By: Addison Wylie

Opening this weekend is Canadian indie Down River, a drama that peers into the lives of three strong women pushed to extremes in order to fulfill an artistic destiny.  What they also have in common is their connection to Pearl, an old soul who is ready to drop everything if she’s needed for friendship and support.

Down River is a character study that offers a fair bit to chew on and doesn’t beat any of its distressing elements over the heads of the audience.  Writer/director Ben Ratner has a very good film on his hands.

You can read my review of Down River at Wylie Writes (click here!).  But in other related news, I got the opportunity to sit down one-on-one with actress Gabrielle Miller.

Miller has popped up in various projects, and her friendly face is already enough to make any viewer smitten with her contribution.  She’s best known for her role as Lacey Burrows on the Canadian comedy Corner Gas.  In the show, she frequently had to play the role of the “straight man” in routines featuring Dog River’s simpleton community.  She was able to stand out on that show as a capable and hilarious comedic force.

In Down River, Ratner has Miller pulling off more weighty material as Fawn, a troubled actress.  Out of the three women, it feels as if we see Fawn the least, but Miller’s presence always breathes its own life into the movie.  Her story plays an essential component to the representation of the arts.

Gabrielle Miller was a pleasure to speak to.  She was appreciative, funny, and had a lot of great things to say about the movie and her career.  We also talk about whether this film is primarily directed towards a female audience and whether the emotional levels were challenging for her.  She even chimes in with a bit of advice for aspiring actors.

Listen to the interview:

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Down River is now playing in select theatres.

Do You Tweet? Follow These Tweeple:

Down River: @DownRiverMovie
Gabrielle Miller: @MillerGabrielle
Sky Wylie: @SkyBaby5
Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie