Lauren Lee Smith, Peter Stebbings, Anthony Lemke (9/10 The Listener)
Excerpt from Elle Canada 9/12/10: Lauren Lee Smith | The Listener on NBC | Bravo | Fox International | Ion
TIFF: Meet Lauren Lee Smith In conversation with one of Canada’s coolest acting talents.
September 12th, 2010
What’s next for you?
...
"Next week I start on the second season of The Listener. I play the new detective, Michelle. That’s all I can say about that for now!”
© Elle Canada
Excerpt from CNW 9/22/10: Lauren Lee Smith, Peter Stebbings (Kristoff in "The Hand of God")
Shaftesbury Films Announces Start of Production on Season Two of the CTV/SPACE/Fox International Channels series THE LISTENER - Canada's own Lauren Lee Smith (CSI, Lie with Me) among new actors to join ensemble cast currently shooting in Toronto -
TORONTO, Sept. 22 /CNW/ - Shaftesbury Films, in association with CTV, SPACE and Fox International Channels, today announced that production is underway on season two of the original Canadian drama series The Listener. Gemini-nominated actress Lauren Lee Smith (CSI, The L Word) and Tara Spencer Nairn (Corner Gas) are among new members to join the ensemble cast which includes Craig Olejnik (The Timekeeper, In God's Country), Ennis Esmer (Billable Hours, Young People F*#king) and Mylène Dinh-Robic (Da Vinci's City Hall, Battlestar Galactica). The Listener is broadcast on CTV and SPACE in Canada, and in 120 countries and 33 languages internationally by Fox International Channels. The 13-episode one-hour series will shoot in and around Toronto until February, 2011. Vancouver native Lauren Lee Smith will star as Sergeant Michelle McCluskey in the new season of The Listener. Smith also stars in Shaftesbury's highly anticipated new comedy series from Ken Finkleman, Good Dog, and the independent film A Night For Dying Tigers alongside Jennifer Beals, which recently premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival®.
During The Listener's first season, the fast-paced and compelling drama instantly became a hit in Canada, with the series premiere debuting at #1 in its 10 p.m. timeslot on CTV, with a preliminary audience of 1.1 million viewers.* In season two, Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik) steps up his game and further embraces his telepathic powers while working alongside his partner "Oz" (Ennis Esmer). When he stumbles into a case investigated by the Integrated Investigations Bureau (IIB) of the RCMP, he finds he must reveal his gift to Sgt. Michelle McCluskey (Lauren Lee Smith). Despite her initial skepticism, Michelle comes to realize Toby's extraordinary potential. While maintaining his standing as a paramedic, Toby is enlisted to consult with IIB. There he joins Michelle as well as her brilliant junior partner, computer maven Corp. Dev Clark (Rainbow Sun Francks, Stargate Atlantis), and Alvin Klein (Peter Stebbings, Madison) the Bureau's in-house legal expert to help solve IIB's most difficult cases.
© Newswire
Excerpt from CTV 9/22/10: Lauren Lee Smith
Lauren Lee Smith and Tara Spencer Nairn join season two of 'The Listener'
Date: 9/22/2010 2:42:00 PM ET
Lauren Lee Smith, seen previously on “CSI,” and “Corner Gas” cast member Tara Spencer Nairn, join Craig Olejnik, Ennis Esmer and Mylene Dinh-Robic as the upcoming season two cast of “The Listener.” Smith exclusively tells CTV.ca: “I’m pretty excited. I’m very excited to be back here in Toronto. I’m looking forward to what the new season will bring. It’s a great show. All the actors are fantastic. It’s great to be back in Canada, I have to say, I came from LA to Toronto, and now I’m back on home turf.”
13 new episodes are being shot for season two in and around Toronto until February of 2011. Smith will play Sergeant Michelle McCluskey. In Smith, “Listener” star Olejnik says “I think we have someone who’s extraordinary. She’s a star. She’s so open and clear and ready to rock and roll, and I think she’s great at what she does. It’s very awesome to have her, she’s very professional.”
