Those who genuinely know me are well aware of the fact that I am possibly one of the most persistent people on this planet. In fact, I am one who if someone announces that it’s time to go forward and abdicate, guess what…I just can’t! It is one of the most grievous things on the planet for me to accept that it is time to “move on,” and I would venture to say that is both a benefit and a curse. Thankfully, in the world of entertainment and interviews, it is a massive advantage! Well over a year ago, Johannah Newmarch agreed to an interview with me, but this woman is one of the busiest industry professionals I know, and I was more than willing to wait for an appropriate time to have that promised chat. Well, in this case, persistence paid off, and shortly after meeting her at the Hearties Family Reunion, she and I had a proper interview in which we discussed a wide variety of topics as well as significant moments throughout her career. So, my dear readers, at long last, here is my interview with one of the most inspiring, vivacious women in show business today!

Darryl Humphrey Photography

RH: Johannah, I am just so thrilled that we finally get to chat! What a treat it was to meet you at HFR3!

JN: Same here, Ruth. My life is just so incredibly busy, and I appreciate that you understand that.

Johannah Newmarch

So, how did you end up becoming an actress?

Well, I was a very passionate dancer when I was very young. From about age eight to about sixteen, I intensively pursued classical ballet. Almost every day after school, I had dance classes and my life sort of revolved around that. As much as I loved dance, I did become a bit disillusioned with what was expected of dancers and the world of dance in general. While it is a beautiful art form, it is very hard on the body, and dancers live a very rigid lifestyle.

I went to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, one of two renowned in Canadian ballet schools. The other is the National Ballet School in Toronto. I had a great time that summer, but as I looked around me and I saw the older teenage girls, a lot of them had eating disorders because you’re expected to be so incredibly emaciated as a ballerina. Although I was blessed with a slim physique, there was something about it that planted a seed in my mind from that age…I wasn’t too sure how I felt about all that. I kept training, but somewhere around fourteen or fifteen, even though I was still pursuing it extensively, somewhere along that time, my heart somehow went out of it. I’m not sure what exactly it was, but I didn’t want to be around that world where people were smoking as an appetite suppressant. And you’re expected to dance for so many hours a day, and you’re eating so little food because you have to be so skinny, and for me, it just seemed like an unhealthy lifestyle. So as much as it was a real joy for me to be a dancer and it’s something I still love–I’ll always love it–pursuing that professionally just seemed to be less enchanting.

Interestingly enough, the thing that got me to start dancing all those years ago was a movie I saw called The Turning Point with Anne Bancroft and Shirley MacLaine. And it also featured a male dancer, Mikhail Baryshnikov. As a child, I was so blown away by the dance sequences. There’s a particular sequence from Don Quixote in that film that is quite famous as a matter of fact. That film made a real impression on me, and I told my mom I really wanted to take dance lessons. My mom said, “all right,” probably thinking it would be a passing fancy.  But bless my poor mother who spent tons of money and drove me all over the city year after year. I was very serious about it, and I had a natural ability for it.

So it’s very interesting that film was why I wanted to become a dancer, and then the circle came back around because I went back to film. After I decided I wasn’t that passionate about dancing anymore, I knew that I still loved performing. So the natural evolution for that was to get into acting. I started taking classes for acting, and while I wouldn’t say I had an innate ability for it, I certainly had an affinity for it. It wasn’t hard for me to make that transition. Before I knew it, I had an agent, and before I knew it, I was booking work. The nice thing about being young, at least according to the people I knew back then, was that I had a naturalism about acting. I didn’t try too hard, and things were pretty easy for me when I was fifteen or sixteen. It was just about memorizing the lines, showing up and saying the lines. The thing I was doing right back then is I wasn’t overthinking it. And I really had some good fortune right out of the gate to book some great roles.

