Superman '86 to '99 Extra: Erica Durance Saskatoon Expo '22 Panel Transcript!
Art by @donsparrow
Our own Don Sparrow had the privilege of hosting a panel centered on Smallville's Erica Durance during this year's Saskatoon Expo and got to ask her about killing it as Lois Lane, Supergirl's mom, and her many other projects. She, in return, got to receive the original inks for the awesome artwork by Don seen above, so it was win/win. Here's a full transcript of the panel as transcribed by Don. Enjoy!
RELATED: Some years ago Don also got to interview his famous pal Tom Grummett, so here's the link to that interview in you've never seen it.
VAGUELY RELATED: And speaking of Tom Grummett, check out our recent post about his return to Superman comics in the new Earth-One series (which was accidentally posted privately first, so it looks like not a lot of people saw it).
Don:
Hello Saskatoon Expo! How good does it feel to be back? It's very exciting. My name is Don Sparrow and I am Saskatoon's resident Superman expert, and therefore the host of this panel. How many Saving Hope fans do we have here?
(Some applause)
We've got a few. How many Supergirl fans do we have here?
(More applause)
A few more. And how many Smallville fans do we have here?
(Big applause)
We got a whole bunch. So, without further ado, let me introduce: Many fans know Erica Durance as Lois Lane from Smallville for which she starred for seven years on the show. Most recently, she was seen on the CW series Supergirl as Alura Zor-El. Erica was a producer and lead actress on CTV's hit medical drama Saving Hope, playing the role of Dr. Alex Reid, for which she garnered Canadian Screen Award nominations in 2013 and 2017. Her many notable guest appearances include Harry's Law, Charlie's Angels remake, Stargate SG1, Andromeda and Tru Calling. Durance's film credits include her tour-de-force performance as twin sisters in the Italian film Jemelle. She also starred in the Hallmark movie Wedding Planner Mystery. In 2011, Durance was nominated for a Saturn Award, and a Teen Choice Award for Best Actress for her work in Smallville. In 2012, Hello Canada Magazine listed her as one of Canada's 50 most beautiful people, and Buddy TV ranked her #9 on its TV's 100 Sexiest Women. Durance is a supporter of a very worthy cause, World Vision Canada and lives in Vancouver, B.C. with her husband and their three sons. Please give a warm Saskatoon welcome to Erica Durance!
(Applause)
Erica:
That's quite a bio.
Don:
I read the whole thing.
Erica:
Well done.
Don:
Welcome here. So, I'm going to start off with a few questions, we also do have a microphone in the middle, which we'll open up pretty quick here. So, welcome to Saskatoon.
Erica:
Thank you. Thank you for having me. First thing I want to say is: out in the audience today is my second mother, and her daughter Deanna, who is like my adopted younger sister. Now, Cathy--where are you?--there she is--is the reason that I act or sing at all. So, I was five years old looking for something to do with all of me, and my emotions, and I found Cathy, and I followed her around like a lost puppy, and then she decided to adopt me. So, she lives here in Saskatchewan, and I wanted to introduce her.
Don:
That is very exciting. (To Cathy) Well, thank you for giving us Erica Durance. We are thrilled.
(applause)
So we're gonna get to some Smallville questions, but my wife--who is in the audience--and I are huge Hallmark movie fans. I'm not afraid to admit it, we love these movies. And we've noticed some of your post-Smallville roles have tended to be more wholesome family entertainment. We're very excited about "Colour My World With Love" which looks really interesting. Is that an intentional direction you've gone in as an artist, or is it a reflection of being a parent? A bit of both?
Erica:
It's a little bit of both. I want to put out things into the world that are positive, that families can join around, and watch together. And just takes a little bit of the load off of life, which is--in this world of information, where we get it just crammed down our throats all the time, and yes, we do need a sense of reality, and what's actually going on, and all those kind of things--people desperately need stories that are hopeful, and kind, and well, and we know we can sit down and no worry about some kind of horrible thing happening (laughs). And so it was partially that, and partially the fact that it provides for me a way to take care of my two boys, and they're still really young. They're five and seven, and so these jobs are very short. We shoot all these movies in fifteen days so I'm able to stay at home, go out, do that, come back, and jump back into motherhood.
