A while ago we mentioned that the writers of Brothers & Sisters were going to conduct an interview with Emily for their online blog. Well, today they posted part one of the interview, with part two coming next week. Hopefully some of you took the opportunity to sumbit some questions for Emily. I know I did. And they actually used one of my questions! :biggrin: Emily didn’t really answer it, but I’ll give her a break. After all, I wouldn’t want her to jinx anything :cute:. Check out the interview below!

Interview with Emily VanCamp (Part One)

Down on set, the crew is between set-ups. It is one of those infamous group scenes (our show has many) that take forever and a day to shoot. Emily graciously lets me into her dressing room, and we take a seat on her couch. We make small talk, as she kicks off her heels (acting is pain) and slips into some more comfy footware. Now Emily is ready, she’s focused, we’re ready to go. I roll the tape…

Cole: So how did you get in to acting? You were a dancer first, right?
Emily: Yes, I started dancing when I was three, but I started training intensively at about eleven in Montreal, Canada and that’s sort of when I started acting as well.

Cole: So what made you make the transition from dancing to acting?
Emily: I think mainly because ballet is so competitive, which can make it really difficult – emotionally and physically. You have to really, really love it to want to pursue it long term. Also, it’s a really short-lived career. So for me, I just fell in love with acting and it just seemed like the right path to take.

Cole: You and Luke Macfarlane are from Canada. Do you have a special Canadian bond with Luke?
Emily: I definitely have a fondness for my Canadians – I love them. I think that especially in a city like Los Angeles that’s so big and can be quite intimidating, it’s nice to know that there are some folks from home. So, I definitely have a soft spot in my heart for Luke. Plus, he’s the sweetest human being ever, so…

Cole: That helps too. And you’re from the countryside in Canada?
Emily: Yeah, a township. So a very, very small town. It was even smaller when I was little actually. My father is an animal nutritionist and I spent a lot of my childhood on farms.

Cole: So being a country girl, how do you like living in LA?
Emily: Living in LA is tough for me because I am so outdoorsy. I like to fish and camp and horseback ride and do all of those things. There’s definitely an outdoorsy lifestyle in Los Angeles, but it’s not necessarily the things I grew up with. So it’s been a difficult adjustment, but I’m starting to find that places out here that offer those things, so I can’t complain really.

Cole: On Everwood, you shot in Utah. How does that compare to shooting here? Was it a totally different experience?
Emily: You know, I loved it. Shooting in Utah so was so much different than shooting here. Here, you jump in your car, you go to the studio – you barely see the light of day, all day. And for me, I much preferred shooting in Utah because we were on-location half the time and we had seasons up there. Everything I loved was so accessible in terms of my hobbies. It was a great group of people, and it was a very special, special time in my life that I wouldn’t take back for the world.

Cole: I’m wondering – who do you think you have more in common with: Amy from Everwood, or Rebecca?
Emily: Definitely Amy from Everwood. I’m much older now, so I probably relate to her less now, but I was a teenager at the time. Apart from playing the part of Rebecca though, I don’t relate to her on many levels. I certainly wouldn’t ever be working in a corporate office. And I definitely have a solid relationship with my family, which is different from the wishy-washy relationship Rebecca has had with her mother. You know, there’s definitely been some consistency issues with the character. She’s had a lot of ups and downs, she’s hard to track. Whereas Amy was much more rooted, I guess much more like me.

Cole: I read online that your all-time favorite actress is Audrey Hepburn. What is it that draws you so much to her?
Emily: My mom was always a huge fan of Audrey Hepburn, so we grew up watching her movies. There’s just something that everyone knows – the grace. Obviously, she was a ballerina as well. The way that she moves, the way that she talks, the way she carries herself. Everything about her was just so special and so unique. There were so many beautiful, classic women during that time, but there was just something very particular about her that I’m really drawn to.

