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Interview: Arwen Humphreys investigates Murdoch’s Margaret Brackenreid

It’s no mystery that Murdoch Mysteries fans are part of the reason Arwen Humphreys has gotten more screen time. Turns out Margaret Brackenreid is a favourite of watchers who made that point known to producers, who upped her initial three-line appearance into a recurring role on CBC’s Monday night period drama.

But what fans might not know about Humphreys is that she has a background in comedy, improv and has performed stand-up three times. We dug up that info, and some other scintillating facts, during a lengthy discussion with the Toronto native.

Let’s start at the beginning. How did you get on Murdoch Mysteries? Was it a casting call? How did it come about?
Arwen Humphreys : It was a casting call, and it was for a three-line role. My name at that point was just Mrs. Brackenreid and I’ll never forget those three lines: ‘Thomas?’ ‘Inside’ and ‘Come here boys and let your father be.’ That was the beginning. The scene was that she had discovered what she thought was a bomb and I thought about it a bit and realized that she’s the wife of a police inspector so there is no way that she’d freak out. I’m guessing that she’s been around a lot of stuff, so I figured she wouldn’t play it in a panicked way when Thomas came to the door. It would just be, ‘OK, come inside. It looks like we have something.’ I booked the role and was really excited because I’d been in and out of this industry for the last 20 years. Tom  [Craig] and I got to talking on the first day and I explained what I thought before going into the audition. He asked me what I thought her first name was and I hadn’t thought of anything. He said, ‘What about Margaret?’ I liked it, and in Season 2 they wanted to call her Levina, I think, and Tom went in and said, ‘No, no, no, her name is Margaret.’ And that’s what it’s been ever since.

What’s it been like being on this ride from three-line role to recurring?
It’s been amazing. Tom came down the following February and told me that the show had been renewed for a second season. They could have recast the role easily, but I think Shaftesbury and Tom have been my cheerleaders since Day 1. Then in the second season they gave me a couple of scenes and that was amazing. It’s been this slow built in a way because I didn’t know what they were going to give me every year. It wasn’t until Season 3 at Tom’s going away party when [then showrunner] Cal Coons told me they were thinking of a storyline where the Brackenreid’s son was kidnapped and that was the first time I was given a lot to do.

Between ‘Kung Fu Crabtree’ and the wedding episode … I really love how you’ve seen the passionate side of Margaret and her interests. I love any episode that gives you a glimpse into the Brackenreid history. Maureen Jennings told me that there is no Margaret Brackenreid in the books, so she’s strictly something that’s been created for the series.

And the fan support blows me away as well.

The fans are unbelievable. Anytime I’m on set I think there are different reasons as to why I’m there and one of them is the fans.

The fans are so passionate. What do they say to you on the street?
I don’t get recognized on the street because my hair is down and my energy is different. I’m more the sillier side of Margaret. I’ve actually walked through a group of fans and nobody recognized me until I was introduced. It’s a transformation for me when I go into hair and makeup. Once I have the whole getup on, I’m her. I love her strength and her heart and I love the relationship between her and Brackenreid. There is so much heart and love between them. It’s a real marriage. It’s a solid relationship.

The fans are unbelievable. They sent a petition to Shaftesbury to have me on more and I hear that they email them too. It’s so sweet and so lovely. Anytime I’m on set I think there are different reasons as to why I’m there and one of them is the fans.

Did you come up with your own backstory for Margaret?
Once we knew there was a Season 2, I worked extensively with a voice coach, Rae Ellen Bodie, and we sussed out the relationship and how it functioned. So I had a general idea. And the writers have definitely hinted at her past through things like her being arrested for gambling and that’s how she and Thomas met.

It must be fun when Margaret lets loose in a scene and play her less rigid.
My background is in comedy. I did a lot of improv, a lot of sketch and I did standup three times. That was in the late 90s and early 2000s. I was heavily involved in TheatreSports in Toronto. I did stuff with them and I did some stuff on the Second City main stage. I wasn’t part of the main stage troupe but I did perform on the stage, which was a thrill. The wedding rehearsal scene was a blast to shoot. As soon as I read that she hums the Wedding March I was at home rehearsing it and I did what you guys saw, the big flourishy thing. I did it so many times at home that I just did it on-set automatically and everybody burst out laughing. Yannick looked at me and said, ‘Now that’s funny!’ And I was like, ‘Woo!!’

