When we last left Workin’ Moms, Kate (Catherine Reitman) was on the cusp of making a major decision. Would she choose to forgive Nathan (Philip Sternberg) for his extra-marital transgressions in favour of keeping her family together, or would she choose a relationship with Mike (Victor Webster)?
We find out what Kate’s decision is within moments of Season 4’s return on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. on CBC. And, suffice it to say, her pick makes waves. But Kate isn’t the only one who has made dramatic choices. In Tuesday’s return, “Charade,” we catch up with Anne (Dani Kind), who is doubling down on her parenting skills from Season 3, which saw her being overprotective of her daughter, Alice (Sadie Munroe), much to the chagrin of Anne’s husband, Lionel (Ryan Belleville).
We caught up with Dani Kind ahead of Workin’ Moms’ return to get her take on Season 4 and Anne’s parenting skills.
Congratulations on Season 4. When you signed on for the first season, did you ever think that there’d be a fourth?
Dani Kind: No. Just looking at old pictures of how young my kids were when the show started, and I was like, ‘Where the hell did the last few years go?’ It’s so insane. It’s amazing that anything in this industry ever gets made because it’s all so hard to make anything. But on top of it, I was thinking about us all being moms of way younger kids and I was just like, ‘How the fuck did we even show up in the morning?’
Last season Anne was very protective of Alice, jumping out of the bushes, taking her phone, etc. What was it like playing that character in the last season? Anne has evolved and we’re seeing a side of her that maybe makes some people feel a little bit uncomfortable.
DK: Totally, totally. And I don’t think she would generally be an over-protective helicopter parent, but I think because of what she was dealing with, post going through that situation with Brad, and I think that she went a little manic. The pendulum swung the other way to fiercely, fiercely protect her daughter because she was processing all of those feelings. So psychologically I was like, ‘Yes, absolutely.’ But then playing it was just the greatest thing in the world and Sadie Munroe, who plays Alice is, her and Ryan are … I couldn’t have ever asked for a better TV family then than those two. And they’re the easiest people on the planet to act with. And so when Catherine was like, ‘OK, and so now you’re going to do this fighting scene and teach her how to punch people on the dick.’ Sadie and I were both …Â I say it all the time, but it is like summer camp. Every time we get to do stuff like that and Ryan and Sadie are the greatest people to act with.
In Tuesday’s return, Anne is attempting to shop a book around about parenting. She still has this very strict regimen with Alice. As a parent, how do you feel about the way that Anne is parenting? Can you relate to any of this?
DK: No, I mean I don’t parent that way. I can definitely sympathize with what she’s going through because my kids aren’t teenagers yet. I’ve seen my sister go through it and I know what kind of teenager I was. And as a parent, I can sympathize with any parents just being like, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m trying my best.’ And I think that’s all Anne’s doing. She’s not maybe doing the best thing, but she’s trying her absolute best and she’s Anne so she goes 110 per cent at everything.
You already mentioned Sadie. What’s it been like working with her over the years? I mean you literally have been watching her grow up in front of your eyes over these past four seasons.
DK: I feel really lucky to work with her because of the actress she is. But also their real-life family, her parents are so incredible and she has two brothers and one of her brothers is also an actor and the way her family operates and the way that they’ve embraced me in their life and they let me spend time with her outside of set before we choose, we have lunch and stuff and they’ve just been really open arms about the whole experience.
I’m just in awe of her parents coming to set every day and the way that they treat her and it really reflects for what kind of actress she’s becoming. Watching her grow up on set has been a real honour to watch and I’m trying to watch carefully so that I can steal things to parent my boys. And that face she has is so innocent. Wait until you see her this season. She needs her own show. I’ve said it a hundred times, but she should just have her own show.
What’s going on with Anne’s journey this season? What can you say?
DK: What can I say? I mean, she has a new look this season. I wish I could talk more about where the look comes from or why she’s doing it, but she’s on her own journey with this book and she’s trying to develop this book and she has this great storyline. But then I think the storyline of her and Kate always trumps all of it. So I don’t know how much more I can say about that, but there are some struggles again this season that they have to work through together. Her and Kate.
Workin’ Moms airs Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. on CBC.
Images courtesy of CBC.
