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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Murdoch Mysteries: Erin Agostino says goodbye to Nina Bloom

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The good news to come out of Murdoch Mysteries‘ Season 11 finale was that William Murdoch and Julia Ogden are still together. The not-so-great news? Nina Bloom and George Crabtree are not.

Sadly, the burlesque dancer who shimmied her way into George’s heart accepted a gig at Moulin Rouge and departed for Paris, leaving our favourite constable heartbroken. Actress Erin Agostino has received praise from Murdoch Mysteries fans and those behind the scenes on the show. Writer-producer Mary Pedersen recently said of Agostino: “We love Erin Agostino. She has been wonderful and has really won over the fans which is really something because the character, on paper, doesn’t look like someone Crabtree should end up with. That’s really a credit to Erin’s work.”

The Montreal-born Agostino—who stars alongside Mia Kirshner, Erin Karpluk and Randal Edwards in the feature film A Swingers Weekend, debuting next month—spoke with us about Nina and saying goodbye to Murdoch Mysteries.

Before we talk about some specific storylines, tell me how you ended up on Murdoch Mysteries in the first place.
Erin Agostino: I auditioned for a guest-star role at the end of the ninth season. I went in and auditioned. Peter Mitchell was in the room and would be directing that episode. It took about a week or two weeks to find out that I’d got the part. Guest-starring on a show that has been on the air for that many seasons was horrific because it’s a well-oiled machine and you don’t really know what your part in it is. Everyone was so welcoming and warm and just amazing, from Peter to the cast and the crew. It was a family that welcomed you with open arms.

I went into this thinking this was it. I would guest-star in that episode [“From Buffalo with Love“]. There was a chance to recur in the following season but nothing was set in stone. I really connected with Nina. I loved that part and it felt very natural to be her and Jonny Harris and I had a wonderful connection. I guess that’s what sparked the writers to put her back in in Season 10.

What were your thoughts when you first saw this character on paper?
I hadn’t really watched the show mainly because I didn’t have a TV when I first moved to Toronto. As soon as I got the audition—I was in Montreal when I got the role—I put on Murdoch and watched as much as I could. I watched Season 8 and thought about the character. I loved how mysterious she was. There were secrets. She comes across as this woman who knows it all but she is hiding this vulnerable heart that she’s afraid to break. I loved the mix where she is this strong woman but this vulnerable child at the same time.

The relationship between George and Nina was very hot and heavy. What kind of trust did you and Jonny establish so you could play the intense scenes you both did?
It’s scary going in, knowing you have all of these passionate scenes and you have never met the other person or done a chemistry read or anything. Day 1, I remember, was a kissing scene. It was basically, ‘Hey, pleased to meet you. How are you? Let’s make out.’ [Laughs.] It could have been really awkward, right? But it was a relaxed environment. Peter Mitchell always creates that, so I was instantly relaxed, which was key. I’ve worked with a lot of people and Jonny is just not what you’d expect for someone who has the success that he has. I met him and the first thing he said was that he was going to craft services and did I want a tea or anything? I was like, ‘Really?’ There was an instant comfort that developed. Over the years we’ve become closer. I call him a friend, which made those scenes a lot easier.

The last scene we shot, the breakup scene, it was hard. We were crying, some of the crew was crying, it was a beautiful moment but it was tough. We don’t know what’s going to happen, but we felt like if it was goodbye for a little bit it was still really rough.

When did you become aware of the Murdoch Mysteries fandom?
At some point in Season 10. It’s been overwhelming, especially recently. There have been so many messages of love and support. It just means the world to me. To play someone who is, in my opinion, a strong role model who is not afraid to be different … to have her affect so many people is beautiful. The support has been overwhelming.

Peter Mitchell and most recently Mary Pedersen have said they loved what you brought to the role and will miss you. What does that mean to you?
It means everything. It’s my job as an actor to find something real in a character, whether they are someone who is portrayed negatively or positively, there is good and bad in everyone and it’s our job to bring the good and human side forward and make that person whole.

It was sad that George and Nina broke up, but I respect the fact neither of them would give up their beliefs for the other.
They were both willing to bend for that other person. He was going to Paris and she was going to marry him. But I think that love for each other prevented that. They knew the other person couldn’t accept going against what they believed in. It was a realization that we want different things right now and it’s just not fair to watch the other person sacrifice what they want.

You used two key words: right now. Nina is not dead unless something horrible happens on the trip over to France. She could return and I’m assuming you would be happy to return to the show.
If the writers find a way to connect them again, I am all in.

What will you miss most? And did you take anything as a memento?
I didn’t take anything. I should have. I wanted those boots. [Laughs.] I’m going to miss everyone and everything about it. It was a family.