Don:
That's excellent. And many are filmed in Canada as well, so that makes it easier.
Erica:
Yes.
Don:
Moving to Saving Hope: I've read that your family comes from a faith background, and thinking of Alex Reid being such an evidence-based, and just the facts sort of character, was that tension of medical procedural and supernatural drama, by the end of it, a challenge?
Erica:
Well, yes and no. I think it was really good for me to take on something where I would be challenged to think the opposite of the way I was taught, all growing up. And so I wanted to take a character that would basically just embrace only science, and learn about that way of life and way of thinking of things, and then slowly having to adjust to the fact that there may be something else out there. That we can believe in things, and that there is a higher power, there is something to believe in. Plus to be honest, I loved all the science, I loved all the doctor stuff. By the end I thought I was a doctor. (laughs) I got an honourary degree from the chief of surgery (laughs).
Don:
The jargon could be a mouthful, and you did very well with that.
Erica:
(laughs) Thanks.
Don:
Were you ready for that show to end? Are you ever ready? I know the life of an actor means every job is fairly temporary. Do you think there were places they could have gone with those characters?
Erica:
No, I think that show was ready to be wrapped up. I think that we wanted to end it a certain way, and we did and some people loved it, and some people didn't love it. But it had finished its journey, and I certainly had as well in that particular character. And then practically, I was pregnant again. So I had both my sons while I was shooting that show, and it gave me a newfound appreciation for women that work and have their babies and try to do it all. So I was ready to enter that chapter of my life.
Don:
Excellent. So, Lois Lane. Perhaps your most famous role. How did you approach taking on such an iconic role? Did it help that you were playing a version of Lois that was less established? Or was it more pressure, not having that framework?
Erica:
No, it was absolutely my saving grace! (laughs) Because I could just say, you know what?--this is a whole new story we're telling. It's an origin story, so then most people...well, there were some people who had a problem with it, but you know, for me when I got it, it was such a surprise. You know, I'm this girl from Alberta, a small farm, I'm out in Vancouver just kind of trying, auditioning for things here and there. And then this opportunity presents itself. I remember telling this story a couple of times. I just said "you know, I'm not doing this, because they're going to pick somebody from LA, it's just the way it goes. And I don't know if that attitude coming into the audition somehow had an opposite effect, but I felt like I just got swept away with it and all of a sudden I was just filming, and then you just go with the flow. And I depended so much on the creators of the show, and where they wanted to take her. Many, many people were upset that Lois was there early, because that's not the mythology. But that filming still happened in a day and age where you could shut out some of the excess nonsense, right, so you're not constantly inundated by opinions of everybody all over the world about what they want or don't want. And yeah, I just took the stand that, well I'm sorry if you don't like it--then don't want it. You don't have to watch me. (laughs)
Don:
Exactly.
Erica:
But I think I kind of wore them down through the years and then people seemed to kind of accept her.
Don:
Well I think that was what made Smallville so unique was the Clark Kent persona--the nerdy, bumbling Clark Kent persona--was an invention of Lois Lane. That had never been done before, and I just thought that was so cool, I just loved it. But take me through the early days of that show, being introduced to that show. It's a hit show and you're playing one half of one of the best romances in fiction, and then in a very early scene, you're dodging a naked guy in your car.
Erica:
Oh yeah! (laughs) Yeah, one of my first scenes was shooting that. And they do that to us all the time, when you're filming. You end up doing what would be considered the most awkward scene. But I just embraced it because it would be awkward anyway and of course, what we show you guys we see is not all of what we see. It's much more tame than what people think it is. But I have to say it was kind of embarrassing, right, because I had originally booked the background. I was an extras agent, so I had booked all of Tom's photo doubles and all of that kind of stuff and all of a sudden I'm sitting in here and I'm working with the guy so that was (laughs) awkward, and so that kind of birthed the whole part of Lois that was neurotic and a little bit odd and everybody thinks it was a real choice, but it was me just trying to embrace the fact that here I was feeling like an imposter working on this show.
