Kimwun Perehinec: Season 3 newbie

 

We might be coming to the end of our run, but we’ve always got room for some new talent. As Samantha Steele, Kimwun Perehinec has been making waves as the interesting spanner in the Fletcher-George works. We talked to Kimwun about joining the Fletcher family, working with her good friend, Lindy, and that make out scene.

Tell us a bit about your background? Is this your first web series?
Yes, this is my first web series – and it’s been a very entertaining experience to start with! I do more theatre than anything else, and have a theatre company called Studio 180 that I co-founded with four colleagues about 10 years ago (www.studio180theatre.com). We do socially relevant, issues-based plays – very often Canadian premieres of important international works – and have been fortunate to partner with great companies like Buddies in Bad Times, Mirvish Productions and Canadian Stage (our current play – Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris – is running through April as part of the Canadian Stage season… I’m in it. It’s SO MUCH fun.). Though I’ve done a bunch of TV gigs, at the moment you’d be most likely to catch me in a Lactaid commercial. Somehow I never actually see any of the commercials I’m in, but I hear it’s airing again.

Were you familiar with B.J. Fletcher: Private Eye the series before joining the cast?
Oh yes, of course. Lindy is a dear friend – haven’t seen her lately, though, wonder what she’s up to – and for some years now I’ve been making not-so-subtle efforts to coax her to coax Regan to write me in. Lindy and I met… um… when? Probably we really got to know each other when we both worked at TIFF and Lindy was my supervisor. She called me her bitch, which was fine because being her bitch mostly involved playing competitive Sudoku and deciding how we were going to dress to match for the coming work day. So, naturally, I watched her web series.

How did you come to be part of the Fletcher team?
Lindy and I kept cooking up stupid and hilarious ideas about characters I could play – for example, for a good long while I was convinced that I should parade around as B.J.’s doppelganger, driving her crazy, scooping her leads, stalking her, making moves on George, etc. B.J. would call me her “doppelganger,” and someone would say, “But you two look nothing alike,” and B.J. would answer, “Exactly.” I’m not sure what Lindy had to do on her end to convince Regan, but eventually, thank goodness, Regan took a chance and came up with her own – much improved – way to work me in, and I got to be a P.I., too. And still an imposter.

How would you describe your character, Sam Steele? Do you have any similarities with her?
Her name says a lot and she clearly named herself for the famous Remington, of the same surname. She’s direct, to the point, strong, confident, edgy, competitive, brazen and alliterative. She’s got sass and imagination – she likes to play a role (like me). She watches/reads all the crime fiction that has ever been, and eats up “real crime” TV shows. The chance to be a P.I. is a dream come true (I agree). She’s playful (like me), and not afraid to call things like she’s sees them, even if it sounds mean (unlike me, which makes things fun). She goes for what she wants and doesn’t apologize. These are qualities I can certainly admire but don’t necessarily put into the best practice.

What was it like working with your good friend, Lindy?
SO MUCH FUN. Dana too. Let’s not undervalue the fun times with Dana. They’re funny, creative people who are a pleasure to be around. Since Lindy and I are basically hilarious 100% of the time we’re around each other, and Lindy and Dana seem to share that dynamic, there was a lot of laughter. It was playtime.

What did you enjoy most about filming Fletcher? What was the vibe like on set?
Well, I said it was playtime but it was also a really productive, professional environment. I mean, the job is to play, but with focus and while keeping the project in mind. So that’s what we did. Everyone shared a fantastic sense of humour and a relaxed approach to getting the work done, which was very successful because the work really did get done! With pleasure. I got the distinct impression that everyone really wanted to be there and was giving it their all.

What was your favourite scene to shoot?
Um. Well not strictly because Lindy and I made out, but because it was ridiculously fun to throw each other around, the scene where Sam and B.J. get it on. Shut up, Lindy.

How did it feel coming to work with a cast that was already so close?
Great! Like walking into a family and being warmly welcomed. Good people attract good people, I think.

Quick fire round

East or west?
Both. I spend a lot of time and have lived at both ends. I know I’m an anomaly.

Chocolate or vanilla?
Chocolate.

Bath or shower?
Shower. I likes a bath, but who has the time?

Staying in or going out?
Staying in.

Heels or sneakers?
I wish I could say heels.

Tea or coffee?
Coffee.

Jeans or cocktail dress?
I wish I could say cocktail dress.

Beer or wine?
Depends on mood.

Burgers or fries?
Burgers.

Lip balm or lip gloss?
Balm. 100%.

And finally…
Lindy or Dana?
Are you for real? How can I answer that?