Will you miss Nina Bloom? Do you really think she’s gone from George’s life forever? Let me know in the comments section below! And be sure to support Erin and the Canadian film industry when A Swingers Weekend hits the big screen next month.

 

 

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Featured, The Detail

The Detail: Angela Griffin and Shenae Grimes-Beech bond over murder cases, messy personal lives in new CTV detective drama

While female cops are, thankfully, commonplace on TV, it’s unusual for a crime series to centre on three female homicide detectives, as does CTV’s new crime drama, The Detail, which premieres Sunday, March 25, at 9 p.m. ET.

“You usually get a single female,” says Angela Griffin, who plays Stevie Hall, an experienced and disciplined homicide detective on Toronto’s Metropolitan Police Force. “You get your sole female lead, and you might get a sidekick, but it’s really rare to have three female leads in a show like this–and it’s great that it isn’t punctuated, it isn’t whacked over your head.”

The show focuses on the professional and personal lives of Stevie, her rough-around-the-edges rookie partner, Detective Jacqueline “Jack” Cooper (Shenae Grimes-Beech), and their tough boss, Staff Inspector Fiona Currie (Wendy Crewson, Saving Hope). The fact that these characters come from three different generations makes it all the more compelling.

“We’re on totally different pages in our journeys in life, and I think that gives people a lot to relate to,” says Grimes-Beech. “That, and the fact that these women truly are supportive of each other in today’s whole movement of female empowerment.”

That kind of support is on display in The Detail‘s debut episode, “Wake Up Call,” as the detectives investigate an apparent suicide the day after Jack learns a shocking revelation about her personal life and publicly acts out. The fallout makes Fiona question whether it’s worth keeping her on the team, otherwise known as “the detail,” but Stevie quickly comes to her partner’s defense, pointing out that, despite her screw-ups, Jack “sees things other people miss.”

According to Grimes-Beech, a Toronto native best known for Degrassi: The Next Generation and 90210, Jack’s penchant for trouble actually helps her on cases. “She definitely is a bit of a rule breaker because she thinks outside of the box,” she explains. “I think if Jack got her shit together, she may not be as good at what she does. But I think it lands her in hot water at work, and it certainly does not play out well in her personal life.”

That makes Stevie the apparent adult in the partnership. “Stevie’s really methodical, she comes from a family of cops,” says Griffin, a British actress with dozens of TV credits, including Coronation Street, Inspector Lewis and Brief Encounters. “There was never really any chance of her doing anything else, she always wanted to be a cop, and she absolutely plays by the rules. I think that’s one of the draws to Jack. There’s a real attraction because she’s so much more raw, she plays so much more on instinct. And Stevie can’t do that.”

However, while Stevie appears to have her professional act together, Griffin says the mother of two is dealing with some very real family problems. “There’s an honesty to Stevie that I think you don’t often get on TV,” she says. “Which is sometimes, when she closes the door on her family to go to work, she breathes a sigh of relief because it’s actually sometimes easier to go and deal with the dead bodies and deal with the murderers than it is to deal with a teenage daughter.”

As the season progresses, things will get messier for Stevie and Jack, as their professional and personal lives intersect in painful ways. An old lover (David Cubitt, Medium) and an old case present problems for Stevie, while the personal trauma Jack encounters in the pilot continues to evolve and fester, eventually threatening a case and straining Stevie and Jack’s partnership.

But, again, it comes down to support. “These women are putting their lives in each other’s hands every single day,” says Griffin. “They have to trust each other. They have to have a really quite incredible bond, and I think that they work at that.”

As for Griffin and Grimes-Beech, The Detail–which is very loosely based on the U.K. series Scott & Bailey–has provided each of them the opportunity to grow as actors.

Grimes-Beech never envisioned herself landing a detective role. “When I was in the audition waiting room, I felt very out of place,” she says. “But once I read the dialogue, I felt I had stepped right into this girl’s shoes.”

Executive producer Ilana Frank (Rookie Blue, Saving Hope) felt the same way and fought for her to play Jack. “Because of my age or whatever, people were a little unsure of giving me the job,” Grimes-Beech says. “But she really had my back the whole way along.”

Meanwhile, Griffin had to polish the North American accent she’s been keeping in her “back pocket” since she–and a wave of other British actors–began regularly participating in the annual pilot season for American and Canadian productions. “You’ve really got to get that accent off if you want to have a chance with a part, so I’ve been doing it for a couple of years,” she says. “And I was fortunate that we had an amazing dialect coach who came onto set and helped me out.”

Still, she was nervous about getting it right. “I’ve got to say, the first couple of weeks of filming, I was probably thinking about how I was talking more than what I was talking about,” she says.