Now lest you think I might have a completely negative view of dance, I don’t. No matter what, it’s great training for a young person. You learn discipline, poise..in fact, when you pursue anything seriously as a young person, it’s great. The teenage years can be a little bit challenging, and I think it’s great when people have something that they’re passionate about to carry them through those years because you can get a little lost. Or maybe you have too much time on your hands and you don’t always spend it in the most constructive way as a teenager. I think it’s great when young people have something that teaches them discipline and drive and focus and a collaborative spirit. And sports definitely does that as does dancing. There is a lot of positive things that came out of my dance experience, but I decided not to choose it as a career.

Blackbox Headshots

I definitely get that. But you have had a fairly steady acting career, I believe.

I actually did quite well through my late teens and twenties. But I did get a little bit disillusioned with it. I don’t know if you know, but I did stop acting for ten years. Most of the credits I have accomplished happened after I came back to acting. That’s from my thirties till now.

From a strategic point of view, leaving for my twenties was a bit risky. As a female in this industry, your twenties are your make-it-or-break-it decade. So it was not my best idea. But I did it anyway, and I pursued other interests during that time. I went abroad; I lived in Europe. I lived in London for four years. I studied. I spent a lot of time with my daughter.

When I did come back to pursue acting again in my early thirties, I had a lot more life experience to bring to the table. I always feel like that’s a good thing as an actor. You have more emotional depth due to trials and tribulations of real life. But I have been a steady working actor, and I’m very grateful. It’s taken lots of blood, sweat and tears; it hasn’t come easy. And it can be tough because the industry is always geared towards the new, younger people. Also, the industry has changed dramatically in the last twenty years, I hasten to add.

As a young person, I didn’t realize what a gift it was to be an actor. I thought, “Seriously, I should go try other jobs.” But when you go try those other jobs, you realize just how lucky you are to be an actor. Acting is such a challenging career. It’s not very stable. It’s either feast or famine. There are many times that you are doing great auditions and you’re at the top of your game, but you’re just not booking the work. Someone else more famous than you was available that week. There are so many things that go into casting. Maybe you don’t look enough like the kid they cast. Maybe you reminded the producer of his ex-wife..who knows? There are so many reasons why you don’t work. It’s so challenging to keep the faith and keep doing auditions week after week.

When you come into this career, you have to be extremely clear about what you want and why you’re doing it. And then you have the weight the costs and benefits. If I hadn’t had a lot of other jobs that were relatively unfulfilling, I don’t think I could have endured the dark times of acting. I’m honestly very grateful for those dark times when I’ve had the proverbial dark nights of the soul because then you have to stop and say, “Okay, I know exactly why I’m doing this. It is the thing I’m happiest doing, and I love the community of people I get to work with.” And that’s when you have to say, “Dust yourself off, girl.” And you resolve to get up and do all that stuff that keeps the fortitude. If you don’t reevaluate once in awhile, you’re probably going to say, “Why am I doing this? It’s too hard!” And it is too hard!I love the perspective that those dark moments have given me when things aren’t going just right. It’s a good idea to keep checking in with yourself and reminding yourself why you’re doing this. Hopefully, you are still doing it for the right reasons. I’m so glad I can make a living doing what makes me happy. Some people who don’t understand may find that a very pretentious statement, but it is true. Sure, I  should be happy just being able to make a living, but if it can make me happy too, why not?

Wendy D Photography 2014

I agree with you completely.

In fact, that is why I don’t always respond as quickly as some people would like and even as quickly as I would like to on social media. I am spread so thin. Now, don’t get me wrong. I like my life the way it is. It is such a great compliment to an actor when you’re a successful working actor. There is a lot of downtime, of course. But that time is spent prepping for an audition on your own; there’s a lot of alone time. Actors are in a strange position when it comes to the product. You’re not selling handbags or cars; you’re selling yourself. Many actors are not narcissistic at all, but all this self-promotion and self-absorption can sometimes come off that way.

