“The beautiful thing about this show is that there's tons of heart,” says Carrie-Lynn Neales, one of the series' stars. “We're not poking fun at different forms of families, but rather inviting
any idea of family and exploring what family can mean to anyone.”
Neales plays Rose, a very attractive, but equally insecure, single woman who decides to have a baby without the help of a live-in partner. “She's really fed up with the whole dating scene,” Neales explains, “but still really wants to be a mom and create a family for herself. So she uses a sperm clinic as a means to have a child.”
But things get sticky when the anonymous father of her child turns out to be Harry (Adam Korson), a likeable but irresponsible man-child whom she met on a bus earlier. Lazy yet well-meaning, Harry sees his carefree life disrupted when he hears from his nine-year-old son, Billy (William Ainscough), and teenaged daughter, Anastasia (Abby Ross). It turns out they're the results of his sperm-donating stint from years ago, something he did only for the money.
Seed makes its broadcast debut next Monday on
City, although the premiere is already available to watch on the station's
website. Thirteen episodes have been shot in Halifax, with MTV legend Tom Green guest-starring in the eighth,
Bromosomes.
“We have such a great time,” Neales says about working on the show. “The whole cast has become such a close little family, which is great, because we're doing a show
about family. And Adam's probably the hardest-working actor I've ever had the pleasure of working with. We're able to go to work every day and just
play, which is amazing.”
Neales laughs when asked if she's anything like her neurotic character. “Rose is really just a better version of me,” she admits. “I think the difference between Rose and me is that she doesn't apologize for her quirks. She keeps her heart on her sleeve; she's very vulnerable and open, and she's pretty secure and independent with that.”
While Neales' forays into film and television are relatively recent – her credits include episodes of
The Rick Mercer Report and
Nikita – she's been performing for her whole life. She began dancing at the age of three and won acting awards in high school. After studying theatre, music and dance in college, she played several Shakespearean roles with
The Classical Theatre Project and also worked with
Red One Theatre Collective. She has even found time to get certified as a
yoga teacher.
“Acting has always been my favourite,” she says. “I've always been drawn to it. And in everything I've done, I've had to pull from other disciplines. So it's been great to have them in my pocket.”
Her goals? “I want to make sure I'm doing work that I fully believe in, that challenges me as an actor, but also challenges society in a way. It's important to do work that surprises you and surprises the audience as well. I want to be able to hop out of bed every morning and say, 'I can't wait to get to work.'”
But most important of all... are Harry and Rose going to get together?
“I don't know,” Neales says, laughing again. “I can't really tell ya.
“They're polar opposites, but then the question is, do opposites attract? And we don't know.”
Seed premieres next Monday, February 4 at 8:30 p.m. on City.
