Last year, when I made what has become my annual visit to Vancouver B.C., I had the honor of meeting the vivacious and lovely Kate Isaac. She and I enjoyed an engaging morning chat, and it connected us even more than we had been in years past. Kate is such a talented and compassionate individual, and it delighted me to no end to see that her new Lifetime Christmas movie (premiering tonight October 25th) is kicking off the entire Christmas movie season on that network! In anticipation of Sweet Mountain Christmas, it is with great admiration that I present our most recent chat to my readers today!

Photos by Kristine Cofsky @ The Portrait Sessions 

RH: The last time we chatted was around the time you appeared on both When Calls the Heart and Chesapeake Shores. Unfortunately, your character has not returned to either. If you were asked to come back to either show, what would be your hope for a storyline for your character?

With Martin Cummins

KI: Goodness, I would LOVE to return to either (okay, BOTH) of those shows.

Eleanor Roberts was such an interesting character. This isn’t the first time I have discussed how dearly I would love to walk in her shoes and give her life again. What a terribly complex creature. Broken-hearted after the death of her husband, desperately trying to keep his many businesses alive (likely in an attempt to keep him alive in the world somehow), ambitious, misguided. To dive into that kind of a storyline is a gift for any actor. I think it would be lovely to see her complexities unfold some more. A return to Hope Valley might mean a return to her once upstanding morals, to family, to love…? I think she and Gowen would make great business partners. Think of what she could learn from him, the turn around she could have. That might even make for an interesting love story, come to think of it…

With Michael
Chesapeake Shores

As for Terri Ingram – the literal opposite to Eleanor Roberts – that was a delight of a role and a delight of a show. I think we only just began to turn the page on who she is and what kind of a friend she could be to Abby. I would love to see that relationship unfold. Abby doesn’t seem to have many friends outside of her sisters. I think it would be great to see what a friendship would look like for her – and of course, add in the family connection given that Terri is the step-mom to her kids. How does a friendship function within those complexities? How will the two of them manage their sameness and differences? Oooohhhh, wouldn’t that be fun to explore!?

And to work with Michael Karl Richards again would be so very wonderful. Funny really that the character of the Wes we have known pre-Terri is so unlike Michael, and the Wes we started to see with Terri is so similar to who Michael is as a human. Loving, kind, smiley, considerate, generous. It would be so great to see him back in those shoes and see what kind of a story arc he could be given. More of Terri and Wes please Hallmark!

You were in the highly successful Bottled With Love film this year. (Andrew Walker RAVED about you, by the way.) What did you enjoy about your character and being a part of that film?

With Andrew

Full disclosure – I totally paid Andrew to rave. Lol.

That film was silly kinds of fun. Andrew and I played siblings (as you know) and it was so easy to work with him. We had a great connection and he’s so very fun and funny. Of course, Joy Lenz is a dream, so to call this film experience “work” seems like a stretch. It was joyous (I promise there is no pun intended there!) And director David Weaver won my heart forever.

With Eric Gustafsson

Sophie, the character I played was an enigma. An incredibly dedicated worker and yet totally caught up in her wedding plans, to the point where she confesses to her brother that her office has been overrun by wedding paraphernalia. She was mature and yet girly, she was practical and yet a romantic. They were fun opposites to play.

I understand you have a new Lifetime Christmas movie (Sweet Mountain Christmas) coming up. What can you tell us about that movie and your role in it?

Recording final track for Sweet Mountain Christmas {photo courtesy of Trevor McWhinney (producer)}

Funnily enough – directed by David Weaver from Bottled With Love. I play a character named Lori the sister of Marcus Rosner’s (Robbie) character and the once best friend and singing partner of Megan Hilty’s character (Laney).

It’s a story about having all the things you want in life and then realizing you actually want something more – or different, then figuring out what that looks like in partnership with the life you have built. All of the lead characters experience that same change/evolution over the course of the film and it’s lovely to see that unfolding for each of them.

With Megan Hilty Sweet Mountain Christmas photo Copyright Lifetime

Lori is happy with who she is and what she has, but she realizes that she has let rest a part of her life that fulfilled her in a unique kind of way. Laney’s return to town stokes that fire and we eventually see Lori let go and step into the person she wants to be. There is a great lesson there for all of us, no matter who we are or what we do.

I know you still keep active with theater in the Vancouver area. Please tell us about any recent or upcoming projects you have in that arena.

With Aaron

Indeed! My beau Aaron {Craven}, runs Mitch and Murray Productions, a local Vancouver theatre company which has a film and television acting school attached (The Working Actors Gym). He teaches advanced acting classes for adults, and I teach classes for teens.

As for theatre, we just wrapped our annual production Body Awareness by Annie Baker which received wonderful critical and audience reviews. Aaron directed the play; I production managed. It was a very busy few weeks – adding in that Aaron was filming in LA for NCIS during the run and voila! Hectic on overdrive!

On set for The Good Doctor

As for the next production, we are in pre-production for two possible shows for 2020, both of which I’ll no doubt be flooding the socials within the months to come.

Also, any other upcoming TV/film credits you can mention?

BTS with Fiona Gubelmann Dr. Morgan Reznick for The Good Doctor

I’m guest starring on The Good Doctor – episode 7 of season 3 which airs in a couple of weeks on ABC. And for a complete change of pace, I appear in season 3 of Loudermilk – a wonderfully quirky comedy on Audience network.

Since our last interview, you and I officially met, and I had the honor of meeting your son. How has being a mother changed you both personally and professionally?

And what a delight to meet you! Thank you for taking the time!

BTS with Matthew Clarke for Loudermilk

Wow, parenthood. Where to start. It’s the greatest metamorphosis I’ve ever experienced. I’m a fundamentally better human for being a parent, that much I can say confidently. I also know a whole lot less about life than I thought I knew!

Parenthood, in my experience anyway, is the great leveler of who and what you are. It makes you so beautifully vulnerable while simultaneously stronger and fiercer than you ever knew you could be. My focus has sharpened, my goals have become more specific. I live more intentionally and love harder. I’m also more tired (physically and emotionally) than I knew was possible. All of these factors have made me a significantly more “available” actor and because I am so tired and vulnerable, the neurosis of “getting it right” has fallen away for the most part which allows me to concentrate on truth and intention instead.

What charities/causes are you passionate about supporting and why do you support those?

Any charity which aims to give opportunity to children and/or marginalized people, and charities which focus on care for the elderly are all very close to my heart.

Project Limelight here in Vancouver, focuses on kids and teens who live in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and aims to give them performing arts opportunities by supporting their development through participation in the arts. Donalda Weaver and Maureen Webb (founders) describe the society best on their website. Please take a look and be inspired.

With Aaron

The Downtown Eastside of Vancouver is one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Canada and is known for its levels of drug use, mental illness, prostitution and crime while simultaneously being noted as an area of resilience and social activism. This area is not far from our home, and so I actively participate in local community/neighbourhood associations which aim to improve conditions for people living in the area. Giving to charities who subsequently give back to this community of people makes sense, emotionally and spiritually.

As for charities which aim to raise awareness and/or funds for a cure for cognitive diseases in the elderly… where to start. My husband’s father was lost to dementia; his mother battles Alzheimer’s. We know so little about these diseases which affect a huge portion of our aging populace. These are our grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, friends. Dementia is a cruel disease, but medicine is full of possibility. I’m hopeful that by supporting these charities, we will one day see a medical breakthrough that either eradicates or slows cognitive decline.

What is your favorite thing about celebrating the holidays?

Family, tradition, ritual, music, baking, friends. Oh – hot chocolate. Sweaters! Scarves. The smell of pine needles. Sitting in front of a fire. The prickly cold feeling on my cheeks on a winter morning. Snuggles on the couch under a blanket. The bright of the stars on a clear, cold night. I could go on… and on…

Photos by Kristine Cofsky @ The Portrait Sessions

Kate consistently extols my interviews, and she made the comment that she invariably learns something new about herself when she responds to my questions. Well, all I can say is that it takes two to have a conversation, and without her contemplative, authentic responses, these interviews would come to naught. I am blessed to be able to brush past the surface and truly delve into the inner psyches of these wonderful artists like Kate, and it is such an amazing journey to take our levels of comprehension beyond what the viewers witness on the screen. It’s no wonder that Kate has been acclaimed as such an innovative and connected professional in Vancouver. She and her husband make an incomparable team, and I simply adore the fact that she is living her dream while making an impact on the lives of countless others through her charity work and her remarkable on-screen roles. I know that sometimes actors don’t even realize the impact they have on the viewers by simply fleshing out a character that resonates on a profound level or by granting us a much-needed respite from the frightful gloom that pervades our world. Whenever I interact with people of Kate’s caliber and generosity, I am encouraged and reminded that “goodness” does indeed exist in this world of ours, which often appears to be extremely afflicted with grief, pain, and despondency. Kate shines brightly like a beacon in the night, and I cannot thank her enough for being vulnerable and real on the screen and in this interview. For her, while the work is important, it is the people she reaches and touches with this work which is near and dear to her heart that causes her to carry on. And for me, that is enough motivation to persist in my quest throughout this world, searching for what is beneficial, decent and lovely. I’m immensely grateful that Kate is one who proceeds to demonstrate that dreams can come true if you have faith, persistence, and empathy, and as far as I’m concerned, she’s one of the most successful women I am privileged to know.

I hope that everyone makes a point to tune into and/or DVR her new Christmas film tonight (10/25) Sweet Mountain Christmas. (Keep an eye out for when and where this movie will premiere in Canada.) Additionally, I hope that each one of my readers decides to visit all of Kate’s links below and considers following her where applicable. While Kate is a devoted wife, mother, actress, and more, she is perpetually eager to take a moment to invigorate and assist those who may have lost their way or may need a helping hand or even just a word of kindness. Kate is never too busy to take the time to “be the change you want to see in the world,” and I am sincerely elated I get to call her friend!

FOLLOW KATE

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IMDB

Bottled With Love

CHECK OUT MY OTHER INTERVIEWS WITH KATE

Interview With Actress Kate Isaac

Interview With Kate Isaac, “When Calls the Heart”

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