QQ: Has “The L.A. Complex” been the most recent project, or have you been working on music, or anything else that we’ll get to see?
A: Yeah, actually I’m going to probably release something next week, just as a teaser to coincide with the CW premiere that’s happening on the twenty-fourth. I’ve been working on music for the last couple of years and then this opportunity came up and I thought it was such a great project, great writing, and amazing characters. You’d be silly not to take a whack at it. So I auditioned and I’m just so happy to be a part of it.
Q: Was it your intention to take a break from acting after "Degrassi" and focus on music?
A: I released my first album when I was fourteen or fifteen, and because I’d been filming so much, it was hard to generate momentum when you always have to take a break to go back filming. I went on tour for my first album and I had to miss a few of the first weeks of the show. It was really tough and I just decided that after being on a series for so long that this was the perfect opportunity for me to really focus and just work on my music and see where it got me. It was a really great time.
Q: Is there a full album in the works or are you doing songs one at a time?
A: It’s still in the works right now but there definitely is a full album coming soon. I just wanted something to put out for the fans. They’ve been asking because of “The L.A. Complex” and my character sings a bit in it. I thought it'd be nice to give them something.
Q: Fans want what they want, and they want it when they want it, so it’s nice that you’ll be able to give them that taste. Then of course they’ll get a little bit extra when they see you in the show and then they’ll just be hungry for more when you’re ready to drop that album.
A: Yeah. It’s going to be fun.
Q: With “The L.A. Complex” about to premiere, can you talk about the premise for the show?
A: Sure. “The L.A. Complex” is basically about these six characters that move down to L.A. Some of them are from Canada, one from Australia, but most of them are from Canada actually. It’s just about them trying to make it and each individual situation is really different and it shows a side of the industry that you don’t normally get to see. It’s not that glamorous, whatever position that you’re in, whatever state of success, it’s just a hard, hard atmosphere to work in. I think people will be able to relate with it whether or not they’re in the industry. The characters are very real. I’m excited for people’s reactions.
Q: What can you say specifically about your character that we’ll get to see?
A: Abby is from Toronto and she goes down to L.A. and in the first episode we see how she’s struggling to make ends meet financially because obviously, being from Canada, she can’t work legally in the States. Even if you do have a O-1 Visa or something like that, you can only really work in acting or whatever you have that specific Visa for and you don’t get a Visa for waiting tables, you know? So she’s just struggling with that. She’s very, very driven. She has a very highly dynamic life. The thing that Abby is she just has her eye on the prize. That’s the only thing that really affects her. While all of this other stuff is happening to her, she really just can’t focus on anything, and I think that’s something that you don’t see very often. Obviously she’s a very relatable character, but when you really look at it, not a lot of people could take that stress. Not a lot of people could be able to, and still want to go to audition after audition after audition when you’re living out of your car. It’s very tough. I think she’s a very strong character in so many different ways, though she seems quite flustered most of the time.
Q: Do you see yourself in her at all, or is she a drastically different portrayal for you?
A: Well, I think so. I think I see a bit of myself in her, well maybe I’m just a copy-cat of Abby, or I don’t know. She’s definitely stronger than I was when I went down to L.A. It was really tough for me and a lot more things happen to Abby. It wasn’t so dramatic for me, but it was really tough regardless. I definitely didn’t want to take that much from other people and from life before I would say that’s it, I’m doing something else. So we’re alike in the way we walk, I guess.
Q: “The L.A. Complex” has this really great buzz about it and, of course, it being on the CW it gets a lot of comparison with “Melrose Place.” Do you see that or do you feel the show is drastically different?
A: I never actually personally watched “Melrose Place.” I hear it’s a really great show so I guess that’s a good thing, but as far as I know, from what I do know of “Melrose Place,” it is different. I just feel like the characters, and the portrayal of the characters, it’s a really character-based show and their situations, and it’s just about how people deal with these very real problems. Especially when you’re in the industry I think people are just watching out for themselves. There’s so much pressure that happens to people in the industry. Nobody’s really out to get each other. It’s not about the relationships, it’s more about how people deal personally with all this stress and how they choose to execute their decisions.
Q: Did the chemistry with the cast come naturally or did it take a little bit of time to develop for you all? Were you familiar with some of the actors that you’re working with?
A: I was, yeah, I actually knew a lot of their faces so it was very fun to work with them. They’re all a little bit older than me so it’s nice to be able to learn from people around you because you always can learn something new. We all connected right away. They’re all so funny and so wonderful to work with. They’re so kind. We just hit it off right away, so definitely got great chemistry there.
Q: You're a part of the social networking site Twitter, are you looking forward to the feedback from fans once they watch the first few episodes?
A: Definitely! As you said, the fans want what they want when they want it, and I think if there's a big enough response to something different, or if a lot of people really want to see characters together, then it will really show. We love the scripts, but what’s the point if you’re losing viewers? You have to find a happy medium with them. You may love your story, but what’s the point of writing a story if no one’s going to read it. Definitely, I’m excited to see what people say and definitely ready for any criticism that comes my way or the show’s way. I'm just generally excited! This is my first project that I’ve done for a while so it’s kind of a rush.
Q: What would you like to say to your fans and supporters?
A: I’d just like to say thank you so much because I’ve just been so nervous, especially getting back into acting, and to do something so different. Everyone has just been so amazing with supporting me and welcoming me back with open arms. It’s just been so nice and such a confidence boost. You’re going to see how hard it is to keep your confidence. You get a complex…the L.A. complex! I feel really good about everything and it’s definitely been a really positive force, and I’d just like to say thank you because everybody’s been so amazing.