Don:
Very unique trial by fire.
Erica:
(laughs) I'd love to say that it was methodically thought out, but it really wasn't.
Don:
"I demand that I dodge a naked guy in my first episode!"
Erica:
(Laughs)
Don:
One of the things that stuck out to me in your interpretation of Lois Lane was that it was quite egalitarian in the show's treatment of Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Not to get too in the woods, but there's a great moment in an early episode where your character gets separated while you're fighting some commando types, and you see the panic on Clark's face, as he realizes he's left you alone, and you must be in danger, because Lana was in danger every episode. And as he comes over the hill to check on you, and unlike Lana, we see that you're handling these guys just fine--your kung fu moves--so is that fun to play? The damsel not in distress?
Erica:
Yes! (laughs) Yes, that's why I liked it. Kristin's character got a bad rap on that and if any of you have ever met her, or been at a convention you see that what a strong and independent wonderful woman she is. And one of her biggest frustrations was that she was in this space that she never could rescue herself. But we all realize that we are given those role and we're meant to play them out and it's part of the gig. And so, when people say "oh I love how you did Lois and she was so independent and amazing" I always say "and I thank you for that, but I also lucked in a role where they allowed me to do that". And I really liked that I would pick up a script and one episode I would be doing lots of stunts, and be really feisty and then the next episode I would be the lady that needed help, and I would get to be vulnerable and all of those things and people wondered about that and they would ask me about the consistency of that. And I said, first of all if you knew me you'd know I am very contradictory and you never know which personality you're going to get in the morning anyway. But human beings do contradict themselves, so you're going to have her do that sometimes, and then the next time it's going to be--you know--she's going to be right back in his face again.
Don:
And sometimes you're a vampire.
Erica:
And sometimes I'm a vampire, or--I think I was a zombie once, that one was really difficult. The one thing I will say, as the years went on, I would get a little bit lippy about it, was the fact that we'd be out in the middle of the night, usually fighting bad guys, it's cold, I'm wearing heels and a very skimpy dress, and (Tom) comes out with his workboots, and about five layers of clothes on and he's so comfortable, and I was like "Ok, wait a minute". So I remember doing a couple of things like that which were taking it up even a notch, because I'm fighting, and I'm kicking, but I'm running up the stairs backwards wearing high heeled boots, right, and I pointed that out occasionally. And they didn't care. (Laughs)
Don:
Well, we appreciated it, your sacrifice. I'll ask one more and then maybe we'll open it up to the floor for a bit. Returning to the role of Lois Lane recently, in the Crisis storyline. Comic fans, particularly Superman fans, as you sort of hinted at, can be passionate about what they like, or don't like. So a big decision like Clark giving up his powers in the wrap up there could be one of those divisive things. How did you feel about it, and what has the reaction been at these kind of shows?
Erica:
The reaction has been really really good. I think because it was a less is more scenario. And how do you insert them into that universe that already has a Lois and Clark? All those kinds of things. And beloved characters that, you know, are set in stone in a certain way in people's minds. And so for the most part, people were really really excited about it. And anytime they asked Tom (Welling) about how he felt about it, he was so positive about the way he was portrayed, that he had wanted that, and I think people kind of fell along, into line with that, because it's how he felt about it. He was fine. And I still got to bug him, which is nice. I had like four lines, and I still was in his face, which was great.
Don:
It was like a high school reunion.
Erica:
It was like "ah, Tom, you need it. Somebody's gotta do this to you."
Don:
And if people didn't like it, it's just an alternate Earth.
Erica:
Yeah, exactly. And, just switch the channel if you don't like it.
Audience Member 1:
Hi, I'm Greg from Moose Jaw. I'm sure I speak for everyone here, but you certainly couldn't have gotten to the show soon enough. You made the show, and I don't care what anyone else says. You could have been there from season one, it would have been perfect.
Erica:
Oh, thank you. (applause)
Audience Member 1:
Just a question I had there, was there anyone that you enjoyed working with most, or any funny story you have with someone there? Just someone that you got along with, or developed a friendship with?
