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Last night I was watching Degrassi (which I still insist is one of the best Canadian shows going) and I came to a conclusion:
I think Paula Brancati has become my favorite Canadian actress.
Right now Brancati is playing double duty on two shows that I have become feriously loyal to: Degrassi and Being Erica. Scoring roles on two big series is a tough feat for any actor, making it more difficult for Paula is the fact that her characters on the two shows have an age difference of about 13 years.
On Degrassi, Paula plays Jane who has quickly become one of my favorite characters on the show. This season, not only has she joined the football team and finally got Spinner to settle down, in last night’s episode we saw the return of her father who has been gone since she has five. In the first part of this two episode special, Jane struggles to remember a secret about her dad that she has long forgotten. The previews for next week make it seem like it is something to do with molestation which is never an easy thing for an actor to portray, but Brancati does it convincingly. I was pissed when the “to be continued” came and that’s always a good sign.
On Being Erica, Paula plays a completely different character which just goes to show her range. Oh did I mention she plays a 30 year old? Okay, they never mention her age but her character Jenny shows up in Erica’s flashbacks which lead me to believe that they are around the same age. Jenny’s character is mostly there to loosen up the uptight Erica and it’s so great to see Paula play such a fun role.
As I’m writing this post, I’m starting to realize that this all sounds like a creepy fan letter, but I just wanted to give this super talented and cool actress a little shout out that canadian actors rarely get.
Shout out granted.
