Meet Inga Cadranel
Interviewee: Inga Cadranel
By: Flannery Dean
Date: December 21, 2009
Source: Rogers Spotlight
Note: This is an interview with INGA CADRANEL who plays Jill on THE BRIDGE.
Inga Cadranel played Francesca in the Showcase comedy Rent-A-Goalie, a role that won her two Canadian Comedy Awards. Now, the Toronto-born and bred actress is getting serious, playing a tough detective on the new CBS/CTV co-production The Bridge. (The series will debut in early 2010.) Here, the down-to-earth actress talks about comedy, female cops on TV, her and favourite cop drama of all time.
The Bridge is a cop drama in a sea of cop dramas on TV — what sets this one apart for you?
[The Bridge] deals with the union, the internal affairs of the police force itself, so that’s what makes it different and interesting… In that regard, it’s an interesting sell to people on the police force, because it’s talking about police in a very real way. It’s saying that not everybody is out there to protect and serve; there are a couple of guys out there who are pretty scary and shifty.
The Bridge is a co-production between CBS and CTV, what does that mean to you as an actor, if anything?
It just gets me excited in a new way. The big car chases and the explosions, they get more of a budget for that, so the show is going to look fantastic. I’m really excited to be on a show that’s going to be shown in the States. Obviously that’s the brass ring as a Canadian actor, to have notoriety in the States. This is kind of what we’re aiming for as actors and to be able to do it from home is a gift. That’s always been my dream: to be in an American show that shoots from home so my child can stay in his school and I can stay around my parents and my brother who just had a baby.
You play Jill, a major crimes detective. How does she fit in the world of the show?
Jill is definitely the female with the attitude. She’s a bisexual cop and she’s also having an affair with Frank (Aaron Douglas), the show lead. He constantly comes to my partner and I for information even though we’re not supposed to give it to him. But he’s trying to solve the internal side of things. That’s kind of where I fit into the show. He literally pumps me for information!
Are you a fan of the genre? What are your favourite cop shows?
The original Law & Order was what got me back into cop dramas. After Hill Street Blues faded away I think the cop drama did too, a bit. I don’t really consider Miami Vice a cop drama, and that’s what we were offered for a while. Then all of a sudden Law & Order came out and it smacked everyone in the face with its realism. No one had ever seen a show like that. The acting was so real. The lighting was raw. It was one of the first shows to use the handheld moving camera. It’s been on for so long that now it’s been branching off. But I couldn’t really get into the other ones. I’m still such a fan of the original.
Do you have any favourite female cop characters?
No, I think my favourite female cop character was the girl from Third Watch [actress Tia Texada]. The lead female – I can’t remember her name – my husband/boyfriend/whatever you want to call him, and I used to watch her and say, ‘Wow, she’s awesome.’ She is just real and raw and has one of these faces that is amazing. I love to watch a real human face. Other than that there aren’t that many female cops I can think of that I admire. I was a bit young for Cagney & Lacey! Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU) has some moments. Her acting is good.
You won a Canadian Comedy Award for your role as Francesca on Rent-A-Goalie…
Yes, I did, which is so funny because when I tell people on The Bridge they are like ‘No way.’ On The Bridge there’s no room for any humour-the show is so serious and dark. I actually got nominated for another comedy award this year and I was in the hair and makeup room and told the other actors and everyone was like, ‘No you’re not.’ And I said, ‘Yes, I am; I’m funny.’ Im trying to prove to them that I’m funny.
The Bridge will premiere in 2010. Check CTV and CBS for future airdate.