Do you have any plans to go behind the camera and write, produce or direct?
I have friends who tell me that I should write, so if it was anything it would be that. I don’t know if it would be writing screenplays because I have no idea how to do that. I have a friend who keeps telling me, ‘I’m submitting something for this contest, you should too!’ And I hesitate.

Are you a student of TV? Do you like to watch it and analyze it or do you just like to sit and watch it?
While I’m watching it, I just like to take it in. But I love the craft of television writing and there is some really great stuff happening right now. I’m a binge watcher and pretty up to date with everything on television. Breaking Bad is a series you have to think about and I’ve never had a more satisfying ending with a series.

Orphan Black is crazy. [Murdoch‘s] Kristian Bruun is on it and my friend Natalie Lisinska was in it in Season 1 and I got so wrapped up in it that I was thinking of the call sheet and wondering who was first on it. And I’d decided it must be Rachel because I had totally forgotten that it was Tatiana Maslany in the roles!

Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC.

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Interview: Murdoch enters the squared circle

I’ve been a fan of professional wrestling since I was a little kid. Back then, the WWF (as it was called back in the day) would come to Brantford, Ont., to record house shows for Maple Leaf Wrestling. It was there that I saw the British Bulldogs, Jake the Snake Roberts and others. I attended WrestleMania VI at the Skydome and cheered like a fool when the Ultimate Warrior defeated Hulk Hogan.

So to say I was thrilled to see Monday’s newest episode of Murdoch Mysteries was not only entitled “CrabtreeMania” but centred on pro wrestling is an understatement. I got the episode’s writers, Simon McNabb and Jordan Christianson, on the phone for a tag-team interview about the storyline, which concluded with George Crabtree being offered a job in Station House 3.

Congratulations on the season pickup from CBC. Will you both be back in the writing room?
Jordan Christianson: Yes, we will. We’re in the process of writing first drafts for the first several episodes of the season. And we have a loose idea of where we’ll go in the episodes after that and how the arc of the season will go.

Let’s talk about “CrabtreeMania.” I was a huge pro wrestling fan when I was a kid, so this episode was a lot of fun for me. Simon, can you tell me how the storyline came about? Was there pro wrestling in Toronto circa 1902?
Simon McNabb: I did a fair amount of research into the wrestling of the time. Simon and I and Peter Mitchell are fans of pro wrestling. We had heard that pro wrestling was around at the time but we didn’t know much about it. It was big at the time, about as big as boxing, but it had been marginalized and was happening in a lot of bar rooms. A wrestler would take on all comers in a town. It was believed back in the day that a lot of matches were fixed because there were no governing bodies and barely any championships. It was very localized. I leant itself to corruption and gambling and entertainment.

The one liberty that we did take was the characters weren’t quite as flashy back then. That grew in the 1920s and 30s. In 1902 it was about matches that went on for an hour.

JC: The other liberty we took is that, back then, wrestlers didn’t have the personas in the way that they did in the 1980s and 90s. There was no Big Boss Man that was a prison guard. It was just Joe Anderson. We thought it would be fun to portray Victor McAllister be like a Vince McMahon and introduce theatrics to wrestling.

SM: Although we took liberties with the costumes, there was a wrestler named the Turkish Strangler, I think. That kind of stuff was around, but to a lesser degree.

Jordan, where were the wrestling scenes filmed?
JC: That was in Hamilton and it was some sort of abandoned warehouse. What Pete liked about it was that it was a blank slate and it leant itself really well to having a rough and ready bar atmosphere rather than a small arena or theatre. That location was terrific.