The new season will follow psychic paramedic Toby Logan (Olejnik) as he learns to accept his powers. This time around, when Toby gets involved in a case worked by the IIB (Integrated Investigations Bureau), he has to reveal his gift to McCluskey (Smith).
© CTV
Excerpt from TV Guide Canada 9/23/10: Lauren Lee Smith, Peter Stebbings (Kristoff in "The Hand of God")
‘CSI’ alum joins ‘The Listener’: CTV drama back in production on Season 2
By Amber Dowling 2010-09-23
Joining the cast are CSI alum and Canadian Lauren Lee Smith, Corner Gas actress Tara Spencer Nairn, Rainbow Sun Francks (Stargate Atlantis), Peter Stebbings (Madison) and Sebastien Roberts (Providence). Smith plays Sgt. Michelle McCluskey, who is introduced when Toby (Craig Olejnik) finds himself working on a case being investigated by the Integrated Investigations Bureau (IIB) of the RCMP. When she learns of his powers, she hires him to help her as a consultant. Francks plays her junior partner, while Stebbings is along for the ride as the in-house legal expert.
TV Guide.ca
Excerpt from Broadcast Magazine 12/16/10: Lauren Lee Smith
CTV Announces Mid-Season Line-up
DAILY NEWS Dec 16, 2010 12:00 PM
Lauren Lee Smith (CSI) joins Season 2 of the spellbinding CTV Original Series THE LISTENER on Friday, Jan. 28.
© Broadcast Magazine
Excerpt from Newswire 1/2/11: Lauren Lee Smith
Season 2 of the Original Series THE LISTENER Returns Feb. 8 on CTV
TORONTO, Jan. 27 /CNW/ - The hit CTV Original Series THE LISTENER is back with a spellbinding second season, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET, beginning Feb. 8 on CTV.
....
Canada's own Lauren Lee Smith (CSI) and Tara Spencer-Nairn (CORNER GAS) join the new season of the fast-paced, one-hour drama that sees paramedic Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik, The Timekeeper) further embrace his telepathic powers to help solve criminal investigations.
© Newswire
Excerpt from TV Squad 2/7/11: Lauren Lee Smith
Craig Olejnik on Season 2 of 'The Listener,' and Why You Need to Watch
by Annette Bourdeau, posted Feb 7th 2011 1:45PM
What has it been like working with Lauren and Tara?
....
Lauren Lee Smith, to me, is hands down one of the best actresses I've ever worked with. She's really incredible. She's just an A-list star. It's that simple.
© TV Squad
CTV 2/10/11: Lauren Lee Smith
Q&A with the newest star of 'The Listener,' Lauren Lee Smith
by: Tyrone Warner Date: 2/10/2011 11:43:00 AM ET
Following a shocking death, a new cop appears on the beat needing a little psychic help. That new cop is actress and Vancouver native Lauren Lee Smith, who plays the new character Sergeant Michelle McCluskey, a member of the elite Integrated Investigative Bureau. The actress steps into the new role following the departure of actress Lisa Marcos, and the off-screen death of her character Detective Charlie Marks. Charlie had become close with paramedic Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik), who aided in her cases by using his secret psychic ability. Michelle quickly finds herself in the company of Toby, after she looks through Charlie’s files and his name repeatedly pops up. It isn’t long before Michelle figures out Toby’s secret. Smith has appeared in a number of films, including “Art School Confidential,” “The Last Kiss” and her critically acclaimed lead role in “Lie With Me,” and is fresh off a stint as Riley Adams on the ninth season of “CSI.” Routinely punctuated by Smith’s infectious laughter, CTV.ca talked to the actress about her new role on the series, the research she did with female members of the real-life IIB, and why she’s afraid of psychics.
CTV.ca: Good morning Lauren! Tell me, how has it been going so far with “The Listener?”
