Welcome to the first of a short series of interviews in which I will be promoting the upcoming premiere of the Andrew Walker/Danica McKellar film, Love In Design, this Saturday (September 15th) evening on the Hallmark Channel! While this is not an official “Fall Harvest” film, it is what I like to call a “Fall Bonus” or “Fall Prequel” movie, and it boasts an incredible cast and script. I was privileged to interview a few of these amazing people who were involved with this special movie, and Cindy Myskiw happens to be one of them. Cindy is making her debut as a supporting cast member in a Hallmark movie (she has been in the background in previous films), and I am delighted to introduce her to the Hallmark family. Recently, she and I exchanged a few questions about her career path in the entertainment business, which included a few notable highlights along the way.

Photo by Kevin McIntyre

RH: How did you get interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry?

CM: I got interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry after I started doing community theatre in one of the local towns near where I live. From there, things just took off. Now I was where I had wanted to be from a very young age, but I did not have the self-confidence back then to follow my dreams.

What was your first professional work in this industry and what are your memories of it?

Millworth
Photo by Joshua Hood © 2015

My first Professional work was on a Shaw TV-produced show called MILLWORTH. It was about a high school and I played the principal Mrs. Grimsley. We ended up going Canada-Wide on their station. We aired fourteen episodes: six first season, six second season and two Finale episodes. My memories are absolute fun, happy ones. We became a family and had some great times and I also learned a great deal during my time there. I directed two of six episodes in our second season and produced the last two.

If I’m reading things correctly, I believe that you have done some background work (or uncredited work). What have been your most memorable moments in doing that kind of work?

As a member of the jury for Prosecuting Casey Anthony

I have done tons of Background Work or as you say Uncredited Work. Some of my most memorable moments were working on the set of HEAVEN IS FOR REAL where I played a featured Waitress and townsperson. You actually see me about twelve times throughout the film in different spots. But Randall Wallace was one of the best directors I have ever worked with and was so kind to everyone.

While you have mentioned Millworth, please tell us more about your role in it, and where can people see it if they are interested?

Millworth
Photo by Joshua Hood © 2015

My role on MILLWORTH, as I mentioned, was the Principal of the High School called “MILLWORTH”. My name was Mrs. Karen Grimsley. I started out as an excited principal ready to take on new challenges, but got in over my head and had to adjust my way of thinking and doing things. People can still watch it on SHAW TV, their station for independent programs, and they can purchase the DVDs on Amazon.

While you have done some uncredited work and some very small roles in other Hallmark movies (and Andrew Walker’s Christmas movie last year Snowed Inn), it looks like Love In Design is going to be your first more significant role in a Hallmark film. Please tell us about how you got cast in this movie and what it was like working on it. Any special memories?

With Andrew Walker
Love In Design

I have done lots of uncredited work like you say and had background work in other Hallmark movies, but yes, LOVE IN DESIGN is my first significant Unionized Speaking Role. Not sure how I got cast. I guess my audition was good enough to get me cast….LOL. Working on the movie was very SURREAL. I felt a little like CINDERELLA being chauffeured everywhere. I had my own trailer as well as having wardrobe come and fit me for clothing and having hair and makeup done. It was so much fun and the memories of the whole day will be with me forever. My best memory was when getting ready to shoot one of the scenes with Andrew Walker when he said to me, “Let’s have more conversation because we know each other well.” I’m like, “Alright more lines and conversation, you got it.” We just had fun with it.

Do you have anything else upcoming that you can mention?

Nothing specifically for any work is coming up. But I am working on trying to get my own TV Show up and running. It is called PEG STYLE. It is about four menopausal, sexually-active women who are all vying for the same acting roles in the Booming Film Industry of Winnipeg. People can find us on Facebook and GoFundMe if they want to donate.

What are the challenges of following a career path in acting?

Love In Design

While I audition for roles just like most people do, the challenges of landing a role are tough for everyone. It is all about just doing your best and hoping you get picked.

I understand you have been married for over thirty years and have four children (two of which are adopted). First of all, what is the “secret” of your long marriage? Secondly, why did you choose to adopt? 

I have been married for thirty-three years now. We have four grown children–two boys naturally ours biologically and twin girls whom we adopted. The secret to a long marriage is communication and hard work. No matter what, you have to work at a marriage; it doesn’t just happen. You have ups and downs and it is how you handle those that get you through the marriage. And the other thing is always finding the laughter. No matter how tough or hard things get, if you can find a way to laugh together, then you will pretty much get through anything. We adopted because we both felt if we wanted to add to our family, there were lots of children out there that needed homes. So we kept two little girls together and made them a part of our family.

When you are not working, what do you like to do for fun?

When not working I like to swim, read, get together with friends and/or family. Love to go dancing and watch movies.

Cindy is the first of two actors I will be featuring that are connected with this film who came to acting a bit later in life due to an extensive assortment of circumstances. Many people choose to put their dreams on hold or never have the courage to pursue them, and of course, those individuals are still able to live a prosperous and meaningful life, albeit with an all-too-often twinge of regret or a question or two in their minds. Thankfully, Cindy made the decision to pursue her dream of acting, and she didn’t permit anything to keep her from doing that. Various people in her position would have considered citing age, responsibilities, and even location as a reason for remaining in their comfort zone and not stepping outside the sheltered life they have created for themselves. I readily sympathize since I have been making a similar change in my own life over the past few years, and these kinds of life-altering decisions require determination, confidence, and an eagerness to do whatever is required to ultimately accomplish those long-neglected fantasies. I applaud Cindy for taking the chance, and it does appear that her risks are beginning to pay her exhilarating dividends.

I sincerely hope that everyone in the U.S. will tune in to the Hallmark Channel on Saturday night (September 15th) for the premiere of a distinctive Hallmark movie that will star two Hallmark favorites in addition to this novel role for Cindy. Additionally, I invite my readers to visit all of Cindy’s links below and consider following her where applicable. It has been my experience that once an actor is featured in a Hallmark movie and matches the framework and philosophy of the network (which Cindy obviously does, based on the encouragement of Andrew Walker), the network is fairly loyal to its supporting cast and utilizes them whenever possible in other productions. My heartfelt desire for Cindy is that she becomes a regular Hallmark actress in the months and years to come, and I can only wish her every success under the sun as she continues to persevere in the materialization of dreams. 

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