Recently I was granted the opportunity to interview actress Bree Williamson. She tells us about acting, motherhood, and how the two intersect and work in harmony.
JH: Let’s talk about work first. Tell us about your career thus far. What have been your favourite roles?
BW: I started my career in Toronto (ah hem Pickering) I modeled when I was young but my mother was quick to pull me out of it when I started to miss too much school. When I got old enough to drive myself to auditions, I got myself an agent and a headshot and went out…. And didn’t work at all for a year. Then I got some classes and a new agent and started booking commercials and some guest star spots. Then I got an audition for ‘One Life to Live’. ABC flew me to NYC for a screen test and I booked the role of Jessica Buchanan. Which lead to nine amazing years of consistent awesome work – which is unheard of for an actor. It also lead to me getting my American citizenship. Since ‘One Life to Live’ was canceled I have relocated to LA and have gotten to go on location for a lot of jobs. Which has been exciting, fun and sometimes challenging. ‘Haven’ in Nova Scotia, ‘Deception’ in New York, ‘True Detective’ in New Orleans, ‘Chicago Fire’ in….well Chicago….and … well you have IMDB. It’s so hard to pick a favorite. I love working and I loved playing all my roles for different reasons… However chasing around two dudes with a chainsaw in ‘Beginners Guide to Snuff’ was pretty awesome!
JH: What are you working on currently? Are you on location? Do you find it difficult to work at any great distance from your home?
BW: Currently I am working on ‘General Hospital’ which shoots in LA … And that is awesome. My son is in Kindergarten which makes it difficult to bring him with me to shoot on location. So in very grateful to be working on something that shoots in LA and allows me to be home for bedtime most nights 🙂
JH: How has being a parent impacted the roles you consider? Has being a mother changed how you perform?
BW: It used to be that when I looked at the breakdown of a show I would get excited about the prospect of an exotic shooting location…but now – while I still get excited – I also get a little anxious about the logistics of keeping our family together…. But shooting in Hawaii still sounds pretty awesome. As for the how being a parent has impacted how I perform, I think that any life experience changes you and therefore changes how you are as an actor.
JH: What parenting style would you say you employ most frequently? A free-range mama, helicopter mama…somewhere in the middle?
BW: I am a helicopter with aspirations to be free-range. I try. I have put a lot of effort into being a mom. Seminars, workshops and lots of books. I try to stay informed and gather as much information as I can so in the end I can just give in, and hand over the iPad.
JH: As mothers, it can be easy to forget about our personal goals and growth. What do you do to stay balanced and ensure you continue to flourish outside of motherhood?
BW: First I was smart enough to choose a partner that is encouraging and insistent on me pursuing my career. Which means we try to always work consistent childcare (nannies and au pairs) into our budget. We have been lucky enough so far to make it work. Kids learn the most through modeling, so I think if my son can see how happy my husband and I are when we are working, hopefully that with teach him to pursue his passions.
JH: I read that you like sports – including snowboarding! Is it something you still enjoy? Have you introduced your son to snowboarding? What are your favourite places to ride? (I’m extremely keen on snowboarding so I have to ask!)
BW: My son has just recently discovered skateboarding, which is super exciting! I think it came from me longboarding beside him when we would go on bike rides, and more and more he would ask to skateboard instead of riding his bike.So I ordered him lots of padding and an awesome superman skateboard and I’m preparing for the broken bones in our future.
As for snowboarding we haven’t gotten to it yet. Raising a kid in California and then trying to explain the cold to them is tricky. Snowboarding is my favorite sport as well and I am hoping to get him into soon. 🙂
JH: What does a dream day with your family look like?
BW: It’s not so much about what we do but how we are all feeling. I have been to Disney when my son is exhausted and cranky and no amount of Mickey Mouse can turn our day around. Alternatively I have had simple pizza dinners in our backyard that become epic and amazing because everyone’s happy.
So my favorite days are the ones in which we are well rested and find the awesomeness in the simple things… Like a huge empty box from Amazon that we spend the day coloring or a surprise meet up with a friend from school that turns into an epic play date… That kinda stuff
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And now Bree tells a little about herself and her son …. enjoy!
Thank you to Bree for taking the time to work with us and share a bit of her life. Watch General Hospital to see Bree in action!
