Loyal fans shouldn’t panic but actress Erin Karpluk, star of CBC’s charming hit, Being Erica, is moving to L.A. in November in the hopes of being cast in a feature film. “I would like to do a project with a beginning middle and an end.” Karpluk stresses that she loves playing Erica but is excited to try something new.
Erica Loves Ethan
There’s something new and old in season two. Erica Strange maintains her relationship with Ethan Wakefield (Tyron Leitso plays her handsome college buddy) and keeps her job at the literary agency. But she’s more worldly now, more confident and, in her time travels, she tries to help her sister, parents, and friends with their woes. (Reportedly the time-travel conundrum will be explained this season.)
Karpluk’s favourite episode is a Groundhog Day-themed session. Erica wakes up one morning and whatever she does that day is erased. “That is probably the most fun filming I’ve had in my entire career.” She won’t give away the plot but think hyperbole. “It’s one whole entire day to do whatever she wants. You blow all your money. You go rob a bank. You tell of your boss.” Essentially it’s a get-out-of-jail-free card.
Dr. Tom, the Devil?
And the person who gives her that card is Dr. Tom (Michael Riley). So does Erica have a Faustian bargain with him? Did she sell her soul to Mephistopheles? “No, he is not, in fact the devil,” she said today by phone from Toronto where the series is in production. “In fact in one episode Erica asks Dr. Tom if he’s an angel.”
Therapy Sessions
Karpluk did see a psychologist for one year but only for the sake of acting. Larry Moss, the well-known acting coach, recommends it as a teaching tool. “The idea is to be as clean and mentally healthy as you can be. You allow yourself to be neutral for acting so you can go to darker places,” Karpluk says. In her first therapy session she was surprised by how emotional she became. “I was bawling within half an hour!”
Joan of Arc and Superheroes
One of the roles Karpluk would love to tackle is Joan of Arc. She’s spiritually and physically strong and “it’s a wonderful historical story about overcoming exceptional odds.”
What about superheroes with superpowers? She's not campaigning for a tight, candy-coloured rubber suit. “If I could be a superhero in sweatpants, that would be great,” she laughs. “Bring it on!” With any luck, there’s a casting director in L.A. looking for a lively actress to play a superhero who rocks sweatpants.
Season Two of Being Erica premieres in October on CBC and in January 2010 on SoapNet.
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