Interview with Gene Glazer

CynbytheSea Interview with Emily Hampshire
(Satin Tate)

Emily Hamshire, thank you for allowing the members of CynbytheSea to interview you, the insight you give us, is more appreciated than words can say, good luck on your career, always wishing you the best!

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Q1.) Can you tell us about the details of your audition for La Femme Nikita? Also, had you seen the show before?
EMILY: Yes, I had seen the show before.
I didn't audition for La Femme Nikita, they offered me the role. I had a meeting with one of the producers in L.A. about doing an episode which they were planning to turn into a spin off series (kind of a "young Nikita"). They ended up wanting someone who looked more like a young Peta Wilson, so they offered me the role of "Satin Tate" instead. which I think worked out pretty swell for me since there was never a spin off and who wouldn't want to play a character called "SATIN TATE"!.

Q2.) Do you remember the day you decided you wanted to be an actress, and what made you decide this, and with what steps did you take to achieve it?

EMILY: I did a small part in a play in high school. after the play my high school vice principal came up to me and said "you were really good, you should be proud of yourself". I believe that moment literally changed my life. after that I pretty much just made acting my life. it's funny, I've been cleaning out my apartment and I found a contract that I wrote with myself (I'm aware that make no sense but I was in grade 9!) it states that aside from school, sleep and eating I will allow myself only one hour a day that has nothing to do with acting, everything else I do must directly or indirectly help me to become a great actress. (that's the CONDENSED VERSION! it was VERY detailed, I even put some sort of wax seal on it...yikes! I was a LITTLE obsessive) so that's the biggest step I took; deciding. after that it was the usual, getting an agent, moving to Toronto where there was more work, auditioning etc.

Q3.) What was your experience like working with the LFN Cast?

EMILY: I had a great time working with the LFN cast. Sometimes it's hard doing an episode of someone else's show, it's like spending a week with someone else's family, but they were all very welcoming to me.

Q4.) Did you experience any bloopers or out-takes or funny moments in such a serious episode of LFN that you can share?

EMILY: I don't recall any blooper's, however there was a little glitch involving a helicopter; in the trade off scene between me and Alberta Watson's character, Satin Tate was meant to arrive at the stadium in a helicopter. I was really looking forward to my first helicopter ride but they kept having to reschedule it because the weather in Toronto was so bad that week that it wouldn't have been safe. So in the end we both drove up in limo's, too bad, but it was still fun being in a giant empty stadium....I remember doing A LOT of cartwheels for some reason.

Cynthia Wilkerson~ Texas- USA
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Q5.) A what age did you start acting?

EMILY: I did play's in high school and during that time joined a young peoples theater group. but I started acting professionally when I was 14.

Q6.)Please tell us about your next project.

EMILY: have a movie that should be coming out in the U.S. soon called "A Problem With Fear" which I am nominated for a "best supporting actress" Genie award (the Canadian version of the Oscars) and I just finished a movie called "Blood" based on a play of the same title directed by veteran LFN director Jerry Ciccorritti. It's a DARK comedy about a brother and sister, both ex-junkies who haven't seen each other in 5 years, they get together and engage in spiraling negotiations over drugs, sex, power, love and death. I'm very excited about it, it should be ready in time for the Toronto film festival.

Q7.) Have you ever worked in another project with any of the La Femme Nikita cast members, before or after your appearance on the show?

EMILY: Yes. I worked with Alberta Watson before LFN in a movie called "The Life Before This" and then again after LFN in a T.V. movie called "Chasing Cain". We are still trying to find something in which we can play mother and daughter ( so much so that in our scene together in "Chasing Cain" I ad-libbed a line telling her she looks like my mother and they kept it in the movie.) I also played Matthew Ferguson's sister in "An American in Canada". that was A LOT of fun, he's lovely.

Claudia Conde~ Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Q8.) I saw you in an episode of 'Nero Wolfe' and recognized you straight away as an LFN character. The actors on NW seem to be sometimes in more than one episode. Did you do more than one or did they ask you to do more and you couldn't because of other commitments?

EMILY: I only did one episode. I really loved that character and would have loved to do more....that time period is really fun but I was shooting a movie called "Posers" right after that and then they didn't get renewed for another season. It's too bad, I think it's a great concept to let actors play different characters in the same show

Q9.) Most actors seem to say that either playing the really bad guy or the really good guy are the best parts. Is this your feeling as well. I really liked the character of Satin Tate by the way. She had toughness and strength in a pretty frame.