Cole: I heard that you’re fluent in French. Have you been chatting some with Gilles Marini?
Emily: You know, it’s funny. When you’re in an English speaking place, you tend to speak that language because it’s almost rude when you’re around English speaking people to be speaking French. But I’m sure if we were in a French-speaking place, it would be different. Nathalie, one of our makeup artists, is also French and we so rarely speak it. I guess it just depends on where you are.

Cole: You have three sisters. Does your own family remind you of the Walkers?
Emily: I think that definitely some of the elements of the Walkers – the constant phone calling back and forth. I’ll have my mom on one line, and my sister will be calling on the other – we have that sort of dynamic. But there are exaggerated elements to the Walkers, and they’re a much bigger family than ours. And they’re boys and girls, whereas we’re just girls. So, it’s very different, but at the same time very similar. I think that’s what’s great about the show – it’s relatable. People can really relate to the big all-American Family.

Cole: I know you like to travel. Where are you off to next?
Emily: Interesting question. I think Tokyo. My oldest sister just moved to Tokyo, so I think that’s going to be one of my big trips over the break. I’m so excited to go around Japan a little bit, and then who knows. I’m also going to go home as well and see my family. That’s important to me.

Cole: The next one’s kind of tough – it’s a reader question. What are five things you want to do before you turn 30?
Emily: Oh man…That’s not a fair question! I don’t know if I can answer that – there’s just too many things, I think. I don’t think I can narrow it down to five things. And who knows, I don’t want to jinx any of those things by saying them!

Cole: We have another reader question: How do you balance work and personal life? Is it a challenge to remain grounded in the entertainment industry?
Emily: I think it’s definitely a challenge, but it’s really just who you surround yourself with. I think it’s very easy to become seduced by the cameras and the fantasy world that is Hollywood and Los Angeles. But when you have a strong grounding force in your life – which for me, it’s my family, and it’s my friends – then, Hollywood and the glitz and glam appeals to you so much less. It’s challenging, but it’s easy at the same time, for me. In terms of the balancing, you just have to see this job for what it is – it’s a job – and not take it too seriously or too personally. And when you have good people around you, it’s easy to let it all go when you get home.

Cole: Another reader question: What’s your favorite part of acting? What’s your least favorite?
Emily: My favorite part of acting is definitely the creative stimulation that I get from it. It’s sort of indescribable for me. It’s just what I’m meant to do and love to do. I feel like I’m not “at work” when I’m working, which is such a gift in life. I think the downside is that I’m a shy, introverted person, which most people think you have to be an extrovert to be an actor, but, in fact it’s really hard for me to go out to events. It’s really hard for me to mingle in big groups of people in the entertainment industry and it’s hard to be away from my family and my friends back home as well. So I definitely struggle with that element of the business, but you take the bad with the good.

Cole: For those who didn’t know, B&S won an Environmental Media Award for last season’s episode “It’s Not Easy Being Green,” which featured the launch of Greenatopia. What was it like attending the EMAs?
Emily: The EMAs were great – I had so much fun. Obviously the environment is one of the biggest challenges of our generation and for generations to come, so I feel it’s important to do my part. It was really wonderful to be in a big room with a bunch of people who have the same passions as I do. And for our show to be honored I think that’s really cool as well and it’s a really fun time. I’m also part of the Young Hollywood Board of the Environment Media Association. We go in to urban schools and basically create gardens for them and encourage the kids to get their hands dirty and learn about fresh organic food.

Cole: That sounds really fun. Are there any causes you’re in to? I know you just did a Planned Parenthood event…
Emily: Yeah, Planned Parenthood is another big one for me. That was actually the first event I did for them. It was amazing to go to Washington D.C. and to see how things work over there. Women’s issues have always been a passion of mine, specifically reproductive rights. You know, they have 840 clinics all over this country. I think it’s so important to lend a voice and a hand to an organization that is so, so powerful for women, especially, but men and kids too. It’s a great, great group of people, and I got to meet some fabulous women. Cecile Richards, the President of Planned Parenthood, is just this brilliant, strong, female character. I just love being surrounded by people who inspire me in that way. So that was another great experience.