If they tell you the world is your oyster, they mean that you have to dig up a lot of them to be successful. Maybe oysters aren’t your thing and acting is. Now they say, if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. That one, we can all follow given the right circumstances and opportunity. I don’t know if Elvis set out to be famous or just loved to make songs. Did Robin Williams always want to be funny or was he discovered because of it? What about Marilyn Monroe, was it her dream to be a storyteller or to be a sex symbol? In entertainment, when you love what you do, it truly shows. An actor that lives for it, eats it, sleeps it and yes, probably dreams it – is Erin Karpluk!
Karpluk was recently cast in the incredibly loveable and addicting, A Million Little Things, where she plays the new girlfriend to lead Eddie Saville (David Giuntoli). They recently wrapped on episode 419 and the season finally. It airs on ABC & the W Network Wednesday nights at 10/9C and is streaming on Hulu. The first three seasons can be found on Amazon Prime & Citytv / Global TV.
When Karpluk was cast for the role, it was very minimal, she was first introduced as a sex offender’s wife, but the producers enjoyed her portrayal so much they wrote her into a much more involved recurring arc. In this season, Anna (Erin) finds strength after her husband’s betrayal and Eddie is learning to navigate life in a wheelchair after a car accident. Karpluk’s attention and dedication to her craft, her work ethic, have all brought her to this moment. Karpluk is an acting sensation, she only knows the A Game and she loves to juggle multiple projects with the help of perfume and music. I’ll explain later. In addition to A Million Little Things, she just wrapped on her other recurring role as Katherine Hobbie, on the 5th season of Holly Hobbie, seen on Disney Channel and Universal Kids in the US. AMLT certainly has her switching gears, but her first car had a clutch. Afterall, switching gears in movies and television is all part of the ride, the adrenaline, the challenge and the rush! In the last year, Erin Karpluk has been from Holly Hobbie, to A Million Little Things, Nancy Drew, A Two Sentence Horror Story, the Debris, then Maid – where she played opposite Margarite Qually and Billy Burke, then back to Holly Hobbie and A Million Little Things. Don’t worry, I almost fell over too.
How did an ambitious actor from Jasper, living with her single mom till she was 17 ever succeed in one of the toughest careers on the planet? I’ll let her put that into her own words. She’s worked with Rob Lowe, Angela Bassett on FOX and has leading roles in 18 movies, including Suddenly with Dominic Purcell and Ray Liotta,
Reasonable Doubt opposite Samuel L Jackson and Dominic Cooper and
Bailout, again with Purcell and Edward Furlong. The hit comedy, A Swingers Weekend won the best ensemble at the Canadian Film Festival and Erin also received a Best Actress award for her role in the Web Series Riftworld Chronicles, which also won best Web Series at the LA Web Series Festival.
Karpluk started making a wave after landing a part in FOX’s Dark Angel, for which award-winning director – James Cameron handpicked her to play the pregnant X5 Gem. She received her first big break after booking the Series Lead playing “Kate” on Godiva’s, which earned her a 2006 Gemini nomination for Best Actress in a Dramatic Series. This notoriety led Erin to star as ‘Erica’ in the hit CBC series Being Erica, which had 4 seasons airing in over 180 countries. Her performance garnered a Gemini Award for Best Actress in 2009, a Leo Award for Best Lead Actress in a Dramatic Series in 2010, along with 5 more performance nominations.
Erin Karpluk currently splits her time between LA and Vancouver and I was extremely fortunate to catch up with her in Kitsilano, BC where she was enjoying a clear blue sky with sun reflecting over the beautiful ocean. She said she was close to the beach and you can never be disappointed about that. We had an extraordinary chinwag about all things acting, tenacity and storytelling. Roll the tape!
HNMAG “Congratulations on your new role on ABC’s, A Million Little Things. Can you explain your character Anna?”