Smith: It’s been good; it’s been sort of a whirlwind to be honest. It’s always a bit strange when you join a show in the second season. The first few episodes were figuring out the dynamic of my character, and how I fit in, where this character is going. Suddenly four episodes are done and you’re in it! Now we’re at episode 11 and I’m wondering, “What happened here?”
CTV.ca: What has it been like meeting these new cast members?
Smith: It’s been great. I really think the tone of the show has been different this year. They’ve brought on four new characters, so I feel like in a way it’s a whole new show. It was a much easier transition than I anticipated it being, and everyone was very welcoming with letting the newbies in.
CTV.ca: You play a tough-as-nails cop character, but anyone who has met you in person like I have knows you’ve very sweet and warm and bubbly… so how does that transition into character work for you?
Smith: It’s interesting. I actually prefer getting into roles that are the polar opposite of me, that’s why I’ve done so many dark and dreary things. Getting to play a character like Michelle is a real treat! More and more now it’s coming up. It’s been rare for me to find these characters on television that are strong, powerful, independent, ass-kicking chicks! But I certainly haven’t had a chance to delve into that yet. Now I get to go into work and boss all the boys around, it’s great!
CTV.ca: And you work a lot with Rainbow Sun Francks, correct?
Smith: A good chunk of it is with Rainbow, and we’ve become really fast friends. He’s my bud.
CTV.ca: Did you ever watch him when he was on “Stargate” or “MuchMusic”?
Smith: I did. I remember him from “MuchMusic” with the big, giant hair! That was very cool, back in the day. I also knew him from some of Clement Virgo’s films.
CTV.ca: Is Clement Virgo coming back to direct more episodes of “The Listener” this season?
Smith: Yeah, he’s done six, and he’s coming back for the second-to-last episode.
CTV.ca: What is it like to work with him again?
Smith: It was really cool; we’ve both been looking for an opportunity to get to work together again. That was also something that was appealing to me, coming onto the show, was the fact I’d get to work with him again. It’s been great.
CTV.ca: You did “Lie With Me” together, correct? That’s a great movie.
Smith: Thank you! You’re one of the first guys to say that actually! I get that a lot from girls, but most guys are like, “It’s okay.” I appreciate hearing that from a dude.
CTV.ca: So what has been the big challenge for you doing the show, what’s the biggest obstacle?
Smith: For me, it’s been finding the balance. It’s one thing to be this “tough chick,” but you also have to be likeable. An audience doesn’t want to see this snarky, bitchy girl episode after episode. You have to find those moments where you can see where she is coming from, and find the lightness in her as well. Finding that balance, making sure it’s there.
CTV.ca: The show is interesting, in that it’s very grounded in reality -- except for the whole telepath thing. Is that a strange thing to work around?
Smith: A lot of people have been saying that it’s “sci-fi,” but the reality is, there are people out there who claim to be psychics, and can read people’s minds and stuff like that. So I’m kind of scared of all of that stuff to be honest, but there are believers out there that claim it’s a real thing. And other than that, there’s no real sci-fi aspect to it. I don’t get the connection. It’s a guy who can read people’s minds and he helps the cops out with that. When I was doing research beforehand, it’s definitely something they use. They pull out whatever they can, it’s a matter of solidifying the facts and how they got that information.
CTV.ca: What kind of research did you do?
Smith: Before I started, they found this woman outside of Toronto who basically works in one of the units that we’re somewhat portraying called the IIB. It’s this small group of the best of the best, and I got to sit down and speak with her for quite a long time, and she brought in the female parts of this unit so I could get the female perspective, because I was interested in hearing from her, what it is on television, in regards to all these cop shows -- what it is that bothers her. I got to speak with her quite in-depth, which was really interesting. All of the girls had to say that what bothers them the most is that when girls try to act like dudes. I found that interesting, because in fact they don’t and they try to use their femininity and their power and persuasion, or their intelligence or they even use their sexuality! And you don’t see these girls trying to be one of the guys.
CTV.ca: And did you just say you’re afraid of psychics?
