Cindy Busby

RISING STAR

Cindy Busby is, as she states in her revealing Q&A below, "a very friendly, outgoing, happy person." But she's also a serious young actress, schooled in the Meisner technique, training that's allowed her to expertly channel the rich, mean, spoiled girls that she routinely plays in film and television. Busby appears as Ashley Stanton on CBC's Heartland, a rich, competitive, snotty horseback rider. She can also be seen in the MGM teen comedy Picture This, where she portrays another rich, conniving and unusually cruel young lady.

Busby reflects on this string of mean girl roles: "It's kind of weird, because growing up I came from an average, blue-collar family. And now somehow I've just fallen into these roles. But it's actually really nice, because I love playing roles that are really different from who I am. My cast mates usually burst out laughing whenever I deliver a really bitchy, typical Ashley Stanton scene, because it's so opposite of who I am."

Another aspect of who she is: serious vampire fan. In fact, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles is one of her favourite movies of all time, and the inspiration for the accompanying photo shoot. The narrative that Busby worked out with photographer Darryl Humphrey involves (in broad strokes) a young woman's gradual loss of innocence as she transforms from a virginal/human state to a more sexualized/otherworldly vampire-influenced incarnation, all captured using 100 per cent natural lighting.

And if that were not enough, she can also be seen on a new TV series on The CW Network, The Vampire Diaries. The show is written and produced by Kevin Williamson, the creator of Scream and Dawson's Creek - Busby's all-time favourite TV show.

"It was just like a dream come true," she says of landing the gig.

"I personally have always been a huge vampire fan. When I was a kid, it was all that I would ever have nightmares about, which is so weird. But at the same time, I enjoyed it. It was kind of like an enjoyable torture."

Cindy Busby met with photographer Darryl Humphrey for an exclusive TORO Woman shoot and revealed insights into her personality with the following Q&A.

Q: What is your present state of mind?
A: Successful, happy and in love.

Q: What's the quality you like most in a man?
A: Sense of humour, for sure. And sensitive.

Q: The quality that you like most in a woman?
A: Loyal and outgoing.

Q: What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A: Success, family and love.

Q: What historical figure do you most identify with?
A: Marilyn Monroe. I've always been a bit intrigued by her and what she stood for and just her whole life story.

Q: What living person do you most admire?
A: My mom for sure. She's just like an everyday woman who's grown so much since I've been around her and I just look up to her. Anytime that I have a problem she's just there for me and always makes me fell better no matter what. We're really, really close. She's my mom but she's also my best friend.

Q: What is your greatest extravagance or indulgence?
A: Well, food or shopping. Or maybe the combination [laughs], a nice dinner after a long day of shopping!

Q: What is your most treasured possession?
A: Probably pictures of everything - my friends, my family, my youth, just everything. I love taking pictures. I'm always the one with the camera! [laughs]

Q: Other than the talents that you are already blessed with, which one would you most like to have?
A: I'm not sure if it's a talent, but I love to cook. I know that it's definitely something that added to my appeal for my boyfriend [laughs].

Q: Other than your present occupation, is there any other that you'd like to try?
A: Well, I'd definitely like to study other things and keep on learning all the time, but I wouldn't want to do anything else. Ultimately, acting is my craft. I've always been interested in psychology and nutrition, but I don't know that I'd go and make that my profession.

Q: What would be your greatest fear?
A: I'd probably say death. And spiders [laughs].

Q: What trait do you deplore most in other people?
A: Oh God. Do you have a minute? [laughs]. People that are dishonest. People that you can't depend on. And people that are disloyal. I give a lot to those around me, and I kind of expect that they'd be the same way back to me.

Q: What trait do you deplore most in yourself?
A: I'd probably say my perfectionism. Just wanting everything to be perfect - whether it's myself or my surrounding - which can make me unhappy because nothing can be perfect.

Q: What's your most defining characteristic?
A: I'd say that I'm a very friendly, outgoing, happy person who just wants to make the people around me happy. I wouldn't say one, I'm sort of multi-dimensional in that regard.

Q: Any words and phrases that you routinely overuse in everyday conversation?
A: I probably say "Oh my God" a lot. Or, "Are you serious?" And I probably laugh a lot.