I think one of the best ways to guard against that is to take that creative energy and try to mentor other people. I am an acting teacher because I want people to know exactly what they’re getting into. I want to be that voice of reality in their ears that is telling them this is a tough job. Not only do you have to be good, but you have to be strong. You have to have mental fortitude. You have to do it because you love it. You can’t do it because you want fame. Young people are used to seeing these celebrities put on a pedestal in our culture for better or for worse. A lot of them haven’t really accomplished much, and they don’t really deserve it in my book. What have they done with their lives? Really nothing. They’ve just become famous. Some have worked hard for sure. But a lot of them sort of get handed this celebrity status because they’re lucky. And then they get all this adulation. Some of them are lovely human beings and some of them aren’t. All too often, young people see all this glamour, and they go after it. As a teacher, I hope I’m the right mix of fun and firm and fair, but it makes me sad when a lot of these young people are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and yet they don’t have any sense of the reality of the industry. There is definitely a dark side to this industry, and I want people to know that it’s hard so that when they do leave acting school, and they only get a handful of auditions and they maybe only book one role in that first year which is just one line on one show…I hope they don’t get demoralized. I hope they understand that’s very often the way it goes, and you just have to keep being tenacious and you have to keep putting one hand in front of the other and slowly but surely you build your recognition and people begin to trust your skill and abilities and work ethic. I think a lot of people think you’re going to get fame, success, and money right out of the gate, but for ninety-nine percent of the actors out there, it just doesn’t work like that. So I try to impress upon them the mental aspect. Hopefully, I’m not giving too long-winded an answer.

Photo by Rob Daily

Not at all, Johannah, I so appreciate hearing all this. You are exactly right. I love your perspective. Far too many teenagers just see the fame and fortune aspect, and that’s what they go after.

Sadly, you’re not going to last very long in the business if you’re only doing it for those reasons. I think the challenging part of being an actor is that so much of your life is really out of your control. The only thing you control is keeping your instrument in decent shape: eating well, taking care of your body and doing really great auditions. But outside of that, you don’t really have a lot of control over your career.

I always encourage young people starting out in this career to think about pursuing the avenues of producing, directing, and writing. It’s only a tiny list of Hollywood A-listers–maybe twenty people–who reach the level where they have more control over their career and what projects they’re in. Let’s be honest; you probably are not going to be one of those lucky few. Your chances are very flat in that area. Unfortunately, most actors are at the mercy of directors, producers, and casting directors. I really encourage people to try to gain more control over their career–especially young women–by producing and directing and writing themselves so they have a little more control. And instead of sitting around and waiting for the jobs to come, you can actually have a career by pursuing these other avenues.

Darryl Humphrey Photography

That is what I hear all the time from the actors I interview. When they have those moments when they are not booking work, they are usually working on one of their passion projects. It is one of the smartest things they can do, at least in my opinion. And especially when it comes to women. We definitely need more women involved in those roles. 

Thankfully, the industry has woken up quite a bit recently, but we still have a long ways to go. Supposedly, studios are becoming more liberal about women, but it’s still not happening as much as it should. Independent film is where women are really getting more involved. I think women are doing better in front of the camera, but we’re still only about thirty-five percent of the roles behind the camera. So we’re still way behind in that area. In Hollywood, there still is a bit of the old boys network there. Sure, it’s changing, but it’s not changing as quickly as it should. Hollywood’s not even on par with the rest of the business world. The number of female CEO’s is still very low, but it’s much higher than the number of female directors. Maybe there’s ten percent female CEO’s in the business world, but I think there’s only about five percent female directors in the industry.

Now, you have done a lot of things before coming to Hallmark, but most of us know you from your work with that network, especially When Calls the Heart. Do you happen to know what your first Hallmark work was?

That is a good question. I’m not one hundred percent sure to be honest.

I know you did another Christmas movie called It’s Christmas, Carol, but I don’t believe that was originally Hallmark. Sometimes Hallmark plays Christmas movies that weren’t theirs originally, but I think that one was probably on Lifetime first. 

Well, my first Hallmark movie was Mrs. Miracle.

