Interview with Cindy Busby, Rising Star

Cindy Busby has risen like a satellite in her native country of Canada. Scoring a regular role in one of Canada’s most beloved television series, a series which has now been imported to the US, a Syfy movie and sharing the screen with Hollywood’s elite, this bright-eyed starlet is looking to take over the world. And she has the passion, talent, and spirit to do it. This makes her a rising star of 2011.

Keshaunta Moton: You play Ashley Stanton on Heartland, a show which is amazingly popular in Canada, but we’re just catching on here, we’re on Season 1. Can you tell me more about the show and about your character?

Cindy Busby: It’s actually based on a series of books written by Lauren Brooke, it follows the Fleming family. Amy Fleming’s mother passes on the first episode of the show and she kind of takes on the sort of Horse whispering power that her mother had. I play Ashley Stanton from the Stanton family and we’re kind of the opposite of the Fleming family. They’re kind of wholesome and nice, and try to do the best of everything. The Stanton family is the rich, competitive, mean family. So I get to play the daughter of Val Stanton who is the antagonist character to Amy Fleming.

KM: Fans will know you from the film Picture This; in there you also play the bad girl. How does that feel to be the mean girl?

CB: I really don’t mind, because I’m the complete opposite of the mean girl in real life. It’s kind of nice to just get to play that as a job. Anyone who knows me knows that’s not me. So it doesn’t really affect my everyday life. It’s fun to play something completely different and just put myself out there and try different things.

KM: Do you find there are any advantages to being the bad girl vs. being the nice, wholesome character?

CB: Yeah, I definitely see there are differences. You get to bring a lot more action to the storyline. They are always more interesting to the audience. Everybody always loves to hate someone and I guess my character is that person. But I like to bring action and drama to the scene and the fact that I get to do that is fun.

KM: In your bio it says that you always wanted to be an actress, can you tell me the first moment when you realized that this was it; that this is what I want to do?

CB: Growing up I always loved the spotlight, I always loved performing for my family and my friends, and dressing up and I guess it was when I auditioned for the Grade 5 play at my school. I remember I had to prepare and audition in front of the teacher casting it and I ended up getting a really great part. I remember being on stage, and we had to perform for our parents. It was the most amazing feeling. I was just like, I have to have more of this, I must continue.

KM: Can you tell me what your favorite influences are?

CB: I’m definitely influenced by the people that surround me, like my mom is my influence. She supported me emotionally and financially with my education and my career. She’s been a huge influence; she’s not in the business at all. You definitely need a lot of support, and you need really great people around you. My boyfriend’s really great, a really great support. And just my friends and family, they all really understand the kind of lifestyle I live. So it’s really good to have those kinds of people around.

KM: Your bio says that you are a Dawson’s Creek fan, how did you feel about the Joey/Pacey storyline?

CB: I was a huge Joey/Pacey fan. I used to watch that show with my mom a lot and used to get angry with the constant going back and forth of Joey with Dawson and then Joey with Pacey. I’m definitely Team Pacey for sure. I don’t know why but there’s something about him that’s just so charming and sweet and I just related more with him.

KM: If you could become any character in the movies, who would it be?

CB: I think I would have to say, growing up, the part I would have really, really loved to play is Claudia in Interview with the Vampire. This is my favorite vampire movie and it’s like she got to play the poor girl and then she got to play the vixen vampire and I just loved that character so much. It would have been a dream for me to be in that movie. Plus she got to kiss Brad Pitt which is kind of cool.

-This is, like, every girl’s dream. -

Cindy Busby’s Favorite 5
Book: The Lovely Bones
Movie: Interview with the Vampire and Back to the Future
Actor: Reese Witherspoon
Place: Back home in Montreal
Person: (In Cindy’s defense this one took a lot of thought and many contenders were mentioned but after much thought and frustration the final prize goes to) My Mom

KM: The last question is how would you describe yourself?

CB: I would describe myself as a very fun, loving, and put together, hardworking person.

But a popular series is not the only thing on Busby’s plate. Next year she’ll star alongside the likes of Comedy Royalty Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson in the film The Big Year. In the film Cindy plays Susie Preissler, daughter-in-law of Steve Martin’s character. And if you think working in such great company would be an amazing experience, you’d be absolutely right. Aside from the fact that Steve Martin is genuinely hilarious, he also has great talent at playing the banjo, a skill which he was not shy to share with his fellow actors. “So he’s playing in the green room, he’s playing on his banjo. And we’d all just hang around and have Steve Martin playing our background music. When does that ever happen?”

You can catch The Big Year in theaters next year. 2011 will also find Cindy starring in the Syfy movie Behemoth about a mountainous town that has a creature in its midst. (The trailer for this looks absolutely terrifying and I can understand how she calls this one of her most challenging roles.) But right now you can catch Cindy in Heartland playing in stations across the US. To find the date and time Heartland shows in your area visit: http://www.theheartlandranch.com/watch-by-location.html.

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Photographs courtesy of ED ARAQUEL.