Talk Is Chic
Interviewee: Inga Cadranel
By: Sara Graham
Date: October 29, 2009
Source: Woman.ca

 

Note: This is an interview with INGA CADRANEL who plays Jill on THE BRIDGE.

 

Toronto Fashion Week was a whirl of activity and we couldn’t go without crowning a Woman of Style at the end of it all!

Award-winning actress Inga Cadranel was asked by designer Lucian Matis to model one of his pieces in the Dare to Wear Love show that closed Fashion Week. A special honour since Matis is the inaugural winner of the Fashion Design Council of Canada Designer Development Fund Award!

We caught up with Inga relaxing at home the Sunday after …

How did you meet Lucian Matis?

Through my friend Amanda at the Style Box. She can take credit for introducing me to the Canadian design scene, and invited me to Lucian’s runway show in 2008. I fell in love with one of his dresses and from that collection and wore it to the Geminis…and I have no qualms about saying I was the best dressed that night! Everyone said so, and lots of pictures were taken.

 

How did the runway experience go for you?

First off, I was shocked as Lucian knows many actresses so I was flattered he asked me.

[On the night] I was terrified backstage! The celebrity models were mixed with real models so I felt tiny. The [real] models gave great advice, and once I was out I could have stayed there all night! See how it’s an adrenaline rush that could become addictive…And not in a narcissistic way. All that was going through my head was to make the dress look its best. I was surprised how quickly my confidence developed and I hope I did [Lucian’s design] justice!

 

As your acting career has been evolving, how has that affected your personal style sensibility?

It’s affected my style to the point where I want to look more mature and sophisticated when I go to industry events. I used to play in a punk rock band so my personal style was very “street” and perhaps that intimidated people. I realized I could not dye my hair pink and try to book a [TV] show. Unfortunately people judge and I started to feel that some assumed I was tough and mean.

I’ve found, within high fashion, I can still keep an edge to my style and stay true to myself without freaking people people out!

However, when I go out with my non-industry friends I still go a bit wilder.

 

Do you employ a personal stylist?

No, I love fashion and don’t like to follow trends. I like to look and know what is current, but I prefer to take elements from that and make them my own.

In LA, everyone is a carbon copy and dressed head-to-toe in the latest trend.

I love being from Canada… We have a unique sense of style. Toronto is amazing in that way, and I am so inspired by what people come up with here.

 

Where do you like to shop?

My all-time favourite places are the Kensington thrift shops. I like American Apparel’s no-logo neutrals…so hot on their shiny disco pants right now! Once in a while I will find a good piece at H&M. I appreciate Urban Outfitters for the individuality.

I am not a high end shopper. I’d rather hunt for something than pay way too much money for something I’ll only wear once.

That’s why it makes so much sense to have a relationship with a great designer…I can wear a gorgeous dress once and give it back. I mean, it’s just not possible to wear something you’ve been photographed in again. So the designer gets the publicity and we look fab… really works for everybody.

 

Other Canadian designers you admire/wear?

I really love the colours and cuts of Jason Meyers. Carlie Wong will be designing my Gemini dress. This year in particular she’s got a Madame Butterfly twist to her classic gowns that is stunning. Jaw-dropping.

I have to say Lucian (pictured at left with Inga at the Holt Renfrew Media Cocktail) is such an architect. His clothes always make me think, “Wow, how did you come up with that?” He’s inventive, raw, real and romantic…I appreciate what he does. Overall, this was for sure one of my favourite fashion weeks! Happy to see such a strong Canadian contingent…I was proud.

 

What’s your projected Spring 2010 favourite accessory?

I’m already into these great clutches by eenamaria. [Designer] Sarah Morgan is a friend of mine from Toronto, but now she’s based in NYC. Her bags are very 60s with a spin…I freaked out when she sent me some of her clutches to use during fashion week, and I’ll definitely be pairing them with outfits well into the spring!

 

Of all the celebs that the media turn into fashion “It” girls, who do you think has a the best grasp on style?

For me, it’s a toss up between Kate Moss and Sienna Miller. The 60s mod look appeals to me, and those girls keep it fresh and current. They both really have a hold on fashion and their own personal style.

Those best and worst lists bother me as often the people who are the “worst” are just trying something unique and it’s way more interesting to me.

 

No doubt we’ll see this rising star on many a red carpet in the future!

Cadranel is also starting to gear up for the debut of her new show The Bridge in which she plays Jill, a detective with attitude who’s moving up the ranks of a fictitious Canadian police department. Originally shot by CTV, the series was recently picked up by CBS as part of their must-see TV lineup and will premiere on both networks in January/February 2010.

With dozens of big and small screen rolls – including the upcoming thriller Killshot and hit series like The Eleventh Hour, Leap Years, Relic Hunter and ReGenesis – Inga has also worked with some of Hollywood’s leading actors and actresses. To date, she counts Diane Lane, Mickey Rourke, Donald Sutherland and John Heard as some of her co-stars. Definitely one to watch!

My Car: Sports cars aren’t sexy
Interviewee: Inga Cadranel
By: Petrina Gentile
Date: October 14, 2009
Source: The Globe and Mail

 

Note: This is an interview with INGA CADRANEL who plays Jill on THE BRIDGE.

