Montreal-born actress Emily Hampshire stars in her new film, Fitting In

Molly McGlynn's dark coming-of-age comedy opens with this quote. Jennifer's body. “Hell is a Teenage Girl” sets the overall mood for the audience. This double-edged quote describes the nightmares teenage girls inflict on each other and the world, and the horrors the world inflicts on young girls trying to survive.

Partly based on the director's experience, Installation a typical teen movie in many ways. Lindy (Maddie Ziegler) navigates love and friendship in high school, but she soon learns that she has MRKH syndrome, a rare condition that affects the female reproductive system and is characterized by an underdeveloped vagina and uterus. If most teenagers feel the pressure to be normal, Lindy faces a genetic reality that forces her to get creative and redefine the hell of being a teenage girl.

In this film, the Canadian favorite became famous for his role as Stevie Shitt's Creek — Emily Hampshire — plays Lindy's mother, Rita. She is a wonderful mother, constantly worried that she is not enough. She is passionate and rabid, a matriarchal force that wants to be defined outside of her social roles. It's a performance that could have been passive, based on stereotypes, but instead felt full of soulfulness and frantic “mom” energy that countered the tone-deaf matriarchal roles often seen in teen movies.

Hampshire was born in Montreal and began his acting career there. His first starring role was in one episode Are you afraid of the dark? He has become a staple of Canadian television with roles in popular programs such as CanCon Made in Canada, 12 monkeys (series), Ruby Gloom and Drilling rig. His film career has been equally successful and has worked with Jacob Tierney, Xavier Dolan, David Cronenberg and Darren Aronofsky.

He spoke with boundless enthusiasm and good humor Cult MTL about his role Installationteen comedies and growing up in Montreal.

Justin Smith: Installation a truly unique coming-of-age movie that captures a very unique experience with a dark sense of humor. What was the first thing that spoke to you about the script and the character of Rita?

Emily Hampshire: I agree. This movie, and I like what you say, is very special. What surprised me was that it was a personal story by Molly McGlynn, the director. We call it coming-of-age trauma. What I loved about the script was that he was able to express his personal trauma with great humor. Here, Lindy searches for anyone diagnosed with MRKH syndrome, and she is the only one who can find Hitler's wife. That's when I said, “Oh, I'm in!” I thought.

JS: Watching the film, I was struck by the fact that it was the type of film that I responded to when I was younger. I went to an all-girls school and it was rare that I saw a movie that “captured” my teenage experiences. I connected with dark humor as a kind of coping mechanism found here. What teen movies did you enjoy as a teenager?

Emily Hampshire: First, I want to ask because I attended an all-girls school in Montreal as a teenager. What school did you go to?

JS: I went to Villa Maria!

Emily Hampshire: Oh God, I went to the Queen of Angels. We shared school dances with Loyola kids!

JS: I only went a few times; I found it very awkward and creepy.

Emily Hampshire: Oh. my God! I'm sorry I was wrong! What was the question? Teen movies!

It was like that when I was young Pretty woman and Dirty dancing, but that may have been before my teenage years. These weren't teenage movies. Lubrication? No Lubrication. (Emily is in the room with him talking to her friend.) Good, Bewildered and confused and Truth bites! But I don't know if they are “teen movies”. there were Not clear, but I didn't really connect with it. I was more connected with old movies like Goonies and there's Ponyboy, Outsiders.

I don't think I'm a good person to ask! I was in the generation between teenage movies. There were John Hugh films before me, and then there were them That's all there is to it and 10 Things I Hate About You. We're mad at movies like Winona Ryder Truth bites and he was in the hospital and depressed, The girl interrupted. I indeed it depends The girl interrupted.

JS: How did growing up in Montreal shape your career, if at all?

Emily Hampshire: If I hadn't gone to Queen of Angels, I wouldn't have been an actor, I didn't even want to go, because I went to a co-ed primary school and everyone else went to St Thomas. I wanted to go there too. My mom wanted me to go to Queen of Angels and I was mad because I didn't want to wear a uniform and go to an all girls school.

It was the greatest thing that could have happened to me. I had teachers who would stay after school and read to me because I didn't know at the time, but I was dyslexic. I thought I just didn't like reading. Then I had a deputy director, and I still talk to him. I got a small role in a high school play the 1st time it came to me. He said, “You were good. You were really funny.” From then on, I will be an actress! I made a contract with myself: I would devote eight hours a day to acting and one hour to do anything else. I went all out. I did my first part in Montreal Are you afraid of the dark?

JS: I loved this show. I watched every episode growing up.

Emily Hampshire: This was my first role, I played the role of a girl. My whole part in the episode was to kiss the boy. I went to the director and asked: “What?” I asked. I really tried to be professional. For example: “What kind of kiss do you want?” Want a French kiss? Full language?” And he must have been panicked. Funnily enough, I talked to Maddie about this and her being an intimate coordinator (Installation). We didn't have intimate coordinators before. So you have an 11-year-old asking the principal how many languages ​​he wants. It's interesting how much the industry has changed for women in the time I've been in it. In a film like this, you have a female director and we had a female DOP (Nina Djacic). We call them operators, such as a operator! It is not expected to be a woman.

But back to Montreal. My first film role was with Genevieve Bujold. I played his daughter in this film Dead Innocent. He took me under his wing. I went to LA and stayed at his place in Malibu. It was my first time to see the ocean. All my firsts were in Montreal, and if I was better at French, I would have stayed there, but I couldn't pass as a French-speaking actor. So I went to North Hollywood, Toronto!

JS: There's a very rich dynamic between all the actors Installation. How did you guys manage these relationships?

Emily Hampshire: There was no time to prepare. Never in an independent film. Before we started shooting, Molly invited Maddie and I to meet for dinner and hang out, which was a great idea. I was nervous about playing the role of a mother because I don't seem to have any maternal instincts. But I immediately felt: “I have to protect this girl at all costs.” It is so special. I never wanted kids before, but now I want Maddie. I just wish Maddie Ziegler was my girlfriend right now. He is such a great kid and his role in this movie is amazing. I think people don't know how good an actress she is and the movie is a great example of that. ■

Installation now playing Montreal theaters.

This article appeared in the February 2024 issue of Cult MTL.

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