Kat Harlton
Lead Photo: Kristina Ruddick
Kimberly-Sue Murray is an award-winning actor and producer born in Chandler, Eastern Quebec and currently based in Toronto, Canada. Kimberly-Sue found her passion for performing at the young age of nine-years old and has had her sights set on showbiz since. She would go on to study theatre at Dawson College in Montreal, Quebec and was signed to a talent agent before she graduated. Shortly right after, she booked her first acting gig in the LIFETIME film THE PERFECT TEACHER which starred David Charvet and Megan Park. In 2011, she moved to Toronto after she was handpicked to attend the prestigious Canadian Film Centre’s (CFC) Acting Conservatory, a six-month intensive acting incubator focusing on promoting emerging talent. Kimberly-Sue’s first big break came when she was cast as Seelie Queen Amara in the acclaimed and widely popular supernatural drama television series SHADOWHUNTERS (FREEFORM/NETFLIX).
To date, Kimberly-Sue has amassed a significant body of work in several film and television productions including THE ART OF FALLING IN LOVE (UPTV/SUPER CHANNEL), TWISTED (LIFETIME), MY PERFECT ROMANCE (NETFLIX), KILLJOYS (SYFY/SPACE), KIM’S CONVENIENCE (CBC/NETFLIX), THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE (STARZ), THE LIZZIE BORDEN CHRONICLES (LIFETIME), REIGN (CW), THE SCAREHOUSE (D FILMS), THE LISTENER (CTV), BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (CW), MURDOCH MYSTERIES (CBC), and BEING HUMAN (SYFY/SPACE). She was also awarded the Brian Linehan Actor Award for her work in the short film SHE CAME KNOCKING, which she co-wrote, produced and starred in.
Currently Kimberly-Sue can be seen starring as Danika Dubov alongside Ian Somerhalder in the new and highly anticipated sci-fi horror series V-WARS, which follows the story of a scientist and his best friend as they face the evolving crisis of a deadly outbreak that fractures society into opposing factions, potentially escalating to a future war between humans and vampires. The show premiered on December 5th, 2019 on Netflix.
We had the opportunity to chat with Kimberly-Sue about V-Wars, her role, and what she hopes fans take away from the show.
Kat: Your character Danika Dubov is Michael Fayne’s (played by Adrian Holmes) girlfriend in the new sci-fi horror series V WARS, how did you prepare for your role? Did you find any commonalities between yourself and Danika?
Kimberly-Sue: When I got the news I was cast as Danika, I was ecstatic at the idea of playing a vampire (definitely on my bucket list of roles to play). I’m a huge fan of the genre, so I got right to work. I started with Jonathan Mayberry’s anthology. It was an amazing entry point into the world, all the circumstances surrounding it and most importantly, the character’s state of mind. I don’t think I would have been able to empathize with Danika without having read the book. I understood where she was coming from, how complicated her relationship to Mila was and how the virus affected differently. And yes, I did find commonalities. She’s super driven, career oriented and resourceful, which are traits we share. However, she’s WAY more conniving and manipulative than I am hahaha. I like her, I feel for her. She’s trying to stay alive and is willing to do anything. Who can blame her!
Kat: Was there anything about your role that was particularly challenging?
Kimberly-Sue: Not knowing what was next for her was really challenging for me as an actor, it made it hard to arc her journey. I would get one script at a time. It was nerve wracking, but it kept me on my toes. I had no idea whether she was going to live or die, I still don’t know. All I could do was lean into what felt right in the moment and trust my instincts.
Kat: What have been some of your favorite scenes to shoot and why?
Kimberly-Sue: I have two favourites. First off, I loved shooting the bus scene in episode 5. I got to jump around and kick some ass (and I surprised Ian Somerhalder by licking his face). He and Kaare Andrews, our director, really wanted me to go all out, so I did. I think it turned out great. I also loved shooting the club scene with Adrian Holmes, which is in the episode Ian directed. We got to dance all night and be the bad guys.
Kat: What do you hope fans take away from the show?
Kimberly-Sue: The show transcends the vampire genre. I hope that fans take away how relevant the show is to the problems we are facing in today’s society, from climate change, to discrimination, to global epidemics. It’s a story about staying in touch with our humanity and overcoming our differences, which is something we can all learn from.
Kat: Is there a type of character that you’d like to portray, that you haven’t had the chance to yet?
Kimberly-Sue: I’d love to get my hands on a family drama. I’d love to explore complex family dynamics and how to maintain individuality within a family unit. We all have messed up families and know how it feels to return to our childhood home. Bloodline is one of my favourite shows. It kept me on edge the whole time.
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