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Gabrielle Miller
Turning the Right Corner
By Carol Creena
Actress Gabrielle Miller, who stars in the hit CTV comedy series and also the new series Robson Arms, makes keeping healthy while on the fly sound effortless. VISTA asks Gabrielle how she balances her burgeoning career, living in Los Angeles, and flying back and forth to Vancouver and other cities for location-shooting almost weekly.
VISTA: Starring in two series at once must keep you busy. Are they shot at the same time?
Gabrielle: Corner Gas is shot in Saskatchewan and Robson Arms in Vancouver. When one finishes, the other begins.. I do a lot of traveling though. I just returned from filming a movie in Montreal, and tomorrow I 'm going to New York because Corner Gas has been nominated for an Emmy Award. And then I fly to Vancouver to see my boyfriend , who lives there.
VISTA: How do you combat the effects of air travel?
Gabrielle: I don't think flying is the greatest thing for our bodies, but I deal with it. I drink lots of water and I do as much stretching as possible on the plane, because flying bothers my lower back. I also usually bring my own food.
VISTA: You're a vegetarian. Are you also vegan?
Gabrielle: I was born a vegetarian. I sometimes eat rennet-free cheese, but otherwise I'm vegan. Both of my parents are vegetarian and raw foodists, and they raised all six of their children as vegetarians. It is mostly for ethical reasons,, but I am now very interested in my health so that is a great reason.
VISTA: How old are you? And where did they raise you all as vegetarians?
Gabrielle: I'm 31. I was born and raised in Vancouver, and my parents now live in Nelson, BC. My middle name is Sunshine, so that tells you a little about my upbringing. My brother just had a baby girl, and she will also be vegetarian.
VISTA: Wow, that's three generations! And, do you worry about your weight, like most women?
Gabrielle: For sure. I'm conscious of it, but I try to keep it in perspective. If you eat well and take care of your body, exercise often, and do good things for yourself, one of the benefits to your health will that you don't have to struggle as much with weight. The body doesn't hold on the the good stuff you put in; it uses it. The camera does "put on pounds" thought, and though film caterers are really good about planning around my diet, I always seem to gain weight when filming in Saskatchewan.
VISTA: What factors are associated when you don't eat well?
Gabrielle: When I leave the house in the morning and don't bring nutritious snacks with me, I break down and eat foods that don't make me feel good simply because I'm really hungry. I think it's important to take the time to plan ahead. In Los Angeles, you spend so much time driving, n the go constantly, so you don't have time to eat healthily if you haven't brought something along.
VISTA: Is the lifestyle in LA as unhealthy for actors as others say?
Gabrielle: There are definitely those moments, and it's heart-braking to see people who haven't been raised to eat healthily so they simply don't have a clue how. They come to LA and have to stay slim, so they diet and really mess with their metabolism, which puts them out of balance. But, on the other hand, LA is a wonderful city for vegetarians and those who eat natural whole foods, with an incredible support system of stores and restaurants that cater to this lifestyle. yoga is so hot that there are studios everywhere, and at the end of each day I do a class to centre myself.
VISTA: What other exercise so you do?
Gabrielle: I go into the canyons with my dog each day. I love to breathe fresh air and be in California's nature. It's really important to me to connect with nature regularly, so I do it where ever I travel. I see some incredibly different nature environments. I sometimes work out at the gym while filming, but I prefer yoga or pilates. I'm not very flexible, so I have to work really hard at it, which is why I think it's good for me. I also took a hip-hop class, popular here, and we're all terrible but it's so much fun.
VISTA: How much sleep do you get?
Gabrielle: I sleep eight hours when not shooting, but I often get only six while working, since some schedules start at 5:00 a.m.I really need eight. On the movie I just finished , One Dead Indian, I worked 15-hour days and I couldn't even take a nap.. I used to drink coffee to keep awake, but I quit because I found myself getting panicky.
VISTA: Was it difficult getting started in the industry? How did you keep motivated?
Gabrielle: I feel very lucky because I started acting and met my agent at 17. It is extremely rare in the industry to have a long-term, trusting relationship like ours.
Every actor doesn't always have good years and I've had time that were very challenging financially and emotionally. Tow things kept me going. A saying of my mother's, "This too shall pass," because things always change. And I fell in love with acting.. It's where I fell the most at home, so even when I was as at my lowest there was a part of me that felt solid, because I knew I was doing the right thing for me.
VISTA: Does working on a comedy show help to keep you positive, with all those laughs?
Gabrielle: We have a lot of fun and I love working with the people on Corner Gas. But comedy is actually difficult. It's like creating a close dance between you and your partner , and much has to do with timing. you learn your dialogue then on set you see what happens. you can't hang onto anything. What the other person give you changes the entire dynamic, but that relating is the exciting part.
VISTA: That sounds like an analogy for life.
Carol Creena has been a lifestyles journalist for 20 years. She is also a certified nutritionist. She has written for publications in New York, San Diego, Seattle, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, including nine years as columnist for The Vancouver Sun.