Oh, that’s right! That’s a favorite on the network in our household. I know they show that one quite a bit. Please remind us of your role in that one.

I played the sister of the lead who is estranged from the lead, played by Erin Karpluk. Then we forgive each other and reunite, and everything is all right.

That’s right, I remember now. Do did you get to work with Doris Roberts?

Very sadly, I wasn’t on set any of the days that she was there. So that was really disappointing; I never got to meet her.

Did When Calls the Heart come before Garage Sale Mystery or did they happen around the same time?

They happened around the same time, but I think When Calls the Heart happened a little before Garage Sale Mystery.

How did you get involved with When Calls the Heart?

I was on Vancouver Island with my family, and my agent sent me this message saying that I had an audition for this show. I was like, “Okay, I’ll jump on the boat and come back for it.” I went to the audition, and Michael Landon, Jr. was in the room with the casting director. It was one of the more dramatic scenes that I did for the audition because this was season one, and you can probably remember the mindset of the townspeople back then. Believe it or not, I actually auditioned for Florence Blakeley, and then they ended up casting me as Molly Sullivan.

Interesting. And now both Molly and Flo are known as “Team FloMo.” 

I will tell you that Michael Landon, Jr. was really lovely to audition for. Some directors can be a bit intimidating, but he just seemed to have a real empathy and understanding, maybe because he had been raised by an actor himself. He was one of those people who was really passionate about the process and he jumped up from the table and came up to me and said, “That’s great. Now let’s try it this way.” And so he was talking me through stuff; we had so much fun together in the room. He’s such a lovely man.

Johannah Newmarch Photo Credit: Copyright 2013 Crown Media United States, LLC/Photographer: Eike Schroter

Your character is one of those who’s been around from the beginning and is still there. There have been so many changes over the course of the seasons, but we’re so glad Molly has survived. 

I know, I’m very lucky that I’ve been able to stick around. It’s been a fun journey, and it’s definitely been the longest character I’ve ever had the opportunity to play. I’ve gotten to play lots of different sides of the character. I’ve gotten to do some fun stuff and some cute stuff and of course, some darker stuff.

Since your character is in the Christmas movie this year, is there anything you can tell us about what we can expect from Molly?

Well, as the Christmas specials start off a new season, they tend to focus their storylines on the main cast, but Molly is definitely a part of it, which is great. I’m not sure how many episodes I’ll be in just yet, but Miss Sullivan is a long-time key member of the town, so she’ll be around!

What are your hopes for Molly in this season and maybe even beyond?

While I know they don’t have time to get into the intricate workings of every character’s life, one question comes to mind. How are Molly and Florence going to make a living once their settlement runs out? What would I do for a job? I think that’s an interesting question. I’m not sure if they’ve thought about it, but the fans are already smart enough to have asked the two main questions–money and romance. While I’m not complaining because I know that as a show goes on year after year, there are so many factors, and I know it’s challenging to come up with all these storylines, but it would be lovely for Rosaline to come back at some point. That was such a touching episode. So I’m not complaining, and I don’t see it happening, but it just would have been nice, at least, in my opinion.

Johannah Newmarch, Erin Krakow, Lori Loughlin Photo Credit: Copyright 2013 Crown Media United States, LLC/Photographer: Eike Schroter

I totally understand. There are a lot of unfinished storylines as well as kids without parents and parents without kids. It’s just the way it goes. It’s not a criticism. There are a lot of characters I wish they would bring back. I miss lots of the kids from season one. But I know you can’t cover everything. 

In addition to what Molly is going to do for work, let’s admit it. Molly is not getting any younger. It would be nice to have a man in her life, not that that’s our defining thing in life, especially as modern women since we are not defined by our partners any longer–thank God! But back then, let’s admit that it was a different time and it was important for a woman to have a partner. You were seen as a scamp if you were young and single. It was the frontier time. Physically, it was hard work. You needed to have a man to help you chop wood and do all the things you had to survive as frontierspeople. It would be quite realistic for her to have a man in her life.