EMILY: I'm glad you liked Satin...I personally like her CLOTHES! (you get to wear great stuff on LFN) I've never really thought of parts as "good guy's" or "bad guys" the most interesting characters for me are ones I've never played before. I would never want to be caught doing the same thing twice. the thing I LOVE about acting is CREATING a character, but one that lives outside the script as well as in it. for example if I'm just the token "girlfriend" in the script, that's not interesting to me...or it's my job to MAKE her interesting; to be a living breathing human being on her own. I don't know if that makes sense...perhaps I'm talking gobbledygook. all that to say my feeling is the best parts to play are ones that scare me, be it "good guy's" or "bad guy's".

Warren Stewart~ Perth-Section
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Q10.) Emily........do you remember your first thoughts on La Femme Nikita and being cast as Satin Tate? Was it "just another job" or "oh man, I got THAT SHOW"? I guess my question is really how you felt when you knew you had the part!!

EMILY: To be honest my first thought was "I get to work with Laurie Drew ( the costume designer) I think LFN has the greatest clothes/styles on T.V. and really paved the way for shows like ALIAS. When I was told my character was called "Satin Tate" and that I was going to be Alberta Watson's Quasi alter-ego I was THRILLED!.

Q11.) What is the funniest thing/most awkward moment that's happened in your career?

EMILY: Well one of the most AWKWARD shooting experience I ever had was on a show called "Gene Roddenberry's Earth: final conflict". In the episode "miracle" my character lost her hand in a car accident and then the aliens made her new hands which then began to shrivel up...long story short: I had to wear these prosthetic hands all day for the entire shoot which made going to the bathroom VERY difficult and to make matters worse I was very ill during that shoot. that was rather AWKWARD. Another kind of funny (in retrospect) moment also involved prosthetics: I was doing this M.O.W called "Every Nine Seconds" where my character got beat up by her boyfriend. so I had this prosthetic swollen eye made that covered one of my eyes completely and in this scene where I had to cry so much water built up underneath it that my "eye" floated of my real eye so in between takes we had to keep draining my eye...it was a NIGHTMARE!!! but the lesson I learn from this is: STAY AWAY FROM PROSTHETICS EMILY HAMPSHIRE!!!

Q12.) You started your career so young....... would you do it again? Do you feel that you've missed out on anything?

EMILY: I don't think it was my age but the seriousness with which I approached acting at that age that I would change. when I started acting I was 14 and every job was life or death with me, I would be CRUSHED if I didn't get a part I really wanted. so if I could go back and do it again with the ease and confidence I have now I would. the only thing I think I missed out on was school, which back then I was happy to be rid of but now I regret not staying in longer and making friends my own age. what I gained however was an early start on my career, traveling, meeting really interesting people and most importantly learning from the school of LIFE!. But one bad thing, particularly for girls that age, is having so much importance put on your outward appearance, you really don't develop a good sense of self that way. so if I had a daughter I would NEVER let HER start acting that early.

Q13.) Is there a "line" that you will not cross? If so, could you share it with us?

EMILY: Well I wouldn't do PORN! Other than that my boundaries are more on an "I'll know it when I see it" basis. I'll pretty much do anything I think the part requires...but I won't DO ANYONE to get the part!

Thank you so much for your time with us.
Best wishes for your future.
Brenda Allsion~ Arnold, Missouri-USA
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Q14.) When you film for series featuring other former stars or crew from La Femme Nikita, like Mutant X or An American in Canada, does that bring up memories, or was your role in LFN too short for that?

EMILY: The industry in Canada is so small that you tend to work with the same cast and crew a lot on a bunch of different shows. so it doesn't bring up memories specific to LNF but it's always nice to work with people you know.

Q15.) What inspired you to become an actress?

EMILY: I'm not quite sure what inspired me, my answer to Question # 2 kind of says a bit about what got me started. but what makes me stay, what inspires me now to continue acting is that I feel I breath easier in a character than in my own life. It's that simple really.

Q16.) Do you prefer comedy roles or the more dramatic ones? Is there a type of character that suits you best?