To help, Griffin chose to stay in Stevie’s accent “from the moment I got up in the morning” until the show wrapped each night. She would then suddenly revert back to her British accent–a switch that sometimes startled her co-stars.

“We would forget, and then we would wrap, and she would [speak in a British accent],” Grimes-Beech laughs. “We all totally forgot that she wasn’t from here.”

The Detail airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on CTV.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Comments and queries for the week of March 23

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I was so touched by William’s and Julia’s reconciliation [on Murdoch Mysteries]. It warmed my heart, and I could see that their relationship has only strengthened. It’s good for them to take that trip together since it will give them time to heal together. Yannick’s and Hélène’s acting, as well the entire cast’s, were amazing beyond words. Will there be any stories arising out of their trip or from their previous one to the Galapagos? Maybe George will find the woman that his truly for him … maybe Julia’s sister, or is she too much of a free spirit? I absolutely love this show and have been watching it for a long time now. When I first started watching it, it got me through a difficult time in my life. Looking forward to Season 12!!! (P.S. I also hope that Pendrick and Terrence Myers return!) —Linda

My daughter thinks Violet gave a suspicious drink to Julia!! Now why would she do that?? —Karen

If Violet truly wants to take over the morgue, it wouldn’t make sense for her to induce the loss of Julia’s baby. I’m sure quite the opposite is true. If Julia is not in the lab due to maternity leave, then it would be much easier for Violet to take over. You must understand that up until fairly recently, women were not allowed to work if they were married or had a family. My own mother-in-law had to quit her job at Eaton’s when she got married. She was only 25 and the year was 1946! She never really recovered her self-esteem for the rest of her life. She was an excellent homemaker and mother, but I still think she had a lot of regrets about not having a career. “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.” —Kathryn

Terrible episode! :( As if the writers went crazy by the end of the season. Bitter, destructive, bleak, depressing. There are a lot of other shows with this kind of intrigue and negativity (and I don’t watch them for a reason), it’s just not Murdoch Mysteries. —Erinah

Whew! Great ending. Couldn’t have made it through the summer without that reconciliation kiss between William and Julia. Looking forward to Season 12. Thank you to the cast and writers. —Sharon

The mysteries are intriguing, but I like the stories of the characters also. Murdoch Mysteries is the best show on TV. —Barb

 

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? Email greg.david16@gmail.com or via Twitter @tv_eh.

 

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Featured, Little Dog

Little Dog: Patricia Isaac discusses Dr. Vaani’s “sweet and honest” relationship with Tommy

With four rounds, er, episodes of Little Dog in the can, we’ve learned a lot about Tommy and his family. Tommy (Joel Thomas Hynes) is tenacious and slowly gaining his mojo back. Lowly (Stephen Oates) is loyal if not a little slow. Sylvia (Ger Ryan) is a force to be reckoned with.

As for Dr. Vaani Abdeen, played by Patricia Isaac? Well, the good doctor has certainly revealed a lot in the last two episodes. Turns out she’s not only a brilliant doctor but a kleptomaniac with a secret. That came to light in Ginny’s (Katherine Isabelle) anger class when Vaani revealed she was verbally abused by her husband. We spoke to Isaac about her character, Vaani’s relationship with Tommy and her circuitous route to acting.

Give me the Coles Notes version of how you got into the industry. Your bio says you were the youngest account executive for a major IT corporation. When did you decide acting was what you wanted to do?
Patricia Isaac: I was in Alberta, where I’m from, and it wasn’t so much as a decision as something I couldn’t not do. I’d been performing, singing and writing since I was a little kid and it’s not something that’s necessarily culturally encouraged. Math, science and business is just what we do. It feels safe. All of a sudden I had this grownup’s job and I said to myself, ‘Is this it?’ I just had to give acting a shot. I made a friend in the industry, we hit it off and I was encouraged to take the leap and head to Vancouver to check it out. I ended up going on my first audition, booked it and took it as a sign. I lived out of my suitcase for a few months and never went back.

How did your family feel about that?
My family is very supportive of taking a risk and seeing that it all works out. If you don’t spend decades going at it aimlessly then you’re all good! My family does have a lot of art in its background too, so there is that.

How did you land the role of Vaani? Did you audition or did some folks have you in mind because you’d been on Republic of Doyle?
It was both, actually. I did know Joel from before when I was on Doyle. But I auditioned. I taped here in Los Angeles and did the callback with [showrunner Sherry White]. What made it so great was the fact that we did have that history.