Erica:
Well, It would be really fun if I could make a joke and say ugh I hated everybody, but I was known as the one that was there that was always very keen to be there, with lots of energy and excitement and everybody else either had been there for a long time, or just had a different personality. I got to know Cassidy Freeman pretty well when she came in in the latter seasons. So Cassidy, and Laura (Vandervoort) and I, we hung out a lot. Kristin we kinda didn't see each other too much. We're actually much better friends now, after the show. We see each other quite a bit. I loved working with Justin Hartley. We laughed a lot. We were both the new people on the show at the time, and so we had a really great camaraderie. But yeah, I'd say working with Tom, because I did it so much. I was just lucky that we got on very very well. And our personalities matched. We understood each other, we had the same sense of how to work, and the way we wanted to work. It was really cool.
Don:
Excellent. While we wait for another question from the floor, I'll ask another one here. I know you're a busy actress, with a thriving career, so you don't get as much downtime as you probably want, but what is your current binge watch, when you're at home.
Erica:
I just finished watching Sanditon on PBS. I love PBS and British shows, so I just finished watching that one. Do you guys ever have that, too? Where you know you sit and watch lots of Netflix, and Amazon, but then somebody says "what's your favorite" and you're like completely blank. I know I finished watching a ton of stuff. Let me think about it. The name is gonna drop in when the panel is over and I'll yell it out somewhere, but that's one of them.
Audience Member Mike Fisher (head honcho for the convention):
Yeah, I can't remember if I had a bigger crush on you or Justin when you both came on the show
Erica:
(laughs)
Mike Fisher:
You guys were such a breath of fresh air.
Erica:
I mean, you know what we did do, is we compared waists and I think his waistline was probably as thin as mine.
Mike Fisher:
I just don't know if that guy is human.
Erica:
(laughs)
Mike Fisher:
He's like an experiment from another planet.
Erica:
He is! He is.
Mike Fisher:
He is.
Erica:
He never slept, he ate doughnuts all the time.
Mike Fisher:
What?
Erica:
Yeah.
Mike Fisher: That is so frustrating to hear.
Erica:
All the time. And I would be sitting there with a tuna cup, and I was like, "I hate you".
Mike Fisher:
Yeah I know. I've seen Tom eat at conventions, and I'm like what is happening? These guys just get away with murder.
Erica:
They're so lucky, they don't seem to get old and wrinkly, or leathery. Everybody goes "Oh you look so handsome, you've really grown into yourself"
Mike Fisher:
Distinguished. When you get older, right, it's "distinguished".
Erica:
Distinguished yeah. I don't get that.
Mike Fisher:
So, shoutout to Three Hills, shoutout to the prairies. I'm just wondering, when you move to Vancouver, when you're doing work in LA, was there a part of you that felt like you weren't going to fit there? Just where you grew up wasn't a match for being in LA with the way you were raised?
Erica:
Absolutely!
Mike Fisher:
So how did you deal with that?
Erica:
(Laughs) How much time do you have? I really just tried to see it all with a bit of a sense of humour. I am who I am, I couldn't be anybody other than who I am, and so you just take it or you leave it. But I tended to withdraw quite a bit. Especially in a new scenario, so that I could kind of observe the room, observe how everything works, and find my way to fit in. But I didn't ever change who I was. They just either had to accept it, or not. But it's a very foreign kind of world to be in. I still look for that revolving door to kick me right out the back. That they have in the saloon. Why am I still here? You can't, and I don't want to change who I am. But really, you can't change that first blueprint of where you came from. And I'm proud of it.
Mike Fisher:
Thank goodness.
Erica:
(laughs)
Audience Member #3:
Hi, Mike from here in the city. My daughter wanted to say hi, because she's super nervous. She wanted to ask a question but she's super nervous. First I'm going to sing your praises, like everybody else, honestly since Margot Kidder, when you came to be Lois Lane, I have compared every other Lois to you since you made your first appearance, you were fantastic. Not just how you look, your act, everything was just perfect. So far no one's come even close, to me, my personal opinion. I'd like to see a lot more of that. So to my question, when you came back many years later to play Lois again, with Tom on the crossover, and then plus doing your appearance on Supergirl, was it easy to get right back to that Lois role, and go into that kind of world again, or was it like riding a bike?
