Rising Star Kimberly-Sue Murray On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry
An Interview With Guernslye Honoré
Befriend failure. I figured this out in my 30s, but I wish I had known about the power of embracing failures as a teenager. I was so incredibly hard on myself. It caused a lot of distress and anxiety that I took with me throughout my 20s. Today, I know that I am the sum of all my failures (and wins) and I am so proud of my resilience and perseverance.
As a part of my series about pop culture’s rising stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Kimberly-Sue Murray.
A graduate of the Canadian Film Centre’s Actors Conservatory, Kimberly-Sue Murray is quickly becoming recognized as a rising star.
Murray is most known for her recurring roles in the hit TV show SHADOWHUNTERS (Freeform/Netflix) as Seelie Queen Amara, the vampire drama V-WARS (Netflix) as Danika Dubov, and series lead in THE WEDDING PLANNERS (CityTV). She has also starred in shows such as 9 FILMS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY (Hulu/FX), TITANS (HBO Max), and TRANSPLANT (Peacock), to name a few. Murray’s performance as Gamora in 2021’s MARVEL’S GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Video Game (Eidos-Montréal/PlayStation 5) also received rave reviews, and the game won BEST ENSEMBLE CAST PERFORMANCE at the G.A.N.G. Awards (2021).
Upcoming projects include the psychological thriller TRADER, a single-room/single-actor feature film, which earned her the award for Best Lead Performance in a Feature Film (HIFF 2022), THE MADNESS (Netflix), and a supporting lead in DIE ALONE, starring Carrie-Anne Moss and Frank Grillo.
Murray is also a prolific creator, writing and starring in the award winning short films, SHE CAME KNOCKING (Best Short, CFF17 & Brian Linehan Actors Award, 2018), PURL (2018) and WEREWOMAN, a viral web series pilot that garnered over 1 million views worldwide.
Kimberly-Sue Murray is represented by Amanda Rosenthal Talent Agency, Magnolia Entertainment, and Innovative Artists for Voice.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Thank you so much for having me! To begin at the beginning… I was born and raised in a small town in Eastern Quebec. I started dancing, figure skating and dressing up in my babysitter’s clothes when I was 3–4 years old. Performing was in my blood. I spent my childhood and teenage years chasing opportunities and that meant my mom driving me 8+ hours to open casting calls and acting workshops. I left the nest at 17 to go study theatre in Montreal where I met a close group of girlfriends/cheerleaders. We’ve held each other up for the last 15 years. I ended up in Toronto where I attended the Canadian Film Centre and that was what got me into the “room”. I’ve been hustling ever since.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I have a vivid memory of swinging in one of those hanging tires… I was at my cousin’s, she and I were inseparable. I don’t remember what led to this conversation, but she told me that those people we see on TV, well they’re actors. She told me that you can go to school, learn to act and then make a career out of it. The idea that you could make a living off of playing was mind blowing. I went home that day and announced to my parents that I was going to become a Hollywood actress. I’ve dropped the “Hollywood” and I say “actor” now, but the dream is still very much alive.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
When I met with TRADER’s writer/director Corey Stanton to discuss me playing the part, he was very honest with me. I had been recommended for the part by our producer Michael James Regan, so Corey had seen some of my work and had watched my demo, but, from my perspective, wasn’t convinced I could pull it off. Trader, I call her Trader cause we don’t know her name, is a hard part to play. After the meeting, I went home, went through ALL of my self-tapes (yes, I save them all because they come in handy) and I cut together 10 minutes of scenes for roles I had auditioned for, but not necessarily booked. I mapped out Trader’s emotional journey and found audition scenes that hit those key beats and sent it off to Corey. He offered me the role soon after. The moral of the story is, you have to fight for what you want, think outside the box and be unapologetic about it.
It has been said that mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I love mistakes. I learned to embrace mistakes and make them part of my work. I teach a self-tape masterclass for film/TV actors and I always tell them to work with their mistakes mid-scene and to never, NEVER, cut themselves off. You can plan the scene out all you want, but once the camera is rolling and you make a mistake, you gotta own it and work with it. Those so-called mistakes often make the final cut and are ultimately gifts; authentic, weird, unique, bold and brave moments that are true to life. If you can learn to improvise around mistakes and incorporate them as part of your character or scene then you will make MAGIC! And if it doesn’t make the cut, it’ll make for an amazing blooper reel.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I just wrapped on Die Alone, a film by writer/director Lowell Dean. It stars Carrie-Anne Moss, Douglas Smith, Frank Grillo and myself. It’s a post-apocalypse/post-pandemic “zombie” love story. I hesitate to say zombie, cause they’re not like the zombies we’ve seen on shows like The Walking Dead. We call them the “reclaimed”, Mother Earth is just reclaiming them back in a way. It’s a very special project for so many reasons. It’s the first film made in Saskatchewan since the industry shut down ten years ago. The government is finally reinstating the tax credit and investing in their film industry, so it’s a huge win for them and I’m so thrilled to have been a part of that.
And TRADER of course. To have had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work on a single-room/ single-actor feature film was a blessing to my career. I was in the middle of “rebranding” when the project came to me. I was feeling disenchanted with my work and felt pigeonholed, so I cut off my long curls and turned down anything that didn’t set my soul on fire. I pulled a Matthew McConaughey and didn’t work for a year. It was absolutely brutal, but so essential. When I got the script, I lit up, got scared and dove head first.
You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
Success is a series of failures. I strongly believe that. I wouldn’t be the actor and the woman I am today if it wasn’t for the THOUSANDS of “perceived” failures along the way. I say perceived because it may feel like a loss or a failure, but I see it as an opportunity to plant seeds. If you tend to your garden, one day, some of these seeds will grow. It takes time, patience and a green thumb, but anything can be learned if you set your mind(set) to it. I read this incredible book called Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck and that was a game changer for me.