Smith: I don’t know, maybe afraid is too strong of a word. When we started shooting, a few of the cast members met with this woman, to get a sense of what it’s like to sit down with a woman who could tell you what you are thinking and what’s going on, and I chose not to! I don’t know… I’m always afraid that they’re going to tell me something terrible and I don’t want to hear it. I prefer to live in my own little bubble of my own reality.
CTV.ca: So you think it is real then?
Smith: I just don’t want to know. I don’t know if I believe… I don’t know. I’m not sure. I’m not really willing to explore it!
© CTV
Excerpt from The Province 2/14/11: Lauren Lee Smith
Easy listening to star of the Listener
By Glen Schaefer, The Province February 14, 2011
It’s hard to pin actor Lauren Lee Smith down, either geographically or thematically. The Vancouver-born Smith has been mixing locations and genres ever since showing up briefly in the Sylvester Stallone action flick Get Carter more than a decade ago, with work ranging from high-gloss U.S. TV to edgy Canadian indies. “I go where the work is, it’s a bit of a triangle between Vancouver, Los Angeles and Toronto,” says Smith over the phone from Toronto, where she’s just finishing the last few episodes of the paranormal cop show The Listener.
She joined the show in the second season as Michelle McCluskey, a police sergeant who teams up with mind-reading paramedic Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik). The role follows her earlier stint as one of the investigators on the ninth season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. So two cop shows in a row make for a trend, right? Smith doesn’t agree. “This was the opposite of what I did on CSI, where I was this snarky young girl acting like the guys in a way, being this tough chick.”
Her Listener character is the one in charge, and to prepare Smith spent time with a woman police sergeant in Toronto. “She said it’s very unrealistic for a woman to try to act like one of the guys, to try to be a dude,” says Smith. “So that’s been the challenge this season, having this writing with a very tough character, and finding ways to tone it down, so she doesn’t come across as too hard-edged.”
The show reunites her with Toronto’s Clement Virgo, who is one of the executive producers and directed several episodes. Their last collaboration was 2005’s steamy indie drama Lie With Me, a long way from The Listener’s network TV cops.
....
Meanwhile, Smith is set to do something completely different for her after The Listener wraps. She’s taking a break to spend time with her family in Vancouver. “But if something completely opposite to The Listener presents itself, then I would be happy to do that.”
© The Province
Excerpt from The Gate video 3/2/11: Lauren Lee Smith
Video Interview: Craig Olejnik and Lauren Lee Smith for ‘The Listener’
By W. Andrew Powell • March 2, 2011
Joining Sgt. Michelle McCluskey, played by Lauren Lee Smith, as a junior partner with the Integrated Investigative Bureau, Toby helps the team solve tough cases alongside computer expert Corp. Dev Clark, played by Rainbow Sun Francks, Toby’s friend Oz, played by Ennis Esmer, and the IIB’s legal expert Alvin Klein, played by Peter Stebbings. The second season of The Listener also stars Mylène Dinh-Robic as Dr. Olivia Fawcett, plus nurse Sandy, played by Tara Spencer-Nairn. Check out the interview with Olejnik and Smith who chat about the show, what fans can expect this season, and some of their ideas about their characters’ motivation. The Listener airs Tuesday nights on CTV or watch episodes online at shows.ctv.ca.
Interviewer: What would you guys say is the most exciting part so far of shooting the second season?
Lauren Lee Smith: You know, I think it's - to me, anyways, not having been part of the first season - for me, it's coming onto a new show and, in a sense, a whole new chapter of a show.
Interviewer: Right.
Lauren: And this season we've introduced several new characters, Rainbow Sun Francks and Peter Stebbings and Tara Spencer-Nairn, so taking the core of what was the show last year, and re-inventing it, in a way. And it's really exciting to see how the audience will respond to that.
....
Interviewer: So Lauren, maybe you can tell us a little bit about your character. What do you think of her?