Erica:
It was like riding a bike. The thing about playing in Supergirl is that it just felt a little bit surreal. It was like that I was the adult in the group, and I was watching these kids. And it was some of the same sets, a lot of the same gags. It felt like it was home, but not quite. And you were there to do the support piece. It came around so quickly for me. I'd just had my son, and then they called and they said could you come and do this part, they had their other actress ended up going and doing other things, and so, it was just again, like most things in my life, I don't plan for it, and I end up on set looking around going "Ok, so now I'm Alura, and I'm Supergirl's mom". As far as the Lois thing, it was really cool, and that's how you know you've met people in your life, or people come across in your life that are just--it's as if you've met them before. And that's how it is with Tom and I. It was always like that. When we first met, it was really easy. We didn't see each other for ten years, and I showed up on that set, and it was so easy, it was so nice, it was like coming back home again. So we had great laughs and a good time.
Don:
So shifting back to Hallmark for a moment, and Christmas Stars--a favourite around our house by the way. You got to sing!
Erica:
I did!
Don:
Was that something you'd love to do more of?
Erica:
I would love to. I'd love to do it in a way that wasn't so rushed. Again it was very new for me, and I ended up showing up there and working with JT (Hodges), who is really great. He wrote the songs. And I got a cold. So I was basically singing the whole time with a cold--(turns to Kathy) Kathy--not in my register at all. Here's my debut singing, and I'm doing alto, which I'm not an alto. Anyways, it was really fun, it was just something different. Originally, I wanted to be on Broadway, and do theatre, where I can mix it all up, and it would be spontaneous, and fresh every time, and so that was as close as I got to mixing some of the things I'd love to do
Don:
So far.
Erica:
So far! That's a positive way to look at it.
Don:
Saskatoon doesn't have an NHL team so you're safer here than most cities.
Erica:
Kinda.
Don:
Kind of. Is there a hockey team you grew up cheering for, or cheer for now?
Erica:
Oh. I grew up cheering for the Calgary Flames. Because I'm from Alberta, and I was closest to Calgary, and I always felt like they were the underdogs. Because at that time--this is gonna age me--but the Oilers had Gretzky. And I was like "ughh, they win every time!" So I just had to cheer for Calgary, and there's still that competition, every time I go to Alberta, if I'm in Edmonton or Calgary, boy those two do not like each other. Just some principle.
Don:
A little vocal.
Erica:
Yeah.
Don:
Is Tom Welling's cartoon gonna happen? This cartoon Smallville he's very excited about?
Erica:
Let me text him. (laughs) You know what? I'm always the last to the party. Whether it's Smallville, or their thing. I think that it's definitely in the works, but that's as much as I know. And then they'll call me and be like "are you gonna do this thing". And I'll say "yeah, sure, of course. I'm game". I hope so. How fun would that be? I would love that. Yeah.
Don:
So we'll do some rapid fire.
Erica:
Oh! Ok.
Don:
Pizza or tacos?
Erica:
Tacos.
Don:
Beatles or Stones?
Erica: Stones. (pause) I feel like I'm being judged harshly (laughs)
Don:
No, those are both correct answers.
Erica:
Ok, ok, ok!
Audience Member #4:
Hi, Matthew from Saskatoon. Any thoughts of...(trails off)
Erica:
(helpfully) Any thoughts...
Audience Member #4:
Any chance of being in the Marvel cinematic universe?
Erica:
If they would answer my calls. (laughter) Nobody answers my calls! I don't have the right number.
Don:
That is a good question. So if you could play--I mean we saw you sort of as Wonder Woman, on Smallville--so if you could play any other superhero who would you want to be?
Erica:
Other than Wonder Woman? I still want to be Wonder Woman. I still think she's the best.
Don:
I think there's a few people who would want to see you play Wonder Woman. (applause)
Erica:
I still think it would be fun. But I'm not gonna do anything now, because Gal (Gadot) is out there, so forget that. (laughter) Way too stressful. I could talk about the new Hallmark movie I just did.
