) still walks into the room not being able to wield that necessarily quite the same way,” she says.

Ch’ng Lancaster says she cast Cardinal primarily for her magnetism, but when she realized the actress was outside the age range described in the script, she decided to lean into that element of the story.

The play takes place in a small village, where Elizabeth Sawyer has been labelled a witch by the townsfolk. But when Scratch comes to town, looking to make deals in exchange for people’s souls, she is the only one who refuses him.

As they continue to talk about his offer, they get to know each other and form a bond deeper than either imagined possible.

“Let’s not do things halfway,” Ch’ng Lancaster says. “Let’s really push that extreme a little bit, right? So now you’ve got quite a wide age gap between the two of them, which I think only emphasizes the love between them because then it becomes a really transcendent thing.”

Eddie, who portrays Scratch, says he thought a lot about the shifting power between his character and Cardinal’s.

“It starts with this very specific dynamic of power where I have something to offer and I am trying to take advantage of her, in a way. And then as the story goes on, it slowly shifts where, in her saying ‘no’ repeatedly, it forces me to then yearn for her approval and she takes the power in a much clearer way,” he says.

That shifting power is compounded by the romance between the two characters, he says.

“It’s not dissimilar from a Jane Austen novel. There is this dynamic that starts with a very specific energy and something that couldn’t really possibly be romantic,” he says. “And then it slowly develops and becomes more flirtatious and sexual as it goes on, which is so satisfying.”

But beyond the age gap and power dynamics, Cardinal says she’s happy to portray late-in-life love on stage.

“I think it’s something that can be more visible. I feel like not everybody in their 70s is ready to disappear, you know? There’s life, there’s life. And who knows how long I’m gonna be around, but you know, I’m going to have some fun while I’m here. Give it a shot.”

“Witch” runs at Soulpepper’s Michael Young Theatre in Toronto from Feb. 5 to March 1.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2026.

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press