Lauren: Michelle McCluskey is, she's a lot of fun. She is a very driven, very ambitious, very intelligent young woman who graduated the top of her class and then was instantly brought in to be a sergeant at the intelligence unit of the IIB. And she's a little bit neurotic, I think, she has a little bit of OCD issues. She's a bit of a type A. But as the season progresses, we see the chinks in her armor and we see her having moments of unraveling and little moments of truth. And that's always interesting and fun to play.
Interviewer: Right.
Lauren: And another thing that I really like about this character is that she's not pretending to be one of the dudes. She's not one of those female cops that's running around trying to prove herself and show up the guys, because that's actually very unrealistic. And so she uses her intelligence. She uses her femininity. She uses her powers of manipulation in certain situations. So in that aspect, it's fun.
Craig Olejnik: Interesting. I've never thought of this before. When you're putting it like that, you know, Toby is also a person who is not using brute anything, or super anything.
Lauren: Right. Yeah.
Craig: He's just using who he is.
Lauren: His abilities, yeah.
Craig: And Michelle's using who she is.
Lauren: Yeah, yeah.
Craig: Beyond the gun.
Lauren: Exactly, exactly.
Craig: That's interesting.
Lauren: Yeah.
Craig: We're very much like the anti-Mubarak protesters without guns.
Lauren: Without guns. That's right, that's right.
Craig: Trying to take down the government.
Lauren: It's all heart, all heart and brains.
Interviewer: Amazing. And that must be where Ennis comes in as well. Because Ennis is very much--
Craig: Mubarak? What?
Interviewer: No! (laughs) He's very much playing the average guy kind of thing, too.
Craig: Yeah.
Interviewer: So you've got kind of the three main kind of personas going on there.
Craig: Absolutely. Yeah.
Interviewer: That's interesting.
Craig: I'd never...it brings up a lot of new gerbils turning around.
Lauren: No, it does. Yeah, yeah.
Craig: Good point.
Lauren: Yeah.
Interviewer: So what's it like playing this cop figure? I mean, maybe cop isn't the right word, but was there training involved in getting into this kind of persona?
Lauren: Well, I had done some extensive training for a previous show that I had worked on, so luckily I came in and was kind of good to go. And we didn't really have all of that much prep time. It was pretty much, once I was signed on, we had about a week.
Craig: Yeah.
Interviewer: Wow.
Lauren: So, luckily I was well prepared in that respect. But we have a wonderful stunt team and wonderful group of people that are always on hand to make sure that we're holding the guns properly and not running like girls, and things like that.
Interviewer: But do you find getting into that--
Craig: Especially, it's embarrassing with Ennis, when he runs.
Lauren: You know, Ennis really has to to get over his girly run.
Craig: Yeah.
Lauren: It's sort of, you know, it's the hands.
Interviewer: Really?
Lauren: You know, it's the hands.
Craig: I hate to say he's not here, and we're talking behind his back.
Lauren: Exactly. Yeah, sorry, Ennis.
Craig: But it's obvious, though, if anyone watches any episode where he runs, it's...
Lauren: When he's running, it's a little bit...
Interviewer: Do you have to take multiple takes to get it right?
Lauren: Yeah. They've worked extensively with him.
Craig: Yeah. And they had to start coming up with new angles and the lighting and everything.
Lauren: Yeah. Poor Ennis.
Craig: There was talk of a pinch runner, in a sense, like baseball.
Lauren: Yeah.
Interviewer: Have the three of you guys grown close now? I mean, it seems like you must spend quite a bit of time on set, obviously.
Lauren: Unfortunately, I don't get to spend all that much time with Ennis.
Craig: You don't.
Lauren: It's really, the majority of my work is done with Craig, Rainbow and Peter Stebbings.
Craig: Yeah.
Interviewer: Right.
Lauren: But the days when we all are on set, it's crazy. It's fun.
Craig: It's great. It's a blur, actually.
Lauren: Yep.
Craig: Honestly, it becomes a blur. It doesn't feel like we've done 11 episodes, and it feels like I know them so well, and it feels like I don't know them at all.