Don:
Yes, please do.
Erica:
"Color My World With Love"
Don:
Yes! You were promoting this a bit on your Instagram, and it looks very interesting, so please do.
Erica:
Yeah. So it's coming out on June 12th, and I got to play the mother of the lovely Lily D. Moore. And it is a story based on her love life, and her falling in love, and what I like what they're doing with Hallmark right now is they're trying to tell different types of love stories, and not just the basic "guy meets girl, they're both of the same socio-economic status or whatever" there's no levels, it's just the one love story. Which is fine. But now they're starting to do the love stories where, for example, just my love for my daughter, right? How do I raise my child? How do I let her go? How do I let her experience love and see the world through her eyes, and make mistakes, and fall in love, and get hurt? And all of those things, and so, yeah, it's a good show.
Don:
And we don't see performers that look like her (Moore has Down syndrome) on TV enough, and so I'm really excited to check that out, and I'm just excited to have Hallmark quality movies year round. Same with the mystery movies--they don't have to be in a Christmas resort town--
Erica:
(laughs) We've done enough of those!
Don:
We like those.
Erica:
We laugh about it, too. We're like "are we in a cherry orchard or an apple orchard, there's always the red truck" but I like to watch them myself. There's always that red truck in every movie!
Don:
I'll have to add that to our Bingo sheet.
Erica:
(laughs)
Don:
We have a few entries on the bingo sheet.
Erica:
So you do like a Bingo game when you're watching Hallmark?
Don:
Absolutely. Yes.
Erica:
That's good. It's safer than a drinking game.
Don:
(laughs) It's safer than a drinking game! Exactly. The kids are in bed, we're gonna--
Erica:
No, but I joke. They're good movies, and they make people feel good, and lots of people gather around and watch them together.
Don:
Absolutely.
Erica:
(There is a gap in the questions from the audience) You're all so polite. I love Canada.
Audience Member 1:
I wanted to give someone else a chance, but I definitely have more questions. I just wanted to hear a bit more about your auditioning process on Smallville, and stuff like that. How you got there, who was involved in getting you in, and what it was like, your first foray, I just like hearing origin stories.
Erica:
Oh, Ok. I just went through the regular audition process. You just go in, in Vancouver and you give it a go. I was actually brought down to LA before that, so I think I got Lois because I was brought down earlier, and I went in to audition for a show called Tarzan, and there was a very very well known director named David Nutter, who launched a lot of these shows--he actually launched Smallville--and he saw me in the audition room, and he brought me to LA to audition for his show, and that's where I met Warner Brothers. And they signed me onto what's called an exclusivity deal, which is--I would only do something for them. And that year I ended up doing Gramercy Park, which was a pilot for them, and so I kinda got on their radar. And as things happen--nothing happened. That is a lot of this business as well, you can shoot a ton of pilots and nothing goes. And we went a full year, and then the Lois character came out and I remember my manager was so excited, "oh four episodes, you get to play Lois, its gonna be amazing, you're gonna go in for this" as I said, I didn't want to do it. I was kinda pouting. So I went in to audition, and then what happens is they take you down to test, and so you go down to LA, and you go to the studio first, and you just go into this room--they make the process really stressful for the actor, as stressful as possible. And they all sit there and eat lunch and judge you, and you're usually in a real like theatre, so they're like in these riser chairs, and you come in, and do your audition. So you have to pass the studio first, and if the studio likes you, then you make it to the next round. So you'll know right after, because they'll basically say "kay, thanks, bye, go home" and then you're with like four or five other girls, and then it slowly goes down. So then I went to the network, and then I waited and waited, and didn't hear anything. And I was about to get on my plane to Vancouver, and that's when my manager called and he goes "you're playing Lois!" and I went "No way!" and I yelled really loud in the airport. And then what I didn't realize--and I've told this story a ton--that was the Friday night, and then on the Saturday, I went to the studio to take pictures and do the whole deal, and I was just gonna meet Tom and say "hi". And I was like Ok, cool, part of the team, I can do this. We were supposed to read a scene we were doing on Monday. I didn't know if he didn't like me, I would get fired! (laughs) So, and he'll deny that to this day, but I know that it was the final hoop that I had to go through that if I didn't meet his standards of not annoying, and not threatening, not making his life difficult--that I would not be working on Monday. So--phew--I'm glad I didn't know that! And then I ended up working on Monday, and then had to shoot that scene where I saw him scantily clad, and that was awkward, because I barely knew him. And the rest of kind of history. And what was really great about Tom is that he understood what it was like to be part of a show with almost no experience, and so four years later, he meets this person that's thrust into a rather large role, and in that way he took me under his wing, and he kinda showed me the ropes, and gave me hints, and helped me out with some things that I was awkward about. And I think that was kind of a basis for such a good friendship, and it helped with our work.