Kavan Smith, Johannah Newmarch Photo Credit: Copyright 2013 Crown Media United States, LLC/Photographer: Eike Schroter

Do you have a favorite episode of the show?

Obviously, for me as an actor, the most interesting episode I’ve gotten to do was “A Telling Silence.” But I really did enjoy the episodes where Lee and Molly were teasing Rosemary. That was really fun. And then I really enjoyed the most recent one with Paul Greene. That was really fun too.

Yeah, I think we were all hoping that might go somewhere. 

I think everyone was hoping it might, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be. At least, not in season four.

So you’ve also been in a lot of these Garage Sale Mystery movies. How did that role come about?

When Garage Sale Mystery started, the main director was Peter DeLuise. He’s a really fun man to work with. Some might know that he’s the son of Dom DeLuise, and he was an actor in his own right. 21 Jumpstreet was what he was famous for. He has become a very accomplished director as his career has gone on, and I really enjoy working with him. He’s a lot of fun and has a great sense of humor.

When I went into audition, I first auditioned for Sarah Strange’s role. But then they had me audition for Lynwood’s wife, and the first scene I auditioned with was from the first episode I was in where I’m at the dining table on the patio with Lori Loughlin’s character, and we’re having a funny luncheon. I think what they liked is that Kevin O’Grady, who plays Lynwood, is this big, strapping six-foot something, and I’m the smaller, red-headed, sort of sassy wife of his. And we have this fun banter between us; we give each other a hard time in a playful, teasing kind of way. I think Peter just liked the energy I brought to that character, and fortunately, it went my way. We’ve had a lot of fun on that show. Now, sometimes I’ll start out in one episode and then I’ll get written out. I know it’s constantly changing, and there have definitely been a few times when the fans are like, “Hey, what happened to his wife?”

Kevin O’Grady, Johannah Newmarch, Sarah Strange, Lori Loughlin, Steve Bacic Photo Credit: Copyright 2014 Crown Media United States, LLC/Photographer: Eike Schroter

I know! That is why when I was screening the Garage Sale Mystery films during the month of August and I saw your character show up at the end of the fourth one, I was so excited! And immediately I went and told one of your top fans, Nicole Wheeler. And she was so happy that you were going to be in it. 

I was so touched when I saw that the fans were saying, “Oh, it’s great to see the wife back.” I sort of had some dark humor about it and joked, “Well, yeah, clearly she just came back from rehab.” {laughs}

Well, she looked pretty good to be coming back from rehab! {laughs} I know that was a short scene, but it was nice to see you come back to the show. 

Hopefully, I’ll be in a few more of those. I know it often comes down to budget. But it’s always so much fun when I can be there because it’s such a fun group of people. And Kevin O’Grady’s a hoot.

Johannah Newmarch as Kimberly White

In one of the other mystery films, you played the murderer, didn’t you?

Yes, Murder She Baked, A Plum Pudding Mystery. That was a really fun shoot, but my final showdown scene was so challenging because we didn’t have much time to shoot this nine-page scene. And then our snow machines weren’t working the right way, so they had to put them right next to the actors which meant that all the sound from that entire evening shoot had to be looped, which means in post-production, you have to lip-synch. So it was extremely challenging for me. It was rather stressful for me, but thankfully post-production is quite sophisticated these days and they did a great job.

Well, those things happen, and I assure you, we viewers never would have known had you not told us.

One more thing about that shoot. Alison Sweeney, Cameron Mathison, and Barbara Niven are three of the loveliest people I have ever met in all of my life. They were such a joy to work with. They were bubbly and kind and funny and charming.

Did you get to work with Lisa Durupt?

No, but she is a personal friend of mine; I adore her. We didn’t actually have scenes together, which was disappointing because I think she is fantastic in that series.

You two haven’t gotten to work together, have you? 