Lauren: Yeah.
Craig: It's a weird sensation, actually.
Lauren: Yeah, yeah.
Craig: Spending 14, 15 hours with people and focused on something.
Lauren: Yeah.
Craig: Not eating maybe the best food in the world. It's interesting on the set.
Lauren: It is. It is.
Craig: No, honestly, I love working with Rainbow and Lauren. It's just great light energy they feed off. You guys feed off each other like crazy. It's really cool. The energy the two characters have, it really is awesome. It's going to be really -- I think there's going to be a lot of fans for what they're doing, and I think it's really going to reinju--reinvigorate the show. It has. It's brought this new blood and energy. I think there's going to be a lot of new fans for it. Whether you like me or not, doesn't matter. I think there's something for everybody.
Lauren: There is.
Craig: I know I've watched shows, and I'm like, "God, I hate that actor!"
Lauren: Right.
Craig: I'm sure people say that about me, and I'm sure they'll say it about all of you, I don't know.
Lauren: Well, we have a fair--yeah. We definitely have a very distinct and different and interesting group of people.
Craig: Yeah.
Lauren: All equally talented.
Craig: Yeah.
Lauren: And all equally compelling to watch, so I think that hopefully there's something for everyone.
Craig: Right.
Interviewer: And you guys have worked with some great production team, but also directors.
Lauren: Yeah.
Interviewer: I mean, first season, second season, you've got some great people, like Clément Virgo, just amazing people.
Craig: Kari Skogland, Charles Binamé, Farhad Mann this year, with Clément we've had four directors.
Interviewer: Right.
Lauren: Yeah. It's great.
Craig: I don't know. Sometimes I'll be standing outside, I remember in the very beginning, I was standing outside our trailers just looking at our guest stars and our actors that we have on our show and I know that guy from that show and that guy from that show and this guy from this show. And I know all these people, and I know their careers, and here we all are at the same time doing the same show. And it's...man, honestly, I don't know how I conned my way into this one, but I'll take it. Thank you, whoever.
Interviewer: Well, my last question is, what are you hoping that fans take out of things now once it starts rolling? What's the first most exciting thing they should watch for?
Craig: I think Lauren.
Lauren: Oh my gosh. No, I think, I think--
Craig: Don't say me. Just make up something good.
Interviewer: Singing praises.
Lauren: I think the whole revamping of the show. I think viewers are going to really dig it, I hope. I think that the introduction of the IIB, all of the new characters that we've brought on, and then the continuing relationship between Oz and Toby and Oz and Olivia, and I think that, you know?
Craig: Here's my analogy. I think it's like going from a Corvette to a year-or-two old Porsche, which is new to you. So it's like a new used Porsche. It's something you're kind of familiar with -- quick cars -- but it's new to you.
Lauren: Right.
Craig: Does that make sense?
Lauren: Yeah, sure.
Craig: That may be a bad analogy.
Lauren: Car...analogies.
Interviewer: It's an exciting analogy, though.
Lauren: Yeah.
Interviewer: Cars are fun, fast, you know?
Craig: Yeah. It's fun and fast.
Lauren: It's fun and fast.
Craig: I think the show's got a new pulse to it.
Lauren: Yes.
Craig: That's the biggest thing for me. It's got a new pulse.
Interviewer: Right.
Craig: And it runs differently. And I really, honestly, if we go to season three, I can now begin to see where it goes. It becomes exciting.
Lauren: Yeah.
Interviewer: What's the one thing that you want to happen in season three, either of you.
Craig: Season three.
Lauren: Oh. The one thing...
Interviewer: Come on, we've got to make season three happen.
Craig: I get a gun. I get a gun.
Interviewer: You want a gun.
Craig: I want a gun.
Interviewer: A gun in the hospital.
Craig: People never give me a gun.
Lauren: You don't think so?
Craig: Because I think it's just nicer to never solve something with a gun.
Lauren: I don't know.
Interviewer: You're McGuyver, with your mind.