ERIN “It’s very interesting, because I started out as a character with a smaller plot line and it’s evolved into my character dating the lead character Eddie Saville (David Giuntoli). Every time I get a new script, I can’t believe I’m still in it. It’s become so meaty, it’s evolved and it’s been challenging for me as an actress to play. I’m so grateful for what the writers have written for me, especially given where the character started to where she is now. I don’t want to give anything away because I’m not allowed to, but even one of my best friends won’t run my lines with me because she doesn’t want to know what happens, but it’s good. I’ve noticed a tendency in the scripts, where one episode will have a lot of crying and the next episode will have a lot of comedy. They trust me to handle both and it’s so fun to play. The cast and the crew are phenomenal and I get to shoot it in Vancouver.”
HNMAG “This series isn’t afraid to tackle important issues. You have a relationship with Eddie, who uses a wheelchair due to a car accident. I love that it takes a bold direction.”
ERIN “The creator of the show, DJ Nash wrote the pilot based on a true experience. He’s quite open about a good friend of his that committed suicide. That’s how the pilot episode begins and that in itself is addressing mental health, which is something we can all relate to in one form or another/a friend. The show deals with heavy issues and in this season alone, there’s episodes that cover racism, addiction, LGBTQIA, there’s a very cool trans story we have on the go. When my character comes in, she’s married to a husband being charged with sexual abuse. DJ is not afraid to put those issues out there and talk about them. As human beings, it’s why I enjoy watching TV, because I can relate to the things within it, see people overcome adversity and navigate their way out of it. I’m very grateful and proud to be part of the show for that reason.”
HNMAG “Is this show available in Canada?”
ERIN “It is, it airs on ABC and the W Network. I believe you can also catch it through City TV and Global. My friend/designer says she’s binge watching it all; it’s such a good show.”
HNMAG “When you learned that your character was going to be in a relationship with a man in a wheelchair, did you know of any couples at that time, in a similar relationship where one is in a chair?”
ERIN “That’s a really good question and no I don’t. Off the top of my head, I’ve personally dated 2 disabled men. When I got the part, David (DJ) and I talked about it a lot. He had done a lot of research into the character, who gets into a car accident that leaves him paralyzed. It’s very interesting, the initial phases of dating because he’s recently injured and I’m also coming out of a relationship, where I’ve been very betrayed by my husband. It’s a beautiful journey for both of these characters; they’re very vulnerable and they lean into each other. They clearly care for each other very much and I relish in playing awkward beats with taboo emotions. As humans, that’s what we have, so I really like the storyline. He’s (David Giuntoli) such a wonderful actor and to be as vulnerable as he is… people will be able to take a lot away from it.”
HNMAG “I really want to tune into this show. I love the storylines and how they aren’t playing it safe and taking a risk on some of the social issues they address.”
ERIN “In this season toward the end, without giving anything away – they really go for it! When I was reading the script, my mouth was on the floor. That’s not just my character, it’s an ensemble cast and ALL the storylines are fascinating. It’s big stuff!”
HNMAG “How far in advance would you receive your script for the next episode?”
ERIN “Normally, in television you would do a readthrough. We’re shooting 419 right now – we would’ve done a readthrough for that 2 – weeks before shooting. You’ll then go in for your wardrobe fittings and then prepare. It might only be a week, it depends because the writers get tired toward the end as their workload gets heavier.”
HNMAG “How long would an average shooting day last?”
ERIN “From the time I leave my door till I come home… 15 hours. It depends though if I’m in every scene. In television, sometimes there’s 18 hr days. I’ve also heard that the union wants to extend the hours, which isn’t great because you need 8 hours sleep, you need to be able to kiss your children, have a bath and be able to prep for the next day. With the actors we have in Vancouver, I don’t think we should be encroaching on that anymore, in regards to ACTRA and UBCP. I really hope that they wouldn’t.”
HNMAG “How long would it take to shoot an episode?”
ERIN “I think on network television, it’s 8 days. Usually half-hour is 5-6 and one hour is 6-8 depending on what the budget is.”