St. John’s is such a fantastic city to work in and you got to do it twice. You must have been pinching yourself.
It is a dream. It’s such a special place. I spent some time by myself on Signal Hill and there was nobody else there. I watched the sun rise at Cape Spear … there is something so sacred about both of those experiences.

Let’s get into these characters. Vaani and Tommy have a history and there seems to be a bit of an attraction there. Can you comment on that?
[Laughs.] They are kind of a safe place for each other. She doesn’t want anything from him and he’s kind of the one person in his world who doesn’t. That allows her to be the straight-shooter that she is. Also, they can be vulnerable around each other. There is something really sweet about it and honest about it. The fact that they did know each other in high school even though he didn’t recognize her. I definitely related to her. It took me awhile to look like a girl, so I can appreciate Dr. Vaani. He was one of the few people who was kind to her in high school. Even though they seem to be from different sides of the tracks there is also an outsider quality for both of them that connects them. It’s a really sweet relationship. Where it goes … we don’t know. But it feels like an opportunity to go anywhere.

You see all of these other relationships on the show and here is this girl who was married and comes back to town after it exploded and now finds herself working with her dad in this old neighbourhood where people remember her the way they remembered her in Episode 1. She’s kind of having to rebuild herself.

It’s good these two have a safe place to go because Sylvia is on them all the time.
[Laughs.] It’s so funny because Ger and I in real life love spending time together. She is just a wonderful human being, so it made it that much more enjoyable to play these characters. I think the situation with Sylvia is very common in real life. We make assumptions about being judged or project that onto the other person. I feel like her character does that. She is going to judge me before I can judge her. We’ll definitely see more of that. There is that commonality between Tommy and Vaani and I am almost protective of him and he is that way as well.

Tommy comes across as such a tough guy because of the way he looks and dresses and carries himself. But once you start to chip away at that, he’s a sensitive guy.
Yes, and Vaani is like that too. I know a lot of girls that have done this and I have too; you find the thing that you can hide behind for protection. Vaani hides behind a lab coat in some ways and is doing her best to keep up appearances.

Little Dog airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

Featured image courtesy of James Branaman.

 

 

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Children's Programming, Featured, Web series

Detention Adventure brings action, adventure, science and fun to young viewers

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Four schoolkids get in trouble on purpose so they can explore the tunnels under their school in search of a secret laboratory that holds mysterious treasure. That’s the premise behind Detention Adventure, one of dozens of projects seeking Independent Production Fund assistance to bring Season 1 to life.

Co-created by Joe Kicak and Carmen Albano, written by Kicak, Albano and Karen Moore, executive-produced by Moore, Lauren Corber and produced by Ryan West, Detention Adventure summons Goonies, Stand By Me and the Harry Potter franchise in its tone. Legend says inventor Alexander Graham Bell built a secret lab under a school attended by three nerds. Raign (Simone Miller), Joy (Alina Prijono) and Hulk (Jack Fulton) are determined to find the entrance, which is supposed to be located somewhere in the old library that now serves as a detention room. The trio’s plan? Get into trouble, go to detention and find that entrance. The problem? Raign, Joy and Hulk have to include the school bully, Brett (Tomaso Sanelli), in their plans.

“We really tried to get at something that was more cinematic and dynamic than a studio school show,” Moore says. “The series is full of adventures in these tunnels and the scientific experiments that are part of it. This shows how exciting science can be and the adventures the kids can take.” Each 11-minute instalment of the potential 10-episode first season finds the sixth-grade students calling upon their scientific and problem-solving skills to tackle and break through a series of puzzles, traps and riddles to find the elusive lab.

Detention Adventure is a departure for Moore. Most recently a writer on decidedly adult projects like Workin’ Moms, Rookie Blue and What Would Sal Do?, she’s written and produced two BravoFACT short films in Must Kill Karl (alongside Kicak) and Your Place Or Mine, and Frozen Marbles. Moore was looking for a progression from writing shorts and felt this was a natural move. Her time in the writing room under showrunners in Catherine Reitman and Tassie Cameron has given Moore the experience to write the serialized episodes Detention Adventure boasts; she, Kicak and Albano made up the writer’s room.

“It was me telling Joe and Carmen what to do,” Moore says with a laugh. Every episode of Detention Adventure contains themes of overcoming differences, empathy, cliffhangers and a lot of fun. The potential series is aimed at 6-12-year-olds, the pre-teen audience where stories of friendship and insecurity are relatable.

“This is the time when kids are still up for more wholesome fun,” Moore says. “But they also have the tools and the independence to have some life skills to draw on and be at the level of these science experiments and problem-solving.”

Support Detention Adventure by clicking through to the show’s YouTube page and liking it! And check out more projects seeking IPF funding.

Images courtesy of Broken Compass Films.

 

 

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