Not really, but we did work a tiny bit together on a short film. It’s called I Want to Date You. Now the premise is this girl is trying to find a date online. They think they’re getting stood up by this guy, but it turns out they just have their time and their date wrong. They’re scoping along the street, and they see him go into this restaurant. They follow him and peer into the restaurant. I show up–my character’s name is Hot Mom–I show up in this form-fitting dress. I go in there, give him a kiss on the cheek and sit down. Then they storm in. It was so funny. We were also in another film, but again, none of our scenes crossed over in this movie called Puppet Killer. That’s an over-the-top satirical horror film where Lisa plays a high school student. It’s a really ridiculous, funny movie.

2014 Leo Awards Photo by Wendy D Photography

Well, it sounds like it would be great to have you both in a Hallmark film together. 

Oh, it would be the best! That would be a dream come true to be on the same show together.

Now, I know you have also been in Project Mc². 

Oh, it is such a fun show! That is one of my favorite roles. Your daughter might be a little too old for it now; it really appeals to the eight- to twelve-year-olds. Season one establishes the characters and gives the viewers some background, but my character doesn’t come along until season two.  I play the villain, and it’s such a fun character. It’s probably one of my favorite characters I have ever done because she’s just so funny. She such a jerk, and she gets to wear such fun clothes. You can see me at the very end of the first episode of season two when my character comes out of jail and does a news conference. Episodes five and six, I have a really nice arc. You can see which ones I’m in on IMDB, but those three episodes are particularly funny. One thing about that show is it’s really trying to encourage women to get into STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). The girls are very sweet, sassy and cute and have great outfits, but they’re whip-smart and solve all of their problems with pretty sophisticated science The tagline is “Smart is the new cool.” And that’s just so great because once they hit puberty, women often become shy and self-conscious and stop putting up their hand in class, especially in science which is ridiculous. Women are just as capable as men are in those areas; they just don’t have the support. It’s not engendered in our culture that we should succeed in those areas. This show pushes against all that bias. I’m glad to be part of that message.

Actually, there is a role of yours that you may not realize I’ve seen and enjoyed. I was quite impressed with your role in My Husband is Missing. 

Oh my goodness, thank you! I hadn’t realized that had aired or anybody had seen it.

I realize it is just a Lifetime movie, which sometimes people think is not very good, but I thought you were amazing in your role. 

Thank you so much! That’s so kind of you. I enjoyed that role so much. I like to play those tough ladies when I can. In fact, it’s so fun to be able to do all these different kinds of characters.

Wendy D Photography 2014

I know you are in a Christmas film with Laura Bell Bundy called The Christmas Calendar. It premiered on UP this past Sunday, November 19th.

Yes, she is such a sweetheart. It was so much fun to do that with her. We shot it in Victoria, and it was really funny because…well, Victoria is known for having the mildest climate of any city in all of Canada. If it snows three inches in Vancouver, it will just be a dusting in Victoria. It almost never snows there. It was funny that when we were shooting, they had one of the biggest dumps of snow that they had had in decades. It was bordering on blizzard-like conditions. A lot of times when we’re shooting Christmas movies, we’re shooting them in the summer. The producers had the good sense to try and shoot it in the winter so when you’re doing exterior scenes, you can actually see people’s breath. It actually looks like they spent more money on the production than they did because there are some scenes where there is actual snow on the ground. You can’t really pay enough for that. We were actually shooting in a snowstorm/blizzard.

The producer and director are sort of mainstays in Vancouver. The Harmon family–Allan and Cindy Harmon-they are just wonderful. Allan was at one time the head of the Director’s Guild of Canada. His wife is the producer, and he’s the director of this film. They’re such delightful people, and they are such a joy to work for. They make the working environment an absolute pleasure. And they’ve got two very talented children who are both actors. Their son, Richard Harmon, is on The 100. And their daughter, Jessica Harmon, is on all kinds of things too. They’re such a lovely family, and it was so wonderful to finally be able to work with them. And Laura Bell Bundy is so much fun and a great storyteller as well.  So at lunch or in between takes, she was sitting there regaling everybody in earshot with these charming stories from her childhood or life in Hollywood. She’s so funny, and she’s so sweet. And I really think it would be great if she were able to make more films especially in the musical genre. In this film, my character is a bit of a jerk, so that was fun. I know the Hearties see me as Molly Sullivan, and for whatever reason, I’m often cast as the villain or the “bitch,” so it’s really fun. I always love getting to play those kinds of characters; I’m not gonna lie.

