INTERVIEW: Samantha Wan

We were extremely excited over at NiceGirls when the chance to speak with Samantha Wan came up. If you aren’t watching her on Private Eyes then you are seriously missing out. Her character Zoe is a highlight on the show. Check out our interview below and catch up on Private Eyes here (ION TV) in the US and here (GLOBAL TV) in Canada.

I love how your character Zoe came into the fold on Private Eyes. Was this always set to be a multi-episode arc?
Thank you so much! I feel like I won the prize with Zoe. The writers have created such a funny odd ball girl that I relate to and she gets some of the best punch lines. Zoe was always supposed to join the agency, however I wasn’t contracted to be in as many episodes at the start. Every table read it was exciting to see how she would grow. Eventually I started talking with the writers about how they were going to bring her out of her shell ( and the agency!) a bit more. By the end of second season, I realized I had been in every episode and Zoe had started her own journey of self discovery!

It’s a pretty small cast, but your character fits right in. How was it stepping into a show that is already established?

Credit: Samantha Gaetz

Private Eyes is one of the most welcoming sets you will ever work on. Not to be bias, but I’ve actually heard this from other actors who’ve been on the show as well. I give a lot of credit to our leads Cindy and Jason who make a habit of getting to know the new people on set. Some shows you rarely talk to leads unless in a scene. Jason and Cindy make an effort to make you feel welcome. That’s the behind the scenes role lead actors play that most people don’t realize. They really create the tone on set. Producer, Shawn Piller, has also developed a great team. By Season 3 we pretty much have our family now and it’s a very collaborative environment because he is so open to listening. It brings out the best in people. I’ve never had the experience of having to “fall into line” with the show ( like you might on others). I’ve really found a home on this set, and can say the cast and crew are truly a family which I think shows on screen.

I originally started watching Private Eyes because Jason Priestley is one of those iconic actors from my formative years – what drew you to the role?

What I love about Zoe is that she is a little odd and socially awkward, but isn’t embarrassed to be herself. She’s almost oblivious to her idiosyncrasies, which makes her funny and a blast to play. If there’s a line that most characters would be discrete with, I try go the opposite and make Zoe loud and proud. It’s one of her quirks. Zoe is also smart and obsessively good at her job which makes me respect her and also gives me some hefty monologues to memorize haha. The way she goes for things 100% whether it’s right or wrong, makes her a brave and what I admire most about her. She the anxious unapologetic weirdo I am inside that I now get to embrace as my job.

Zoe and Maz (played by Ennis Esmer) are such a great pairing. Please tell us there is more of that coming up!
Ha, I don’t think I’m allowed to say much… especially since Private Eyes has been released around the world now and everyone is watching a different part of the series. One of the hardest tasks is not leaking spoilers when tweeting between the Canadians and Americans this season. I will say I love working with Ennis and the stuff the writers have given us we have had a lot of fun with.

Congrats on the nomination for Second Jen. Are there any upcoming projects we can watch for you in?
Thanks! I’m excited to be at the Canadian Screen Awards with Jason, Cindy and Ennis – just for a completely different project! I’m sure we’ll hang out though. Second Jen is a series I co-created ( I star, write, and this year directed as well) and we are very proud to be nominated for Best Comedy Series. We are starting to shoot the next season of Private Eyes this summer so I am looking forward to that. I also created Kung Fu series (where I do all the stunts) for OMNI television that can be watched at Suddenmaster.

You can follow Samantha on Instragram here and Twitter here. She posts updates, and behind the scenes (when she can) on her current and upcoming projects.