 

A Jeep SUV gets this TV star’s family off-roading, or cruising while blasting Iron Maiden

Inga Cadranel is no stranger to TV; for the past three years, she has starred as the sultry Francesca in the Canadian hit show Rent-A-Goalie.

But the award-winning actress will soon hit the American airwaves, starring in the series The Bridge. Originally shot by CTV, the series was scooped up by CBS and premieres on both networks in January. It’s a big boost for Cadranel. But the spotlight hasn’t changed her.

She doesn’t drive a fancy sports car; she prefers a rugged ride. That’s why she drives a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo SUV.

“You would never see me driving around in a sports car. I feel like you’re so low and squish-able by transport trucks.”

“It’s not that I don’t want a fast car. I like the speed. I’m just not the type of person who finds a sports car a sexy car. I like guys who drive trucks. I’ve always been [partial] to having a beat-up pickup truck – not a typical actress glamour car” confesses Cadranel, whose partner is actor Gabriel Hogan from CBC’s Heartland and Rent-A-Goalie. Together, they have a four-year-old son.

“People who drive Jeeps are people who like to do outdoor activities. When we drove it to L.A., we had the big Thule racks for when we wakeboard, surf or snowboard. We ski – we do the whole bit. We’re outdoorsy. That’s the kind of car that suits our lifestyle.”

They’re not afraid to get it dirty, either. Hogan and her son go off-roading often. “Those guys love it.

“I haven’t been in the car because I’d probably have a heart attack watching my son go off-roading. I have to turn away when Gab does those kind of things,” says Cadranel, who won a Canadian Comedy Award for Best Actress in her role in Rent-A-Goalie. She also had roles in several TV shows – Jeff Ltd., The Eleventh Hour, Leap Years and Relic Hunter – as well as the flick Killshot with Mickey Rourke.

Inside the SUV, the couple’s taste in music is a little odd, considering they have a toddler. “We tried my four-year-old son on the Raffi and he just wasn’t interested.

“Once we started playing some Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, my son had found his calling. He knows every lyric to Black Sabbath’s Iron Man.

“We listen to loud music in the car. If we want to chill out we’ll listen to Radiohead. We’re a funny little family. People see us pull up with a little guy in his car seat and we’re blasting Iron Maiden and he says, ‘Mommy, louder. Louder!'”

Her son has a Mohawk hairdo, which she styles every morning.

Cadranel admits she loves speed. “I actually drive faster than my husband, although he says he does. My son always goes, ‘Mommy, you drive faster than Daddy!’

“When I was a little girl I wanted to be a race-car driver. I love driving – I truly love it. Just being able to control a machine.”

Cadranel bought the Jeep used last year. “We find the Jeep to be a solid vehicle that doesn’t have a lot of problems. It’s great for kids. We like the look of it – it’s rugged – that’s the type of people we are.”

But it could use more space. “The back seat needs a bit more room. Even though it’s a Jeep and it’s spacious it’s not as spacious as you think inside.

“It’s great when we have the back seat down and flat and we’re moving or going camping, then we have lots of room.”

Her first car, a Mercury Topaz, was a hand-me-down from her grandfather. “He said, ‘If you come to Florida and visit me, I’ll let you have my car. You just have to drive it home to Canada.’ I was like, ‘Of course! Of course!’

“I was 17. So me and some girlfriends flew down there and we did a big road trip back in this Mercury Topaz. It was one of the best trips I’ve ever had.

“It never broke down the entire time I had it. It was really funny. It was such a grandpa car. I kept that car for a while – I ran it to the ground. One day I went to start it and it just died.”

Cadranel has also owned a 1971 VW Super Beetle, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, a Nissan Pathfinder and a 1971 Ford Bronco.

“Our Bronco sounded like those really obnoxious Harley-Davidsons,” she laughs. “It was enormous. My husband brought it home one day because his friend owed him money and they decided to give him the car instead.”

“I was like, ‘How am I supposed to drive it – it’s standard?’ So he taught me and I fell in love with driving a standard cause then you’re really in control and I’m a control freak,” confesses Cadranel, who comes from a show-business family. Her parents, Maja Ardal and Jeff Braunstein, are stage actors, directors and writers; her brother Paul Braunstein is an actor.

But she skipped a standard transmission in the Jeep. “I am constantly reaching back and giving snacks to the little one – giving him water or picking up lost toys while I’m driving.”

“You got to have one hand free to stop the tears and catch the toys that fall,” says Cadranel.

As her career soars, she has been contemplating upgrading her wheels. “Our careers are going well.

“Should we trade it in and get a brand-new car? But we don’t really need it. We don’t need to be gluttonous. We’re not flashy car people.”

“The only time we’d get a new car is if there was an affordable hybrid. Unfortunately, hybrids are still quite expensive. But when Jeep comes out with a hybrid, we’ll be the first to buy one.”

Vancouverite Frank Cassini heads back to his roots for the CTV/CBS Series THE BRIDGE
Interviewee: Frank Cassini
By: Diane Wild
Date: March 16, 2009
Source: TV, eh

 

Note: This is an interview with FRANK CASSINI who plays Bernie “Rabbi” Kantor on THE BRIDGE.