I fully understand. I think that sometimes the supporting cast gets more fun roles and sometimes even better roles than the leads. 

Exactly. And that’s also one of the fun things about aging. When a woman is in her twenties, she is often put in those two-dimensional roles, but as you age, it’s so much fun to be able to play those characters with some gravitas or some edge.

Darryl Humphrey Photography

Nicole did have a special question for you. She asked, “What has been your most challenging role so far?” 

Actually, it was something I shot a year and a half or two years ago, and it has just been released. It’s a movie that is now called The Show. It was originally called This is Your Death. It’s very heavy and quite dark. It’s directed by a wonderful actor and man, Giancarlo Esposito. He’s very well-known as Gus on Breaking Bad. He has had a prolific career if you look at his IMDB page. He’s been around all the way back to Sesame Street days. The story he wanted to tell is one that is very timely. I don’t know about you, but these reality TV shows, I really find off-putting. I don’t actually watch reality television; I’m not a fan of the genre. The story he’s telling takes it to a further extreme. But I think left unchecked, it wouldn’t be that big of a stretch. The premise is a game show where people kill themselves live on television. It’s heavy and dark, but it’s talking about some uncomfortable truths about society that need to be addressed. And it deals with the dirty laundry aspects of reality television. That genre is making money off of people’s suffering. We know that with “reality television,” there’s very little that’s real about it. I don’t think the typical viewer realizes just  how much these people who are on the shows are definitely asked to play the scenes certain ways. They want to hype up the drama. I think that whole genre has a whole lot to be ashamed about. My character was a very physically challenging role. I had to do a scene in a bathtub where I was underwater for a long time. It was a very emotionally dramatic scene, and I play the mother of a girl who was sexually abused by her father, and I’m in sort of a depressed place in my life. People aren’t going to recognize me; they actually added a bunch of makeup to make me look haggard. They were a bit concerned that I looked a little too healthy. They broke me down a little, so I look rather unattractive, which is sort of fun in of itself. That was a very challenging role emotionally and physically. I would say that was probably the hardest ever of my career. At least so far.

So this was just released?

I believe it was released on September 15th and had a very limited theatrical release. Now it’s streaming on various services. Josh Duhamel is one of the leads; he’s very well-known. The beautiful Famke Janssen–she’s in it. Sarah Wayne Callies is in it; she’s from Prison Break.

It sounds intriguing, and what you are saying about reality shows is exactly right. When Hunger Games came out, my mom and I read the books and watched the movies, and we both said we could see reality TV eventually getting to this kind of point where people are killed on TV. 

You completely understand the point of the movie. Another film to be looking forward to that is very dramatic and one that I won a Leo Award for is called Pretty Little Dead Girl. It hasn’t been released yet, and I’m not sure of the network. It’s a great dramatic movie of the week based on a true story. The lead in the film, Makenzie Vega, is from The Good Wife. She is a great little actress. I play her mother. It’s supposed to be released very soon.

One more thing. I am also involved with some crowdfunding projects, and I hope that everyone will check out one that recently launched. It’s a very good script. It’s called An Undeniable Fact. It’s a really great group of people and a really great script. I know people get exhausted when being asked for money all the time, but it’s a worthwhile project and the script is very solid. We hope they can get enough money, but we’re not talking loads of money. Basically, people do these projects mainly for free or close to it. They’re really making movies just for the pure love of it.

Now are you doing any writing and directing yourself? Or is that in the works?

