Words of Wisdom
Kimberly-Sue Murray Interview by Carol Wright Photography by Kourosh Keshiri
What initially got you interested in acting? The idea that I could do anything, be anyone, anywhere at any time was thrilling. Actors get to travel in time and space and that was always so appealing to me, especially as a 9-year-old. I’ve always loved telling stories, often exaggerated for shock value, to make people laugh. I had a gynecology story, my first kiss story and an embarrassing concealer story that I would perform at family dinners. As a kid, my mom would tuck me into bed and we would take turns rehearsing our death scenes. Morbid, I know, but I was practicing for my Oscar-winning performance. I would pretend to be dead, I would stare out blankly and hold my breath, as my mom “wept" over my still body and then it would be my turn to shed tears. It was so dramatic. I used to be able to cry on command but not so much anymore. The transformative and boundless nature of acting is what interests me.
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vampires are fighting to survive, to maintain their humanity. There’s nothing glamorous about our show and I really love that. It’s an entirely different take on the vampire genre. Danika is definitely a character that has many sides to her. Was it fun to get into the headspace of Danika? It was a lot of fun, but I didn’t always know where it was heading. It was originally a 5 episode arc, but the writers kept writing Danika in (thank you!!!). I really tapped into her while shooting episode 5. It took me a minute to own her, to fully embody her sexual and primal nature. She’s the kind of person who is willing to pretty much do anything to save her own skin. She’s manipulative and conniving. Danika loves being bad, so it was fun letting loose and leaning into that.
You can be seen in the Netflix show V-Wars. What was it about the show that made you want to be involved?
Even though it is a show about vampires, V-Wars touches on real-life topics. Did it help to ground the show a bit more in reality since it covered timely issues?
Vampires. I’m a huge fan of the genre. I grew up watching True Blood, the Twilight Saga, and The Vampire Diaries. With my fair skin, it was only a matter of time before I got to play one hahaha. But, what I also love about the show is how relevant it is to what’s happening right now. I get chills when I watch the news; the fear around COVID-19, borders shutting down, thousands of people in quarantine, no known cure… Other relevant issues that the show explores are climate change, fear, and discrimination. These
Absolutely! It was part of my preparation for the role. I would just sit there and imagine it actually happening to me in real life; a virus spreading globally that mutates its victims. It’s not too far-fetched. That’s how I was able to justify a lot of Danika’s actions. She has no control over what’s happening to hear, nor does Michael Fayne. When she first turns and Mila is standing in front of her, she’s not seeing her sister, she’s seeing food and this unknown urge takes over. The world we created on the show is grounded in reality,