You guys cast four actual wrestlers in some of the roles. Jaxon Jarvis is the real deal. Are they all pros?
JC: Jaxon and The Solid Man [Jeff Black] and The Gladiator [RJ Skinner] are all members of the local wrestling group GCW. Peter had been going to these matches just as a wrestling fan and got such a kick out of these guys. We had been kicking around a wrestling story for a couple of years, so he was pretty keen to get those guys involved.

And Jonny Harris got a chance to get into the ring and fight too. Did one of you tell him about the upcoming storyline and what was his reaction?
SM: I think it might have been me that had the first conversation about it and I would say his eyes lit up. He’s a wrestling fan too and he’s the kind of actor who is up for anything exciting.

JC: We also knew from ‘Kung Fu Crabtree’ that he will go all-in physically. He wanted to be in that ring.

SM: The stunt coordinator actually felt that the part where Crabtree lifts Edna up on his shoulder was too unsafe because the wrestling ring had a bit of give to it.

JC: If I’m not mistaken, they tried to rehearse it and it looked like it was going to be too awkward, cumbersome and perhaps dangerous for Tamara Hope, so I think it was nixed. But then he and Tamara, I think, went off on their own and practiced putting her up on his shoulder like Randy ‘Macho Man’ Savage/Elizabeth style. And when the cameras were rolling they just nailed it.

At the end of the episode, Crabtree was offered a detective’s job at Station House 3. Will he take the job?
SM: I think we can say that this is the beginning of an exciting new chapter for George and we hope the fans like where we go with it.

JC: Crabtree is a good copper and has been doing this for years. In a very practical sense, it made sense that Crabtree would have some ambitions of his own and would be ready to take that next step in his life professionally and personally.

Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC.

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19-2, Ascension, Murdoch Mysteries

Tonight: 19-2, Murdoch Mysteries, Ascension

19-2, Bravo – “Orphans”
With the squad in fragments, the true identity of the mole is revealed.

Murdoch Mysteries, CBC – “CrabtreeMania”
Leading his first murder investigation, Crabtree uncovers deception and fraud when a wrestler dies after a match. Guest starring David Chilton.

Ascension, CBC – Episode 6
Christa’s powers create chaos on Ascension and Globus, allowing Krueger and Stokes to escape.

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Murdoch Mysteries

Producers team with Ontario Government on Making Murdoch

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From a media release:

SHAFTESBURY PARTNERS WITH ONTARIO GOVERNMENT ON MURDOCH MYSTERIES COMPANION SERIES

Shaftesbury today announced that it has partnered with the Ontario government on Making Murdoch, a 20-part online series that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Murdoch Mysteries on location in Ontario, with a special focus on the sites and stories of the province. Available on the CBC YouTube channel and at cbc.ca, Making Murdoch has also been shared with Murdoch Mysteries’ international distribution and broadcast partners in 110 countries worldwide. Watch Making Murdoch: Discovering Ontario.

“Over eight seasons, Murdoch Mysteries has featured some of Ontario’s most recognizable tourism destinations, like Victoria Park Square in Brantford, Parkwood Estate in Oshawa or the historic mining town of Cobalt. Making Murdoch is a wonderful opportunity for viewers to learn more about these important landmarks, while also showcasing Ontario as a great place to visit.” — Michael Coteau, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport

“Each week, Murdoch Mysteries brings the province of Ontario to millions of viewers across Canada and around the world. Ontario’s breathtaking vistas, historic sites and story gems are what make this series a success. We’re thrilled to partner with the Ontario government in showcasing our province as a coveted destination in Making Murdoch, to ensure that what Ontario has to offer is not a mystery.”
— Christina Jennings, Chairman & CEO, Shaftesbury, Smokebomb Entertainment and shift2

Filmed on location in Ontario during production of Murdoch Mysteries Season 8 from April to December 2014, Making Murdoch (20 x seven minutes) offers an in-depth look at the making of the series, including interviews with the cast, crew, writers and producers who bring the show to life, and insight from expert spokespeople on the people and places of Ontario featured in the show. Season 8 (18 x one hour) of Murdoch Mysteries premiered in October 2014 and airs Mondays at 8 pm (8:30 pm NT) on CBC in Canada, with the season finale of the series scheduled for Monday, March 30. Season 9 of the series will begin production in May 2015.