It’s really funny that you would ask because for the first time ever, I have put on my to-do list that I would really like to try to write a Hallmark movie. I have decided that within the next year or two, I’m really going to try to make that happen. While I haven’t started writing it yet, it’s something I’m going to do in the not-too-distant future. It’s funny that so many people have come up to me in the last year and said, “You really need to write.” You know, when enough people start to say that to you, you really need to stop and do it.

When you do have free time, what do you like to do?

You might laugh, but I love watching movies and television. I love to watch other people acting because I know how exhausting it is to do yourself. It’s strangely relaxing to watch someone else do it. There’s so much fantastic stuff out there right now. There are so many series that I am completely obsessed with and can’t get enough of. So I will sit down with a nice glass of red wine and watch a show.

I also love architecture and design. I might troll my favorite design websites or peruse my beautiful design magazines. It really feeds my heart. I’ve always been passionate about interior design. I do love fashion, but as I’ve aged, I have become more interested in interior design.

I also love to take walks around my lovely neighborhood. Vancouver is a beautiful city as you know. I also spend time with my daughter when she’s in town. She’s the light of my life, my only child. We’re best friends, so when she’s here, we both love to spend time together. She is on the same page with me and contacts me about when we can spend time together. It’s a rewarding relationship. It’s so fun when your children grow up and they become peers. I mean you’re still their parent, but it’s wonderful to see the world as adults together. You can share more experiences and do more sophisticated things together. You can go to the theater and art galleries and restaurants. It’s just so fun to have a best friend who just happens to be your daughter. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have that kind of relationship. We have so much fun together. We just laugh until we cry almost every time.

Photo by Jessica Venturi Photography

Permit me to say that this is one interview that I feel unreservedly honored to present to my readers. Johannah is quite prolific, immensely talented, and remarkably grounded. At one point, she was concerned that she might sound arrogant as she mentioned her accomplishments, but nothing could be further from the truth. While she mentioned that she herself occasionally struggles with a lack of self-confidence as so many women do, there is no doubt that she is fully embracing and relishing every moment she has spent and continues to spend in this perpetually-changing business known as entertainment. Frankly, I would venture to say that Johannah has “seen it all,” and there is very little she hasn’t experienced, or at least been privy to. 

In addition to Johannah’s phenomenal body of work on the screen, she has made the conscious decision to go beyond herself and attempt to instruct young people coming into the business about the potential pitfalls of selecting acting as a career. All too often, those who consider themselves teachers attempt to present a skewed view of what is required of actors in this business in order to make themselves appear more knowledgeable than what they are or inflate their notoriety. No doubt, many of those self-proclaimed acting teachers give just enough to earn their keep and no more. However, Johannah has made the decision to go far beyond the call of duty and genuinely prepare these young people especially for a career that is one of the most difficult professions this world has to offer. She doesn’t sugarcoat it; she tells it like it is. She’s not going to tell a person what they want to hear. Her entire frame of reference involves genuinely preparing her students to face a hostile world of critics, casting directors, competitive co-workers, and even rabid fans. Again, she speaks from experience, but she also speaks from her heart. And for that reason (amongst so many countless others), Johannah has my full support and respect as a teacher, an actress, and a woman.

I sincerely hope that everyone will look up some of Johannah’s more recent works (including The Christmas Calendar) and watch out for her upcoming works (When Calls the Heart: The Christmas Wishing Tree premieres on December 25th on the Hallmark Channel), for there are few people in the business today who labor as tirelessly as Johannah to bring us stimulating, heterogeneous works that will cause us to laugh, cry, and most importantly, think, while still providing us with good-humored, energetic, and sometimes provocative entertainment. After my recent interactions with her, I have found myself even more in awe of her prowess, her caring nature, her joie de vivre, and of course, her indomitable spirit. I hope that everyone checks out all of her links below, and if nothing else, I can only wish her continued success as she perseveres in this career that sets her soul afire!

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