Q: What is your motto?
A: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Look for Cindy Busby in the third season of Heartland, airing on CBC this fall, and in the upcoming series The Vampire Diaries on The CW Network.

William Morassutti is the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of TORO. Prior to joining TORO, he worked in Canadian broadcasting as a writer, producer, director, reporter and host.

Cindy Busby

It was a dark and misty night. The camera positions were marked and the lighting check was a go. AFter a light rain had fallen on the set (or a truck had hosed it down to make it look that way(. two good looking young people drive along a forest road, talking happily. Until...they hit another handsome teenager! (In fairness, it;s TV, so this beautiful people ratio is to be expected.) The young woman waits in the car, trying to get a phone signal to call for help, while her boyfriend goes out to investigate. Suddenly, there's a thump. She gets out, turns, and well, it;s a vampire show, so what comes next isn't much of a leap.

She had a inauspicious acting debut, getting down to skivvies an making out with a boy for MTV's "Undressed". "Yeah, that was mildly uncomfortable, but I was just excited to get my first union role," she says, Busby comes form Rosemere, a leafy off-island suburb of montreal, population 14,407. Her father had tried to be an actor when he was younger, but her never caught his break, so when his daughter applied to Dawson College's acting program, he gave her his full support, and his full pride.

Busby's biggest regular role so for is as Ashley Stanton, the spoiled, young, rich blonde equestrian who torments heroine Amy Fleming on CBC's farmland drama "Heartland". AFter she got that role, she was cast in "Let The Game Begin", where she plays a spoiled, young, rich, blonde member of the popular clique. And after that came "American Pie: Book of Love", where she plays a spoiled, young, rich blonde...cheerleader. So, yeah, she's got a bit of a regular role.

She's fine with it. For now. "My look supports that popular, mean, bitchy look. It's a bit of a stereotype, but I'll take it." She knows that these roles aren't going to last forever, and she'll be glad once she's grown up and can move on.

Back at the scene of the television accident, the girl sees her boyfriend's freshly torn throat and freaks out. She screams. It's a great scream, a piercing, shrill, blood-curdling affair. The director will later compare her scream to Jamie Lee Curtis's, (who had her big break in Halloween). The whole thing comes naturally to her. "I'd always known I had a good scream, " she says. "I was born with a good scream."

Sharp Woman
-William Stodalka

LOCAL ACTOR LANDS ROLE IN POLICE DRAMA

Vancouver - Local actor David Paetkau, who has acted in Snow Day, Final Destination 2 and various teen thrillers and sci-fi action movies, has landed a role in a promising CTV series called Flashpoint.

The police drama will be the first Canadian series since CTV's Due South in 1994 to air in network prime time in both Canada and the U.S.

The series has been picked up by CBS for broadcast later this year in the U.S. Quite a feather in Flashpoint's cap.

The show is an emotional journey into the tough, risk-filled lives of a group of cops inspired by Toronto's Emergency Task Force. They rescue hostages, bust gangs, defuse bombs, climb the sides of buildings and talk down suicidal teens. It's all in a day's work for these crackerjack officers. Paetkau plays Sam Braddock, the rookie sharp shooter who is new to the team.

Hollywood North caught up with him by phone while he was on set in Toronto this week. His character, he says, is not at all like him but he relishes playing a cop and has developed a real appreciation for what the boys and girls in blue do.

"The similarities end as soon as I pick up a gun," he said, adding that gun training was both exciting and horrifying.

For a change from past roles, Paetkau says he gets to be a good guy and as an added bonus, "I get to run around in this full uniform and with all these great gadgets. It's a lot of fun, a lot of action."

And some pretty big challenges, too, like the time he had to swim in Lake Ontario. "That is not advised for anybody. Not only is it ice cold but Lake Ontario doesn't have the best reputation for health issues."

The show, he says, deals with very real, very human stories and is not the exaggerated universe of most cop shows. "This is a Canadian show that is going to be on prime time in the U.S. on a major network. We are all very proud and we are trying to do the best we can."

Flashpoint premieres Friday, July 11, on CTV. Shooting wraps in late August.