Audience Member 1:
Perfect, good to hear, I appreciate it.
Audience Member #5:
Thanks so much for joining us in Saskatoon.
Erica:
Thanks for having me.
Audience Member #5:
There was a question about Marvel Cinematic Universe, but is there a character or a franchise that you would love to be involved with in the future, or anything like that? That you can see, like, oh I want to be in a Star Wars movie, or something like that?
Erica:
How do I put this? As an actor, I'm game for anything, pretty much, that's respectable. Like I'm at a point where I want to do stuff that I'm not ashamed of, and that I don't want my kids to be embarrassed about what their mother is doing. But, you know I've never really had to project, and go, I'm gonna work toward this particular job, or that particular job. And I lucked into two jobs that lasted really long, and I'm getting jobs offered to me so to have the imagination to sit and go, of I'd love to go do this. I'd love to work again, steadily, but I really love series work. I don't want to do really dark independent movies that depress me, and depress people that watch it. And sometimes, in certain acting circles, that will diminish me quite a but in their eyes. But I've gotten to a point in my life where if something is a little bit too dark, I just don't want to be in that zone. So I am quite happy to play on a network TV show, like a procedural; little bit of crime, little bit of sci-fi. I'd like to bring sci-fi back into things because it makes it so much more fun. Because you can become other characters whilst being a detective or something. Maybe something fun like that.
Don:
Excellent.
Audience Member #6:
(Nervous) Hi. So have you ever considered like going into like voiceover animation, or would you prefer to just like stick to doing more live action, just out of curiosity.
Erica:
I would love to do voiceover, which is why I'm hoping that Tom (Welling) and Mike (Michael Rosenbaum)'s thing works, because then I could do that. You see how I'm just like, ugh, why pursue it if there's other people who are gonna give me the job? No, honestly I would. And I think there is a bit of a misunderstanding, that it's something that's easy to get into. I find that you get onto a highway, or a certain road as an actor, and you're in that space. And there's many of us that would love to try those other things, but the opportunity isn't always there. But I think it would be such an interesting way to use my craft and figure out how to make something come alive by just being in the studio, and rolling in there and doing that. And seeing what the wonderful artists could do with it. For sure.
Audience Member #6:
Yeah I hope it happens. Good luck.
Don:
So I think this will be the last question, the guy with the appropriate shirt (wearing a Superman t-shirt)
Audience Member #7:
Are you going to go on Michael Rosenbaum's podcast again soon. I watched it this morning
Erica:
Yes. He is relentless.
Don:
That's a good word.
Erica:
No, we just did another one. We did one a year ago, and he keeps calling "are you gonna do it, are you gonna do it?" NO, I don't want to do it, I don't have anything to talk about, what am I gonna talk about? So there's another one coming out, and I get quite nervous, and just texted him the other day, I was like "did I say something weird in our interview?" "No, it's great." It will come, and then you guys can judge it.
Audience Member #7:
Right on, awesome.
Don:
On behalf of Saskatoon Expo, and everybody here, and Superman fans everywhere, we just thank you for your body of work, and for coming here today, we have so appreciated all these answers and just your presence.
Erica:
Well thank you for having me, and for your lovely questions, I hope you guys have a really great weekend. Bye!
