Talking Shop with Lauren Collins

After playing high school diva Paige Michalchuk for eight seasons on Degrassi: The Next Generation, Lauren Collins is ready to try something new – and something a little more grown-up. The 23-year-old Thornhill-born actress is best known for her television roles (she has appeared on Being Erica, Life With Derek, and has a recurring role on The Best Years), but this month she joins the August cast of Love, Loss, and What I Wore, an intimate collection of stories about clothing and the memories they evoke, written by Nora and Delia Ephron. Shalom Life caught up with the young actress to talk about High Holiday fashions, returning to the stage and what life is like post-Degrassi.

How did you get first involved with Love, Loss, and What I Wore?

Michael Rubinoff is a producer I’ve known for a long time – we’re actually both from Thornhill – and he basically went through my agent and asked if this was something I was interested in doing. It took a little coaxing because I was very nervous to get on this stage – I still am very nervous to get on stage – but once I read up a bit on the project and he told me about the other women I would be doing it with, it was kind of an easy decision.

What made you so nervous?

I’m a film and TV actor. I did start out doing community theatre but I really haven’t been on the stage in years, so it’s a little nerve-wracking, but I think it’s good to kind of scare yourself a bit. All the actors that I look up to have spent time on the stage, so this is a good stepping-stone to get me back into that world.

With Degrassi and other TV series, most of the work you’ve done has been for younger audiences.

Yeah, most of the stuff I’ve done has been in the teenage realm, so this is also a chance for me to step outside of that, because I’m definitely playing more mature characters. A lot of the stories we’re telling are about women have been married or are married. I’m excited to show that to people, because I think they do see me in a young light. It’ll be interesting to kind of ‘age,’ because I’m turning 24, so it’s not totally ridiculous that I can be telling these stories [laughs], I just happen to look pretty young.

Is this the start of a shift to older roles?

I think so, yeah. It’s inevitable, I’m getting older, I’m hoping to start playing older roles, but it’s a funny age to be in because people see me as very young, I look very young, but I don’t sound young anymore. I have life experiences. Fifteen, 16 – that was a long time ago for me already! So I think this will help the shift to me playing older characters.

Are you a big shopper?

I am. That’s another way I definitely related to the script.

If you could add your own story to the collection, a memory about a piece of clothing, what would it be about?

There are honestly so many, because clothes and fashion have always been really important to me. I think the great thing about this show is that it takes [something] that can sound very superficial and very materialistic, and explains why that attachment to clothes isn’t. Clothes have meaning to people. I remember for every High Holiday, my brother’s bar mitzvah, my cousins’ bar and bat mitzvahs, my grandma would take me to Très Chere on Avenue Road, which was this lineup of three stores with ridiculously expensive, over-the-top dresses that an 8-year-old has no reason to own [laughs]. But it was such a special time between us. She would take me and I would try on a million dresses, and I would always get this beautiful new dress that I would show off for the High Holidays or whatever the occasion was. I don’t think that store is around anymore, but I still remember exactly what it looked like. I think that was what started my addiction to shopping at a very young age [laughs].

How would you say your Jewish background has played into your career?

That's interesting, because I don't even know if I've played a character who is Jewish. But I think because the script was written by the Ephrons, there definitely is that Jewish mentality behind it. There are a lot of Jewish jokes and a lot of characters who come from a Jewish background, so I think for one of the first times in my career I'm finally going to be able to use that for this play.

What are your next plans?

You know, it’s kind of wide-open at the moment. I think I’m probably going to be going down to the States to do some auditioning. I just shot a Disney movie that’s going to be coming out probably next summer – it’s the spinoff to the High School Musical franchise. Hopefully this play will open up some older doors, or stage experiences.

Many of your fellow Degrassi cast members have moved on to acting jobs in the U.S. Is that something you want to do?

I’m definitely not opposed to it. It’s kind of the next logical step, but I’m also not opposed to staying and working in Canada. Look at Degrassi, that’s a great example, and Being Erica is another fantastic example of the kind of quality programming that we’re making here in Canada. So I’m up for whatever.

Lauren Collins joins the August cast of Love, Loss, and What I Wore from Aug. 10-Sept. 4, 2010. Love, Loss, and What I Wore continues with a new cast Sept. 10-Oct. 2, 2010. For more information, visit www.lovelossonstage.ca. For Shalom Life’s review of Love, Loss, and What I Wore, click here.