EMILY: I think I prefer comedy because without it drama becomes melodrama. Also doing comedy was when I first felt vindicated as an actor. hearing an audience laugh seems to me a much more honest measure of appreciation than applause. Applause has almost become a duty and I'm always embarrassed by it, but LAUGHTER! that can't be faked, it's the one compliment I'd trust. There is no TYPE of character that I think suits me best I just like to play parts I've never played before.

Dana Vrajitoru~ Indiana-USA
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Q17.) Besides acting, was there ever another career that drew your interest?

EMILY: I love the "LIFE STYLE" of a writer, however I can't spell ...let alone string a sentence together and PUNCTUATION we might as well be talking hieroglyphic's as far as I'm concerned. So, those being BASIC writing requirements, no, there's never been anything else...I hope for my sake this works out then!

Q18.) Did you see any of the episodes of La Femme Nikita before you played the role of Satin, and if so, who was your favorite character on the show?

EMILY: I had seen the original French movie and then when I got the role I watched a bunch of episodes. I would have to say Nikita's my favorite.

Q19.) Do you have a favorite actor or actress that you look up too?

EMILY: Anna Magnani, Gena Rowlands, Betty Davis and Barbara Stanwick are my favorites, there all leading lady's who play character parts and there ALWAYS fascinating to watch. you will never see any of them "walk though" a role

Q20.) If you had some one ask you, "how to become a successful actress," what advice would you give them?

EMILY: Figure out what "success" means to YOU as an actor then do everything to make it happen. for some people "success" is fame, an Oscar, a T.V series..etc. those aren't dirty things to want, it doesn't matter what it is, it just has to be what YOU want. Personally I don't like getting handed things...I don't think I'd want something I didn't get on my own cause I'd be too afraid of it being taken away. I've found, for me any ways, you can get swallowed up by the aim of being a success outside yourself, it has to be YOUR measure of it, otherwise they'll give you success (your Oscar, your T.V. show) and you'll be successful and when they take away success you'll fail. it's taken me a long time to figure that out, and for now...though it might change, I have found to be "successful as an actress" is to surprise MYSELF and be TRULY PROUD of my work. long story short: my advice would be, know who you are and what you want and make it happen for yourself.

Chrissy Langeveld~ Netherlands
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Q21.) Which do you prefer, television or movies for your acting?

EMILY: I definitely prefer movies. television is much more of a Producers medium I feel film is usually more conducive to creativity and exploration.

Q22.)Did you enjoy portraying Satin Tate in La Femme Nikita?

EMILY: Yeah it was alot of fun.

Q23.) In "Anne of Green Gables" did you find it difficult to do just the voice without actually playing the character?

EMILY: "Anne of Green Gables" was my first cartoon, so there was a lot of new technical stuff I had to learn, but once you get that stuff down it's one of the easiest jobs EVER...you can show up to the studio in your pajama's for all they care. It's alot of fun, I love doing cartoons. Now that Anne's over I do another cartoon called "Braceface".

Q24.) Is "This is Wonderland" the latest film you've done?

EMILY: No , I just finished a film called "Blood" that should be out around September.

Q25.) Do you have any future plans for making other films/television and would you care to tell us about them?

EMILY: Well I'm in development on a T.V series called "My Pet Hamster" It's a dark comedy, kind of a cross between "Withnail and I" and "Absolutely Fabulous", I'm really excited about it. and I'm doing a movie in October with Nick Stal ( Terminator 2) called "The Lonely Planet" that we'll be filming in Greece.

Q26.) Are there particular Exec.Producers and Directors you like to work with and why?

EMILY: I like to work with Jerry Ciccorritti because I've worked with him a lot and we have a great working relationship. when you work with the same people over and over again you develop sort of a short hand that makes everything so much easier. and I like working with this new director Jacob Tierney, if you don't know who he is now, mark my words YOU WILL

It's been a please to ask these questions
Sandy Meridith~ Kansas, USA
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Q27.) Who was the most influential person in your life? and did that bring you to your acting format?

EMILY: Early on in my life the most influential person was my high school vice principal. she came up to me after a play and said " you were really good, you should be proud of yourself" and that's all it took to condemn me to a life of rejection, poverty and being asked on the street "I think I know you, did you go to my high school?"

Deb Schwartz~ Michigan-USA
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SPECIAL COMMENTS:
Thanks for these GREAT questions!
Emily Hampshire

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