After launching her career on teen dramas Degrassi: The Next Generation and 90210, Toronto-born actor Shenae Grimes-Beech embraced the more mature role of Jacqueline Cooper on CTV鈥檚 new police series The Detail.
鈥淚鈥檝e literally never even played a grown-up, really,鈥� she said in an on-set interview.
The Detail centres on three homicide detectives played by Grimes-Beech, British actor Angela Griffin, who spent many years on the popular soap Coronation Street, and Wendy Crewson (Saving Hope).
Vancouver-raised David Cubitt (Medium) also stars in the series, which premi猫res March 25.
Interviewed last July on the Toronto set, Grimes-Beech said the show is about 鈥渢hree generations of women who are brilliantly balancing home life and work life without it even being talked about.鈥�
Her character is mentored by Griffin鈥檚 Det. Stevie Hall. Their boss is Crewson鈥檚 Staff Insp. Fiona Currie, head of a metropolitan homicide division or police 鈥渄etail.鈥�
At 28, Grimes-Beech is the youngest of the trio and thrilled to be finally getting more adult roles.
鈥淭his is really the most bad-ass character I鈥檝e ever gotten to play,鈥� said Grimes-Beech, who also had a string of family-friendly roles in TV movies.
She鈥檚 grateful that the woman in charge of The Detail, executive producer Ilana Frank, cast her in something 鈥渟o different from anything I鈥檝e ever played before.鈥�
Grimes-Beech was just 18 when she landed the role of transplanted Beverly Hills teen Annie Wilson on 90210. A decade later, she鈥檇 tell her younger self to 鈥渒eep your chin up.鈥�
鈥淭he highs are so high and the lows are so low,鈥� she said of Hollywood stardom at a young age. 鈥淚t plays games with your head. And then you鈥檝e got perfect strangers sharing their opinions on social media, and that can destroy you.鈥�
She credits Lori Loughlin, who played her mom on 90210, for setting an example.
鈥淪he handles everything with such grace,鈥� said Grimes-Beech, who admired how Loughlin knew every crew member鈥檚 name and treated all on set with respect.
Crewson provides a similar example on The Detail.
鈥淪he鈥檚 incredible,鈥� Cubitt said of Crewson. 鈥淪he鈥檚 on set before anybody else and is the nicest, most positive person all the time.鈥�
At 61, Crewson has worked opposite the likes of Harrison Ford, Tim Allen and Arnold Schwarzenegger. She did a season of 24 and more recently got bloodied on the Northern Ontario-set Slasher series.
Born in Hamilton and raised in Winnipeg, Crewson was Frank鈥檚 one-and-only choice to play the role of Fiona. The actor jumped at the chance to play 鈥渁 woman my age鈥� who has risen to the top 鈥渋n a man鈥檚 world.鈥�
鈥淭his is really three women with big lives and big jobs,鈥� she said. 鈥淗ow does your home life not come into the police station? It鈥檚 very much a working woman鈥檚 story.鈥�
As for Grimes-Beech, Crewson said she required no mentoring.
鈥淵ou can tell she鈥檚 well-schooled, she鈥檚 a terrific actress,鈥� said Crewson. 鈥淪o mature-she鈥檚 really got her game together.鈥�
The feeling is mutual. Grimes-Beech said she and Griffin both 鈥渓ook up to Wendy and everybody just sings her praises. She鈥檚 been in the game so long and is just killing it.鈥�
