Shannon Jardine. (Submitted Photo/Ian Brown)

By Derek Craddock

DREAMING BIG

Sask. actress relishes new project while looking back to her small-town routes

Oct 26, 2023 | 2:04 PM

From a small-town life in Torch River to the big lights of Canadian film and TV, a Saskatchewan actress is still doing what she loves best.

Shannon Jardine, who spent most of her life in Torch River and Nipawin plays a role in the new Crave Original sitcom Bria Mack Gets a Life.

The show follows the life of Bria, a Black woman who is forced to enter the workforce in a predominantly white world. Jardine, who plays the role of Cheryl in the series, said what makes the show hilarious is the main character’s alter-ego.

“When she encounters these microaggressions or subtle racism, she acts like a polite Canadian but we get to see what she’s really thinking,” she said.

“It’s telling a Canadian story that’s never been told before, from this Black woman’s perspective coming from immigrant parents. I’m just grateful to be a part of it because we had such a fun time, and it was such a warm, loving environment on set.”

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The show is produced and directed by Sasha Leigh Henry, whose works include Sinking Ship and Love Bent. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) with the first few episodes already on Crave.

Shannon Jardine (right) at the launch party for Bria Mack Gets a Life. (Submitted Photo/Brianna Roye)

In an interview with paNOW, Jardine reflected on her childhood in northeast Saskatchewan and visiting family in Prince Albert, enjoying the sights and sounds of Little Red River Park and Candle Lake, among other places.

She remembers being a toddler and always striking up conversations with her parents’ friends. It wasn’t until the second grade that she felt like acting was something she wanted to do. She eventually enrolled at the George Vanier Catholic Fine Arts School.

Years later, she grew her passion in the Nipawin area.

“I joined all the drama clubs and performed through junior high and high school and competed with the Saskatchewan Drama Association. That was just really great to build up your confidence and feel what it’s like to have audience reaction,” she said.

She later took part in a one-year exchange program in the Philippines where she reminisced about recording a dance to the country song, Achy, Breaky Heart.

Believe it or not, that video eventually made its way to the Vatican.

“It was World Youth Day and the Pope at the time got a copy of the performance because it was televised, and they used clips of that to promote World Youth Day,” she said.

During that year abroad, she decided to audition for the drama and theatre program at Sheridan College in Ontario. However, she ran into a problem in creating her audition video as unrest in the country meant she had to stay locked down.

Nonetheless, she found a way.

“I would go incognito and sneak to the school and film the audition. It sounds like a war zone and I think that helped me get into the university program.”

Since then, Jardine has been involved in a number of television shows and movies including the 2008 film Surveillance and eight episodes in the popular Canadian comedy Corner Gas.

Despite all the success and the projects she’s been a part of, Jardine never forgets where she came from and how her hometown propelled her to where she is now.

“I remember that I would drive the six-hour round trip from Nipawin to Saskatoon to take these acting classes. I always remember just looking out at the fields and the big, wide-open skies and I think it allows you to dream big living in an environment like that,” she said.

“It’s given me such a strong foundation of who I am and where I come from, and I am proud of that.”

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com