From humble beginnings in Vancouver, British Columbia as a teen actor in the teen drama Edgemont to starring as the lead character in the CBC original drama series Burden of Truth, Kristin Kreuk has become one of the most successful Canadian actresses in the industry. Kristin is most known for her roles in the television series Smallville and Beauty and the Beast. Surrounded by the elegant ambience of a suite in the St. Regis Hotel located in the heart of downtown Toronto, Kristin had the chance to tell us about her journey, her role in Burden of Truth, what she loves about Toronto, and her plans for the future.
In the legal drama Burden of Truth, Kristin plays Joanna Chang (formerly Hanley) who is a lawyer that is very involved with her career and always has been. During Season 1, Joanna was living in Toronto but was suddenly drawn back to her hometown to deal with a specific case. She ends up partnering up with Billy Crawford (Peter Mooney Rookie Blue, Saving Hope) to successfully help a group of struggling teenage girls that are sick.
In the upcoming second season, Joanna finds herself at a top law firm in Winnipeg ready to make a fresh start away from her previous firm. There, a new client draws her into the shadowy world of hackers, activists, and a political movement that won’t take any prisoners. The case leads Joanna through many twists and turns until she eventually becomes a killer’s target. In terms of family, Joanna is in touch with her sister who she met for the first time in the previous season. Meanwhile, Millwood’s lifeblood has been left depleted following the bankruptcy of the mill. With rising unemployment rates, tensions in town are running high, leaving Billy to retreat further away from town, but when his reckless brother Shane (Andrew Chown, Beauty and the Beast, Reign) shows up, Billy is forced to confront childhood memories.
Season 2 also introduces new cast members including Michelle Nolden (Saving Hope, Republic of Doyle) as Teddie Lavery, Joanna’s mentor and boss at Steadman Lavery; Varun Saranga (Wynonna Earp, Carter) as Joanna’s new client, Noah; and Raymond Ablack (Orphan Black, Degrassi: The Next Generation) as Sunil Doshi, a young lawyer at Steadman Lavery. Kristin filled us in on another sneak peek of the new season: “In Season 2 Joanna is involved in this crazy incident in her car. She is working with this hacktivist kid, played by Varun Saranga, and her technology starts to go out of control and that’s what propels the season.”
Kristin has shot numerous television shows and films all over Canada throughout her acting career. Vancouver, Winnipeg, where Burden of Truth was shot, and Toronto are the main cities Kristin has connected with. Kristin was only seventeen years old when she was cast by CBC in her hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia. Kristin recalled how her career took off: “I was in grade twelve when I was cast for Edgemont and I wasn’t planning to be a professional actor. The CBC was looking for exotic actresses to play this role of Laurel Yeung. I got time off of school, and I walked to the CBC building from home in Vancouver. I have been so lucky to stay in Canada, and I am so happy with that. I want to get into producing, so working from home would be ideal.”
Kristin considers Toronto home now and chose to stay in the city because of her pursuit of becoming a producer. Everyone knows Toronto for its downtown restaurants and entertainment, but coming from an actor’s perspective, Kristin opened up about the city and how it compares to the rest of Canada: “I love Toronto! I came to Toronto to do Beauty and the Beast and decided to stay here since I wanted to move more into production. Toronto is a bit better for that if you want to work in the Canadian end of production. I think Toronto is one of those cities that takes time. When I first got here, I struggled with it and had a hard time, but once you get things going you begin to appreciate the opportunities it has to offer. You have to get a vibe for it over time and get to know the areas of it that speak to you and now I have! I think it has a lot to offer.”
On that note, Kristin also had a few tips to give to young actors and actresses that are starting a career in Canada: “I had one of those experiences where it just happened, but if I could do it over, I would say get training and take classes and practice. Get honest with yourself about what you want. You can’t define that until you are in it and it changes over time, but it is a tough industry. It is better now than when I started. Toronto and Vancouver are packed with work and are cities where you can build your entire career. There are interesting roles to pursue, both leading and supporting. Work and be a good person on set. Collaborate, do your work, and be professional.”
Kristin has been an executive producer on Burden of Truth and definitely has several different plans for the future. Since her acting career started out in high school, she is currently finishing up her Bachelor’s Degree through a distance education program with Queen’s University. She also revealed that she is in a relationship and would like to focus more on producing and eventually get behind the camera.
