Canadian actress Tiera Skovbye of “Riverdale” chatted about starring in the Hallmark western series “Ride.”
The synopsis of “Ride” is: Following a tragic event, a renowned ranching family, the McMurrays, must pick up the pieces to save their Colorado ranch. “The series ‘Ride’ has been amazing, it has been wonderful. The cast has been so great, and filming it in Calgary was really fun. Our ranch was just beautiful, it has been an incredible experience,” she said.
Portraying Missy McMurray
She plays the role of the brave heroine Missy McMurray in “Ride.” “Missy has a lot going on,” she admitted. “Missy is a super dynamic character, she is dealing with grief and trying to navigate her place in the family about her husband, and she is on self-discovery of who she wants to be and what her passion is. She is also navigating these relationships between Cash and Gus, and she is a bit of an estranged relationship with her old best friend Valeria,” she elaborated.”
Working with her co-stars
“Missy has a lot to work with, and that makes her really fun to play,” she admitted. “Working with both Marcus Rosner and Beau Mirchoff has been amazing, and so much fun. Tyler Jacob Moore is so nice and so warm to have on set. The young girl, Isla Spencer, was so sweet as well. None of us are from Calgary, so while filming there, it was nice be in the same city, and we got to create a bond together and become a family.”
“Nancy Travis is so wonderful and full of life. She is full of energy,” she said. “Ironically, enough, many years ago, I worked with Jake Foy in a restaurant so it was really cool to reconnect on this show.”
She shared that “Ride” reminds us that “family is not always perfect.” “Sometimes you struggle, sometimes you hurt each other,” she said.
“In the end, you are always coming together, you are supporting each other, and having each other’s backs no matter what. It’s a great story of family dynamics and how they navigate all sorts of things. At the end, it’s always about family and staying true to each other,” she explained.
Madison Smith
Skovbye also had great words about fellow Canadian actor Madison “Mado” Smith. “Madison is the best,” she exclaimed. “I’ve known him since I was 16, we did a short film together, and then, Madison and I worked in the same restaurant where Jake and I worked. Madison is just wonderful:
Dialogue-heavy
When asked how she handles being dialogue-heavy, she said, “I’m pretty used to it by now. I have been doing this since I was a kid. My brain is a muscle at this point. Memorizing lines is just second nature and my brain seems to adapt pretty quickly.”
The digital age
On being an actress in the digital age, she said, “I think it’s great. Any opportunity to have your show on multiple platforms for everyone to see is exciting. It gives us to have more eyes to see a show and that’s great.”
2018 Leo Award nomination
In 2018, she earned a Leo Award nomination for “Best Guest Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series” for “Riverdale.” “That was great. I have been a part of that show since Season 1, and that was a big reason why my career is where it is today,” she said. “Now, we are filming Season 7, and it’s exciting.”
Skovbye noted that being on a show as “Riverdale” has helped her while doing “Ride.” “It is fun because ‘Riverdale’ is totally different than ‘Ride.’ ‘Riverdale’ is more fantastical and there is more drama and otherworldliness to it. ‘Ride’ is very grounded, real, and raw. We are on this ranch and we are working hard, and we are showing a completely different side of life.”
Career-defining moments
“Booking ‘Riverdale’ was a huge defining moment for me,” she said. “Then, there have been milestones since then such as ‘Once Upon a Time,’ ‘Nurses,’ and ‘Ride,’ and they have all challenged me in ways and helped me grow.”
Advice for hopefuls in acting
For young and aspiring actors, she said, “Work as hard as you can. It’s a really tough industry, where there will be a lot of rejections. If you love it, you can’t give up. The light will be there and it will happen. Always, keep learning and growing. Completely immerse yourself in the world and experience until the right role comes along.”
Success
On her definition of the word success, Skovbye said, “Being able to support myself and my loved ones doing the thing that I love.”
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