From Cambridge to Cobalt, Making Murdoch explores the beautiful sites and untold stories of Ontario featured in Murdoch Mysteries Season 8, including the history of Old Town Toronto and the Constabulary’s Station House No. 4, where the series is set; Queen’s Park and the Canadian women’s suffrage movement; the legendary Walper Hotel in Kitchener; the rough-and-tumble nature of the Toronto waterfront and the rise of the automobile circa 1902; the legacy of vaudeville and the Elgin & Winter Garden Theatres in Toronto; the industrial background of Hamilton’s 270 Sherman heritage site; the little known story of Northern Ontario’s silver rush in Cobalt; the perfectly preserved Black Creek Pioneer and Westfield Heritage Villages; the beautiful Rockwood Conservation Area; the South Simcoe Railway, Tottenham’s historical gem; turn-of-the-century honeymoon traditions in Niagara Falls; the dangers of the corset as showcased at the Fashion Victims exhibit at Toronto’s Bata Shoe Museum; Hamilton’s storied Scottish Rite Club and Whitehern Historic House and Garden; the remarkable Foster Memorial in Uxbridge; and the picturesque and historic communities of Dundas, Georgina, Cambridge and St. Marys.

One of Canada’s most successful and longest-running dramas, Murdoch Mysteries has become a staple for CBC and broadcasters around the world with its winning formula that brings together compelling mysteries, unique slices of turn-of-the-century history, ingenious inventions and personal moments for each character. Licensed to broadcasters in 110 countries and territories including the U.S., UK, France, Finland and China, the series continues to thrive with eight seasons and 114 episodes under its belt, boasting an average audience of 1.3 million each week in Canada in Season 8. The series has logged 651 days of shooting in more than 200 unique locations in Ontario, and triggered 8000 production jobs in the province for actors, writers, directors, producers, crew, background performers and technical and production services across three made-for-television movies and eight seasons of the series.

With millions of fans, Murdoch Mysteries also boasts one of the most engaged fan communities in Canadian television, including 62,000 likes on Facebook and more than 60,000 followers for the series and its cast on Twitter. Fan events in Ontario attract thousands each summer from across Canada, the U.S., UK, France and Australia.

Set in Toronto at the dawn of the 20th century, Murdoch Mysteries is a one-hour drama series that explores the intriguing world of William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson), a methodical and dashing detective who pioneers innovative forensic techniques to solve some of the city’s most gruesome murders. Murdoch’s colleagues include the love of his life, coroner and psychiatrist Dr. Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy, Durham County), a staunch ally who shares the detective’s fascination for science; Constable George Crabtree (Jonny Harris, Of All Places), Murdoch’s eager but sometimes naïve right-hand man; Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig, Coronation Street), Murdoch’s skeptical yet reluctantly supportive boss; and coroner Dr. Emily Grace (Georgina Reilly; The L.A. Complex), Dr. Ogden’s protégé.

Murdoch Mysteries was initially adapted for television from Maureen Jennings’s popular Detective Murdoch series of novels as three made-for-TV films produced by Shaftesbury and broadcast in Canada in 2004 and 2005. The series first premiered in Canada in January 2008 and aired on Citytv for five seasons, before moving to CBC in September 2012.

Making Murdoch is directed and produced by Jean Greig; produced by Lorraine Clark and Katherine Wolfgang; and edited by Mike Garniss and Mike Meddik, with Graeme Potts serving as cinematographer. Christina Jennings and Scott Garvie are executive producers.

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Ascension, Murdoch Mysteries

Tonight: Murdoch Mysteries, Ascension, 19-2

Murdoch Mysteries, CBC – “The Keystone Constables”
When a vaudeville comedian is murdered, Crabtree and Higgins go undercover to investigate the other performers, including W.C. Fields.

Ascension, CBC – Episode 5
Lorelei reveals a secret from beyond the grave that disrupts Ostara and provokes a power struggle on Ascension.

19-2, Bravo – “Babylon”
After an accidental death, violent protesters occupy an abandoned building and the squad must clear them out.

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