Kristin On First Impressions, Eureka Moments & Special Bonds

Kristin dishes on Shane, real-time revelations & more.

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Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Lost Without You has been causing quite a stir since long before it had a title, and now it's only days away from gracing our television screens. I was privileged to chat with our social ray of sunshine, the incomparable Kristin Booth, who filled me on becoming Shane, what's ahead for her character, a moment of discovery filming the series, her love for Crystal and Martha, and future plans.

For those of you who wish to remain COMPLETELY spoiler-free on internal character conflict or anything more than what the trailer reveals: Click here to skip past Lost Without You insights

With much discussion around the fate of the O'Toole men and how Shane will handle the adversity, I had to make it a first order of business. No question---the stakes are high.

"[In Lost Without You] we really, really sort of delve into the feelings that Shane has for Oliver more than we ever have before. I think we see the true depth of those feelings. I think even Shane doesn’t realize exactly how deep her feelings run for him until this episode. That was really fun for me to play. I think the audience is really going to enjoy seeing where Shane goes emotionally in this one."

Between all the film stills with the POstables in church, that line about "starting to believe" cut into the trailer, and Shane's more frequent references to scripture, it begged the question about where Shane is at spiritually.

Is she starting to believe?

"It’s an interesting topic for Shane--her spirituality and her faith, and it’s been really cool for me as an actress to portray someone who started where she started in that aspect and end up where she is now. It’s hard for her to let go of her preconceived ideas in general, she’s a woman who really strongly believes in her beliefs, and will fight for what she believes in. She will continue on that journey towards figuring out what spirituality and faith mean to her, because in Lost Without You she is challenged to do so."

Of course, she won't be struggling with these questions of faith in isolation, as it's clear Dale will be a constant presence in the upcoming film as well. "Emilie [Ullerup] and I have some pretty fantastic scenes together during this film. There is this tentativeness and this fear between these two women, like “how much of a threat are you to me?” and vice versa. And then you get to see this common love that they share for this same [Oliver]. Shane wouldn’t be the woman that she is if she didn’t respect that in Dale. What makes it so hard to watch is that Dale has those same feelings and values. [Shane realizes] there’s this other woman that also has a lot to offer” in terms of "a common faith in God...attend[ing] the same church, and there is something there that Shane can’t offer Oliver [right now]."

"Shane is not the type of woman who is ever going to betray who she is for a man. Even though Shane is in love with Oliver with every part of her being, she is not going to change who she is unless it’s actually a truthful and motivated change she believes in. Dale is a legitimate [concern], for sure."

Of course, in circumstances like that, it can be easy to get stuck on what one lacks. Luckily, there's Papa O'Toole, who is clearly #TeamShOliver. And Kristin has an idea why that might be the case: "What I do think Joe sees in Shane that he doesn’t see in Dale--and this is just my opinion---I think Joe really appreciates that challenge that Shane brings to Oliver. I think Joe sees that his son is a little bit rigid, a little bit stuck in his ways. Oliver has a very specific idea of who he is and what he believes in, and Shane constantly challenges that. I think Joe realizes his son needs that, and that’s why he’s more in the Shane camp than he is in the Dale camp. He really sees this ying to Oliver’s yang with Shane and [Oliver] needs that balance in his life that [Shane] provides him. And I don’t think Shane sees that. She sees...Dale and the commonality [between her and Oliver]. [Shane] doesn’t see her own value in being different."

It's these layers that Martha weaves into her writing that make it so gripping for her audiences, but it's also a lot of fun for her actors as well.

Case in point: Kristin was filming “episode 7 (Something Good)...[that scene] when the couple is reunited at the facility he is staying in, and we’re all standing there watching this coming together of the two after this time has passed. He starts strumming the guitar and singing and they’re looking at each other. And there was this moment where Shane looked over at Oliver...I looked over and I just got this overwhelming wave of emotion and love and it was in that moment [that] I realized just how much Shane loves Oliver and I started to sob, like uncontrollably sob, and I’ll never forget Crystal [Lowe] looking over at me like 'What is happening?!' And I’m like (sobbing) 'I don’t know'...and the Director, Scott Smith, [finished the scene] and he was like 'Are you okay? What’s wrong with you?!' Even Kristin couldn’t tell him what was happening.

