ScreenTime – Being Erica’s Erin Karpluk Exclusive Interview

I recently talked with Erin Karpluk of Being Erica, and it was a great interview.  I first covered the quirky, pseudo-sci-fi, Canadian show when it hit Soapnet back in February, and it has only sucked me in more as the episodes have rolled out.  Catch my initial Being Erica coverage here. A new season is coming to CBC starting September 22nd, and running Tuesdays at 9:00 pm.  Unfortunately, those episodes won't be coming to America via Soapnet until an as yet undisclosed date in 2010.

If you haven't caught the show yet, it follows Erica on her adventure of trying to deal with her life and her decisions, with the little twist of a "therapist," Dr. Tom, who sends her into her own past to have another go at some of the decisions/events she has regretted.  As odd, and shticky, as it may sound (and playing on Soapnet might give some people the wrong impression as well), the show plays out wonderfully, and Erin Karpluk's Erica is a brilliantly real, laid bare character the likes of which it is difficult to find in today's television.  The show was also recently nominated for nine Gemini Awards (Canadian television awards).

Here we go!

1. Being Erica is a quirky show, but almost accidentally, would you say you lean toward such shows in your own viewing?

Erin was quick to jump on a positive reaction to this question, throwing out examples Pushing Daisies and Ally McBeal.  She expanded on the general theory behind the question, pointedly making the case that she most definitely liked shows that had a little spin to them, without overplaying things.  We were one moderately odd question in, and I was already convinced that Erin truly loved being a part of the show, and were she not the star, she would be its biggest fan. While in some respects this perhaps seems not the most interesting of statements, it is more worthwhile to note than you might expect when you come across an actor/actress who really makes you believe that they love their show, and the fact that it is their job. In this sense, the conversation reminded me of the one I had with PSYCH's James Roday, but in his case you would be hard-pressed to doubt he had the same love for showing up to work.

2. Obligatory question, but with a spin - if you could go back and be a bigger fan of a show when it was originally airing, what show would you choose?

For good or ill, Erin had a pat answer for this one - Twin Peaks. Apparently a "Peak Freak," Erin did not come by the title in the earliest days, citing a variety of takes on the misfortunes of youth as being responsible for this missed opportunity.  Thus, the perfect answer.  For the curious, there was much mention of the various accoutrement of this semi-secret society, including (as I understand it) an assortment of collectibles.

3. Suppose people only know you from Being Erica, and thinking about how that character would come through to people - what shows or movies do you really love that would be surprising to fans?

In order to confound my efforts further, Erin had a pretty quick answer here as well - Entourage, which she called hilarious and smart.  She didn't leave her answer lie though, because she was fairly willing to throw out the whole bit about only knowing her as Erica. Even if you knew her in real life, you might be surprised by the extent to which she enjoys Entourage, and there is apparently no shortage of evidence to back this up.

On a more general note, Erin threw out the entire Action/Adventure genre as something she is likely more connected with than people expect. Using the time-honored scapegoat of opposite-gendered siblings and their friends, Erin confessed she is a bit more of a tomboy than Erica, and suggested people might not expect her to be quite so into the more action-filled movies and/or shows.

This took me a little off-guard to tell the truth, and I'd love to hear comments from others who are familiar with the show. I actually get a pretty solid tomboy vibe from Erica, though it may in many ways be that of a tomboy who runs a bit incognito at times in order to manage the expectations of those she works with and for.  More interesting, perhaps... (we'll see), I had the idea going through the first season that it was her relationship with her brother that led her not only to have a male best friend, but to a somewhat tomboyish nature.

But, I gress.

4. Are there any shows that you have working in the back of your mind as partial guides for how you create Erica?

No.

5. If you could pick a guest star to come in as the key part of one of your flashbacks, can you give me a couple of names you'd love to work with?

Seriously, her answer to the last question was just, "No."

She had some answers to this pretty quickly though, and listed off Anthony Hopkins (and in order to put a little star by his name, proclaimed herself a big fan), Meryl Streep, and (and you've got to love her) Sarah Polley.

6. What are the best three movies you've seen recently, whether in the theater or not?

Always a question to stall the mightiest, I finally managed a pause from Erin.  She'd recently watched Gran Torino, and that made the list.  After some hesitation, she was able to add the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, and Se7en.  Both of these were films she'd watched several times, and both obviously favorites.  Se7en especially held a special place in her personal film history, due in no small part to the physical and emotional drain of her first screening. I wish I could go into further detail with respect to how she went on about the movie, and her deep appreciation of how movies in general have the ability to rend, release, and reinvigorate people... but in the main, that is mine, and this is yours.

7. If there was any movie from this year (or about to come out this year) that you could take over and be the star, what would it be and why?

Back to her somewhat childish game of throwing out answers as though she'd had the questions beforehand, Erin let out with, "Oh. Oh," practically before I was done asking the question, but she meant Amelia, and got there in a hurry.  In fact, if she could keep going in time, she might move to just take over Hilary Swank's career altogether.

8. Favorite movie that it seems like no one has heard of?

As you might guess, Erin had no trouble coming up with an answer, but in this case that answer was She's Having a Baby. I wasn't sure if I was going to let her get away with that as a film that no one seems to have heard of, because like it or not, that one has been mentioned here and there.

We moved on to bigger things though, and since the lesser knowns were not having a good showing, we decided to go for a couple of bigger names.  She put Dances with Wolves on the table, and though we didn't discuss it in detail, I got the impression that it was a serious favorite.  She also wanted to make sure and list Legends of the Fall as a favorite, and she did go on quite a bit about that one. Apparently (if you can believe her about such things) filmed near where she grew up, this one really has a special place for Erin, and it was truly a joy to talk with someone who had such a fondness for film.  Not that I don't speak to those with great passion about movies on a regular basis.  I do, of course.  But, talking to someone who could relay a film's effect on them with better-than-average sophistication, who wasn't, in a sense, talking about the film itself, was a treat.

9. Dr. Tom. Relationship. New season. What's up?

Though not my normal course, if you know the show, you can probably understand that I had to see if I could get any information about the upcoming season. In a specific sense, I could only manage to discover that Dr. Tom will indeed be back... sort of... I guess... or something.  Other than that, the season will take some new turns, with new characters and a more wordly Erica exploring the nature of her time travel jaunts. She takes a new approach at certain points to the very idea of what it is she's doing, and tackles the possibility that there may be more to gain in the big picture than merely sorting out her own alleged problems.

Moreover, Erin gave me to understand that this season is, "more compelling," and I'm inclined to take her at her word on that score.  After about thirty minutes talking with her, her recommendation strikes a chord with me.

10. Erica's Blog?

I also really wanted to know if we were going to get more of Erica's Blog/Vlog to go with the show, and the answer is yes.  I don't know at this point just how they will coincide with the episodes. I assume they will be released shortly before or after airtime of the show, but they are going to be there.

That's it.

I want to thank Erin very much for taking the time to chat.  She was a real pleasure to interview, and I think if anything (and you viewers can back me up) it turned out that Erica is perhaps a pretty decent window.

I hope you tune in to Being Erica starting September 22nd at 9:00, and for those in America, keep your eyes and ears open for its return to Soapnet.

Are You Screening?

© 2009, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

About Marc Eastman

Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.

Twitter | Facebook | More Posts (1450)