HNMAG “Would that consist of days off in between?”
ERIN “We shoot Monday to Friday. If we’re shooting episode 5, we might start on Monday to Friday and finish on a Tuesday the next week, then flip to the next episode on Wednesday.”
HNMAG “This is quite a different role after 5 seasons of playing your character on Holly Hobbie.”
ERIN “I booked that part in 2017? I wanted to do it because I’ve never been in a show that my friend’s kids could watch. I loved Holly Hobbie growing up. She’s the iconic doll with the bonnet, the curly hair and the dog. She also has a paisley patchwork. We got the rights to that and created Holly Hobbie. I play Katherine Hobbie, mother to 3 children. We have 5 seasons and shot 3 seasons last year, which is very ambitious. We’re doing post production on them and they’ll come out throughout this year. I’m very honoured to be part of the show because the writer Sarah Glinski wrote for Degrassi and did an incredible job of writing strong female roles. I think it should be mandatory for every young girl to watch this show, it has such great messages. We also tackle racism, mental health, we tackle concussions, we tackle lots of subjects in a manner that’s suitable for children aged 9-12. It’s very smart, it’s colourful, it’s bright, there’s music and Holly sings. It’s wholesome but it’s real and I can’t wait for my niece to watch it. My character, Katherine Hobbie wears the pants in the family and is the breadwinner, which I think is important for little girls to see considering where we’re currently at. It was fun to play a mom because I’m not a mom. It’s definitely different from A Million Little Things.”
HNMAG “Is it difficult to switch gears when moving from Holly Hobbie to A Million Little Things?”
ERIN “No, I love it. I like pivoting and doing one thing and then another. Last year between A Million Little Things, I shot an episode of Nancy Drew. It was a really poignant episode around racism and I played a ‘KAREN’ role. From there, I went onto Two Sentence Horror Story, where I played a racist. After that I went straight to Debris, where I played a woman whose brain was abducted by an ‘entity’ and I become a marine’s memory. From there, I go over to Maid, where I play the stepmom to Margaret Qualley, who’s wonderful, then back to Holly Hobbie and then back to A Million Little Things. I was bouncing around doing all these things and I love it. I’m always good when I’m doing a million things at once (laughing).”
HNMAG “What techniques would you use to get back into character as you jumped from role to role?”
ERIN “That’s a good question. For every role I have, I use a different scent/smell. We have 5 scents and I use music and perfume to bring me back to that moment, much like November Rain can bring me back to my grade 10 Highschool dance. I’m also lucky that most of the roles I get cast for are in my wheelhouse and I’m pretty comfortable in them. The mom roles are always challenging, so I’ll look to the executive producer for confirmation that I’m doing it right and she’ll nod, I’m on the right track.”
HNMAG “You’ve won a Leo, a Gemini and were nominated many times, including a CSA nod. What do you contribute your dedication to the craft to?”
ERIN “You can ask almost any actor that you don’t do it to win the awards. The awards are a nice validation and they’re fun events to go to because you can see all your friends. My mother is a Highschool principal and my dad is an engineer for CN but is retired now. They have really good work ethic, they have a lot of integrity and they stay the course. They also went through a lot of tough love with me. When you’re an actress in your 20’s, you’re rejected all the time. It doesn’t matter how famous you are, you get rejected. You’re not going to be right for every role and I’m glad that I learned that in my twenties. If you don’t get the role, it has nothing to do with you. Quite a while back, I was up for a role on Corner Gas. I didn’t get it and 4-5 years later I was at TIFF and ran into Tara Spencer-Nairn and I had mentioned that I had been up for her part. She got it and smashed it. She plays the blonde police officer. Anyways, had I gotten that part, I wouldn’t have gotten the role in Being Erica, which was a much better experience and better role for me. We both looked at each other and realized that everything happens for a reason, so when something doesn’t go your way, it’s redirection and not rejection.”
Erin continued to list off some of the tools required. “It’s a lot of hard work, it’s a lot of perseverance, staying educated, showing up. There’s lots of facets to the industry, such as – the craft, set etiquette, there’s the business side and knowing how to deal with press, agents, publicists. Now, we have social media – we didn’t have cell phones when I started acting (laughing), so it’s been a journey. You can embrace all those things and do it in a way that doesn’t jeopardize your integrity. You also have to be open to things and sometimes roll with it, if you want to be able to get to set and to be able to play. You’re not going to love every part of the job, but you have to learn to love it and to get better at it because to actually get on set filming, takes a lot of work.”
HNMAG “Have you ever had new talent/actors reach out to you for advice?”
ERIN “Throughout the pandemic I’ve had quite a few people reach out to me. It’s mostly teens and twenties telling me they want to get into acting. I’ve done a lot of coaching over the pandemic – asking if they see themselves in theatre or film, what schools are right for them, as well as helping them to avoid massive potholes that I myself fell through. For instance, stay away from those ‘Get Discovered’ workshops that you pay a thousand dollars for because those are a hullabaloo. You need to get into an acting program, you need to get an agent, go to teachers that are reputable, try different teachers and put yourself in a major city, if you’re in Canada. If you have a backup plan, you might want to go with that because there is no backup plan when it comes to acting as a profession.”
HNMAG “I read that you’re also in the film, Reasonable Doubt with Samuel L. Jackson. What is that film about and what was it like working with such a great actor?”
ERIN “You just said it. The role came and it didn’t pay a lot of money, it was in Winnipeg, but it was with Samuel L. Jackson – I’m doing it. Sam was wonderful and is one of the greatest actors in the world. He’s very tall! I wanna say he’s 6’3 and I’m 5’4. I remember that part about him. I was either with him in all my scenes or with Dominic Cooper, who was lovely. He’s so good and he’s so supportive, that sometimes in the middle of a scene, I’ll be like, OH MY GOD, I’m acting with Samuel L. Jackson (laughing), it’s crazy. It was a really cool experience. There’s a scene toward the end, where we spent an entire evening outside shooting. It was Winnipeg in December and at least -30. My character comes home and takes off her jacket. I wasn’t wearing much and we’re outside. Sam has a gun with me in the scene and I’ve never felt more safe with anyone than Samuel L. Jackson. Can you imagine how many guns he’s handled in his life? He was so good, showing me the gun, the blanks and telling me which side the shell would fly out from. Someone asked me today, who’s the biggest star I’d worked with – Samuel L. Jackson.”
HNMAG “When you work with big actors like that, does it make you raise your A game every time?”
ERIN “It doesn’t matter the project or the person, I always bring my A game. On Holly Hobbie, they have to wrap the kids at a certain hour, so a lot of the time, we would do our scenes on a piece of tape on a tennis ball on a stand. I’m still bringing my A game to that tennis ball. My responsibility as a storyteller is to do a bang-up job and when you’re watching it, you’re affected. I would say that one of the most present people that I’ve ever gotten to work with, was Jewel (singer/musician). She did a television series for Hallmark, called The Fixer Upper. It was the Fixer Upper Mysteries and I played her best friend on it. She hadn’t acted a lot and John Cassini was coaching her. It was so interesting to work with her because as an artist and performer, she is unbelievably present. She would look at me and whatever I did, she would completely mirror me. She was the lead and I was there to support her in her storytelling – they cast experienced actors to work with her. It was unbelievable, my uncle dies on the show and I started bawling on my coverage and she started bawling. When I worked with her, I had to give everything because she was like a sponge/mirror and would reflect it right back.”
Erin Karpluk is a force with an incredible array of skills, roles, stories, travels, sets, Awards, nominations… how much time do we have? Karpluk found her oyster and her world has opened up. She has worked with the best because she has earned her seat at the table, she took the path less travelled and didn’t bother with the bread crumbs. Karpluk kept moving forward, one step at a time until… she arrived.