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
Life needs to be accurately and authentically represented in film/TV. Children need to see themselves reflected on screen. I think of the impact film/TV had on me as a child, it formed me, inspired me… It still does. I’m very aware of my privilege growing up seeing people that looked like on TV and watching stories I identified with. Diversity on screen tells us that everyone has a place and belongs in this world. It fosters a sense of community, acceptance, and love. Ignorance and lack of exposure lead to deep misunderstandings and unwarranted hate and discrimination. I come from a very small, white and catholic corner of the world, and I’ve seen it unfold. When I moved to Montreal, a city known for its multiculturalism, my heart and mind burst open. The beauty and richness of this world lies in its diversity.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
1 . “CREATIVITY IS THE ABILITY TO SEE BEYOND WHAT’S IN FRONT OF US.” I actually have no idea who said this, but it’s had a huge impact on my work and how I approach scripts, especially for auditions when you don’t have access to the script. When an actor does an audition with less than 24 hours to prep, it’s easy to just focus on learning the lines. For a long time, I only learned lines, but then my dear friend Mikaela shared this quote with me and it really changed my approach. I now gave myself permission to forget about “learning the lines” and focus on what’s happening between the lines, what’s not being said. Anyone can recite lines, a creative actor brings life to it.
2 . “What’s your secret sauce?” Mikaela Lily Davies and I ask this to our actors when teaching our LEVEL UP Self-Tape Masterclass. What is it about you that makes you unique? What do you do really well? Lean into that.
3 . Befriend failure. I figured this out in my 30s, but I wish I had known about the power of embracing failures as a teenager. I was so incredibly hard on myself. It caused a lot of distress and anxiety that I took with me throughout my 20s. Today, I know that I am the sum of all my failures (and wins) and I am so proud of my resilience and perseverance.
4 . Find your tribe. I am moved to tears when I think of the amazing people in my life who have supported me and my dream(s). Find people that you can truly be yourself with, people who will challenge you, push you past your own limiting beliefs… find these people and return the favor. Hold each other up to a high standard and thrive together.
5 . The importance of life/ work balance. I was on such a mission to reach professional goals that I put my personal life on the back burner. I would cancel plans with my partner and friends or vacations because of auditions or simply because of the fear of missing out. That’s just not sustainable. You have to have strong boundaries in order to have a healthy and balanced life. For me that meant spending less time prepping an audition and going to my best friend’s birthday, or booking out with my agency if I had a vacation planned. The happier I am as a person, the better my work as an actor.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Taking good care of your instrument; mind, body and soul. Making time to rest and recover. I’m an introvert so I find auditioning and being on set exhausting. I love it, don’t get me wrong, but I just have to make sure I eat and sleep well, drink enough water, I go to therapy once every two weeks and spend some quality time with myself. Having hobbies, outside of acting, is so refreshing. Pro tip, after an audition/callback/screen test, I either shower or take a nap. It’s my way of shaking it off.
If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
NO MORE FILLERS & FILTERS ON OUR SCREENS! Listen, I am as insecure as any woman out there. And, of course, I have days where I’d love a little filler here and there for my eye bags and acne scars, but I always remind myself that we need more real people on screen. I want to see texture and zits and fine lines and deep lines, and cellulite… I WANT TO SEE IT ALL! Enough with the filters and the smudging. It sets a dangerous beauty standard that is unattainable. This obsession with youth and perfection is so damaging. I bare it all in TRADER. It was really important to me that my character didn’t wear an ounce of make-up, because she wouldn’t care to wear make-up. I was inspired by Saoirse Ronan in Lady Bird. Apparently, her skin was breaking out at the time and her director, Greta Gerwig, wanted to embrace the state of her skin and make it part of the character. She said in an interview that it allowed her to own it, accept and be proud of it. THAT’S the movement I want to be a part of.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My agent Amanda Rosenthal played, and still plays an integral role in my growth as an actor. When I signed with her, I only had smaller roles on my resume and a limited view of what I could do and be cast as. She was so nurturing and supportive of me and very attentive to my needs as an artist. She never doubted me once, pushed when it mattered and helped me stand my ground when things got rough. She’s a friend and I love visiting her at the office.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“This isn’t about you.” I was recurring on a TV show and I was feeling the pressure. I so desperately did not want to get “killed” off and I was overthinking everything. We were working on a scene and it was falling flat. I was getting in my own way. The director walked up to me and whispered “This isn’t about you.” Now, I have no idea if he meant me the actor or me the character, but it didn’t matter. The tension was released and I made it about the scene, the work. I took myself out of the equation and taught myself a lesson about not making things so personal.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
I can’t pick one! But I’d love to have a roundtable discussion à la The Hollywood Reporter with Greta Gerwig, Michaela Coel, Reese Witherspoon, Brit Marling, Olivia Wilde, Sarah Polley and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
How can our readers follow you online?
You can find me on Instagram @KSueMurray
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Thank you sooooo much!
About the interviewer: Guernslye Honoré, affectionately known as “Gee-Gee”, is an amalgamation of creativity, vision, and endless enthusiasm. She has elegantly twined the worlds of writing, acting, and digital marketing into an inspiring tapestry of achievement. As the creative genius at the heart of Esma Marketing & Publishing, she leads her team to unprecedented heights with her comprehensive understanding of the industry and her innate flair for innovation. Her boundless passion and sense of purpose radiate from every endeavor she undertakes, turning ideas into reality and creating a realm of infinite possibilities. A true dynamo, Gee-Gee’s name has become synonymous with inspirational leadership and the art of creating success.
