Date with Destiny
February 26, 1995
By Errol Nazareth, The Toronto Sun
Rebecca Jenkins is laughing mischievously over the phone from the Grand Canyon.
She suspects I'm trying to find out whether Linda Hazelton, her character on Destiny Ridge, will throw us a curve ball by shedding her cool, calm exterior when we least expect her to. The show airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on Global. "We shall see what happens," Jenkins says from her holiday spot. "Toward the latter end, the s--- hits the fan for everyone."
So, is she as laid back as her character? "I'm much more extroverted than she is, much more," the singer and actress says. "She's very composed and she has a lot of integrity but she doesn't have her s--- together. She has some problems which'll reveal themselves. "If there are things we have in common, they'd be her strength, and ability to say what she feels," Jenkins says. "It was a pleasure to play that `cause I'm like that."
Jenkins, who admits to not watching much TV, confesses she knew "very very little" about Destiny Ridge prior to getting involved in it - her first TV series. To hear her tell it, she had the time of her life on the Ridge. "I didn't want the show to end," she sighs. "I wanted to have 13 more episodes! The scripts got better, the ensemble of characters was terrific, there was so much respect between cast and crew, and there was a lot of happiness on set." And to think she was hesitant to get involved. "I didn't want to do a TV series; I was only interested in films," says the Genie-Award winning actress who starred in Bye Bye Blues and Cowboys Don't Cry. "I was afraid to get into something so long-term and great films would pass by and I wouldn't be able to do them. "But that didn't occur to me when I was shooting."
Cynics who took a glance at the press release hyping "the new Destiny Ridge" could've been excused for thinking a show boasting "a whole new sex appeal," "highly charged relationships," and "heated secret liaisons" was making a cheap attempt at attracting more viewers. "I understand what you're saying but that totally changes and that's not what the show becomes," Jenkins says. "It's basically a slice of life in that town (the fictional Argent, Alberta) and although sex is a big part of things, it's not all there is. "Eroticism is beautiful and it's something to aspire to in art," she adds. "There are things that go on that shock people - there's dark and light and you can't shut your eyes to the dark - but that's life. "In our series, it really becomes tasteful and that's essential," Jenkins says. "All you can ask for is tasteful, intelligent presentation." Jenkins says the press release isn't off the mark in describing Destiny Ridge as "committed to exploring the bizarre, mysterious and unusual with a tone that's slightly tongue-in-cheek. "Life's always more bizarre than fiction and the stories (in the show) get quirky but never unbelievable," she says. "I think it's a gift to show that because it exhibits an openness, an ability to have fun in serious situations. And that's so realistic. "So often in life something horrendous could be happening yet some crazy thing could be going on which acts as a counterpoint."
Jenkins, who's sung with Jane Siberry and appeared on CBC Radio's Quiet Please, There's A Lady On Stage series, hopes to record a solo folk-based album this winter. "I love the purity and simplicity of folk music," she says. "I also totally love Indian music. I find it haunting. I just relate to it, it fills me."
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February 26, 1995
By Errol Nazareth, The Toronto Sun
Rebecca Jenkins is laughing mischievously over the phone from the Grand Canyon.
She suspects I'm trying to find out whether Linda Hazelton, her character on Destiny Ridge, will throw us a curve ball by shedding her cool, calm exterior when we least expect her to. The show airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on Global. "We shall see what happens," Jenkins says from her holiday spot. "Toward the latter end, the s--- hits the fan for everyone."
So, is she as laid back as her character? "I'm much more extroverted than she is, much more," the singer and actress says. "She's very composed and she has a lot of integrity but she doesn't have her s--- together. She has some problems which'll reveal themselves. "If there are things we have in common, they'd be her strength, and ability to say what she feels," Jenkins says. "It was a pleasure to play that `cause I'm like that."
Jenkins, who admits to not watching much TV, confesses she knew "very very little" about Destiny Ridge prior to getting involved in it - her first TV series. To hear her tell it, she had the time of her life on the Ridge. "I didn't want the show to end," she sighs. "I wanted to have 13 more episodes! The scripts got better, the ensemble of characters was terrific, there was so much respect between cast and crew, and there was a lot of happiness on set." And to think she was hesitant to get involved. "I didn't want to do a TV series; I was only interested in films," says the Genie-Award winning actress who starred in Bye Bye Blues and Cowboys Don't Cry. "I was afraid to get into something so long-term and great films would pass by and I wouldn't be able to do them. "But that didn't occur to me when I was shooting."
Cynics who took a glance at the press release hyping "the new Destiny Ridge" could've been excused for thinking a show boasting "a whole new sex appeal," "highly charged relationships," and "heated secret liaisons" was making a cheap attempt at attracting more viewers. "I understand what you're saying but that totally changes and that's not what the show becomes," Jenkins says. "It's basically a slice of life in that town (the fictional Argent, Alberta) and although sex is a big part of things, it's not all there is. "Eroticism is beautiful and it's something to aspire to in art," she adds. "There are things that go on that shock people - there's dark and light and you can't shut your eyes to the dark - but that's life. "In our series, it really becomes tasteful and that's essential," Jenkins says. "All you can ask for is tasteful, intelligent presentation." Jenkins says the press release isn't off the mark in describing Destiny Ridge as "committed to exploring the bizarre, mysterious and unusual with a tone that's slightly tongue-in-cheek. "Life's always more bizarre than fiction and the stories (in the show) get quirky but never unbelievable," she says. "I think it's a gift to show that because it exhibits an openness, an ability to have fun in serious situations. And that's so realistic. "So often in life something horrendous could be happening yet some crazy thing could be going on which acts as a counterpoint."
Jenkins, who's sung with Jane Siberry and appeared on CBC Radio's Quiet Please, There's A Lady On Stage series, hopes to record a solo folk-based album this winter. "I love the purity and simplicity of folk music," she says. "I also totally love Indian music. I find it haunting. I just relate to it, it fills me."
Back to articles