Seeing this moment so differently now...

"It was so interesting because what was happening in this scene was mirroring--which Martha does so brilliantly---this relationship was holding up a mirror for Shane and Oliver, and Shane had this eureka moment where she saw what was going with this couple and looked over at Oliver and was like 'Oh my gosh, I’m so in love with this man, [an] I-will-die-if-I-can’t-be-with-him sort of moment.' It would not have worked if we had actually seen that on camera, but it informed me as an actor playing the character for anything that was to happen from that moment forward in their relationship.”

Speaking of relationships, you know how tight she is with Crystal [Lowe], whom she clearly wholeheartedly adores as her “sister from another mister.” But you won't believe Kristin's impressions during their first read-through as a cast.

Martha apparently wrote the characters and their descriptions very specifically, and Kristin couldn’t see see Crystal playing Rita at first. “Crystal walks into the room...and I literally did, like, a triple take. I was like 'What is happening right now?' I was looking around the room looking at everyone else and being like 'Is anyone else seeing this?! This is wrong, this is so, so wrong!' Crystal is a bombshell---like she walked in and her hair was all done and wavy and long and she had on tight jeans and a t-shirt and I was literally dumbfounded. I was speechless.” It took Kristin and company getting almost three-fourths of their way through the script before it sunk in. “She opened her mouth and there was this innocence and she just got it, and got Martha’s writing...” I told Crystal this story a few days later, and Crystal immediately started laughing and was like, 'I know! I’m still thinking ‘What were they thinking?!'” The rest, as they say, is history.

“It’s a friendship that will last til our dying days. And we actually hope to create together, she is a director/producer and I am following in her footsteps as well in the next couple years...and we will work together and create things of our own together.” We certainly hope so!

Definitely a lot of love here.

Working collaboratively is a hallmark of the SSD set, and Kristin learned that almost from the beginning: "When I first met [Martha] I was a little intimidated by her and I didn’t know what I could say or not say. It was interesting because it was near the end of shooting the Pilot and I had an issue with something, and I was debating how to bring it up, or if I even could…and I’ll never forget it, I knocked on [Martha's] trailer door and I was like, 'Look, I have an issue with something,' and she looks at me and she goes, 'Look, let me tell you something: First, I will never lie to you. Second, you can come to me with anything'---she has absolutely stayed true to her word."

Kristin's respect and love for Martha are evident. "[Martha] has high expectations, and I want to meet those, and if I ever feel like I’ve fallen short it really bothers me because I always want to meet those for her, and bring as much truth to her words as I possibly can. We have become really good friends and she is a mentor."

And to think their bond might not have formed if she hadn't taken a leap of faith to take the part as Shane! Executive Producer, Joel Rice (Muse Entertainment, U.S President) was a big fan of Kristin's work, particularly after seeing her as Ethel in The Kennedy's (2011) mini-series which Muse (Canada) produced. He wanted her to be in more projects, including Hallmark Channel’s Banner Fourth of July (known on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries as A Family Reunion).

Yep, she was definitely that red-head who played guitar.

While working on Banner, Joel said to Kristin, "I want you to audition for this, here’s the script, put yourself on tape, the executive producer [of this show] created and executive produced Touched By An Angel and I’ve talked to her about you---would you relocate to Vancouver?" Kristin was a little hesitant, as it’s not uncommon for projects to fall through, so moving right off the bat was a big commitment.

"But he was serious---and he’s the reason I’m playing Shane.” Kristin did three self-tests before flying to LA to meet Martha and read for her in person. In total it was a two to three month process, and she found out she got the job a week before she had to start, which meant a big move. Not only that, Kristin was a red-head and the network wanted her to be blonde. "It was crazy, but I was excited for sure."

And of course we're excited, too, every time Kristin returns to our screens as Shane!

You're only two days away from the premiere of Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Lost Without You, which airs this Sunday, September 25 at 9pm on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Check out the latest press release, teaser, trailer and photo gallery. Prepare to help the POstables get the movies they deserve in 2017 by checking out this post!

My sincerest thanks to Kristin, who is as much of a bright, fun, dynamic and engaging person as you could possibly imagine---it was an honor and a privilege. Hopefully we'll have the chance to chat again, you know, before SSD10?!

All About Kristin,
~C