Craig: It is McGuyver with minds. Season three...honestly, what would it be? It goes quicker, I think? I just, I don't know. I can feel what it feels like. I don't know what the story's like. It would be great if I have a nemesis.
Interviewer: Right.
Craig: Truly a real nemesis.
Lauren: Oh, that would be cool.
Craig: Do you know what I mean? Someone who's on to me, someone who wants to break me apart.
Lauren: Oh, yeah.
Craig: That's what we need.
Lauren: That would be powerful.
Craig: That would be cool.
Interviewer: Very cool. Thank you guys very much.
Lauren: Thank you.
© The Gate
Excerpt from Canada.com 3/3/11: Lauren Lee Smith
From CSI to Good Dog: Actress Lauren Lee Smith switches gears to star in new comedy
By Alex Strachan, Postmedia News March 3, 2011
On this early morning, Smith is on the phone from Toronto, where she's between scenes on The Listener, a CTV psychodrama in which she plays a police detective to Craig Olejnik's psychic paramedic.
....
The difference in pace between CSI and The Listener has been dramatic, she said. But not in the way one might suppose...."Working on The Listener, the show is reinventing itself this season. It's the second season, but in a way, it feels like a first season, because they've introduced four new characters. It's been an adjustment, because it's been 15, 16, 17 hours every day, five days a week. It's a totally different grind."
© Postmedia News
Excerpt from Fox International Channels 3/31/11 & 5/11/11: Lauren Lee Smith
Exclusive weekly quote from cast of The Listener Season 2 (Lauren Lee Smith): Newcomer Lauren Lee Smith “Michelle”, reveals how she trained to work at the IIB.
I met with a female Sergeant in a unit similar to the IIB, and she introduced me to a few other female officers, it was a great help to speak with them, to really get a woman’s perspective on what it is like to be one of the few women in these units. They were very helpful. And people always make fun of how women are portrayed on TV- this Sergeant I met with was HOT! Yes she wore makeup, yes she had her hair done, and yes she was wearing jeans, heels and a sexy top!! No word of a lie! I couldn’t believe it. Not every single day, but they dress case for case.
Exclusive weekly quote from cast of The Listener Season 2 (Lauren Lee): Newcomer Lauren Lee reveals what she's most excited about this season and tells us about her day to day live while working on set.
What are you most excited about this season?
I'm most excited to see what the reaction will be like, after a long hiatus, bringing in 4 new main characters, and a whole new feel to the show.
Tell us your day to day life is like.
...sleep...coffee...work...sleep...coffee...work…sleep...it’s like Groundhog Day, but now we have wrapped I’m excited to re introduce myself to my friends and family!
© Fox International Channels
Channel Canada 7/27/11: Lauren Lee Smith
Programming Highlights: CTV’s Hit Mind-Bending Series THE LISTENER Returns August 17
Posted by: RAD on Tuesday, July 26, 2011 - 09:27 AM
The final three episodes of the second season of CTV’s hit original series THE LISTENER air in a prime Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET timeslot beginning August 17 on CTV (visit CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times). Averaging 1.08 million viewers season-to-date, THE LISTENER has seen an incredible growth of 17% among total viewers in Season 2. A third season of the series was recently ordered by CTV from Shaftesbury. Taking over the SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE timeslot on CTV, THE LISTENER stars Craig Olejnik (The Timekeeper), Ennis Esmer (Young People F**king), Lauren Lee Smith (CSI), and Tara Spencer-Nairn (CORNER GAS).
© Channel Canada
Excerpt from Channel Canada 10/4/11: Lauren Lee Smith, Peter Stebbings (Kristoff in "The Hand of God")
Production news: CTV, Fox International Channels, and Shaftesbury Announce Start of Production on Season 3 of THE LISTENER
Posted by: RAD on Tuesday, October 04, 2011 - 07:41 PM
Shaftesbury, in association with CTV and Fox International Channels, today announced that production is underway on Season 3 of the original drama series THE LISTENER.
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The ensemble cast of THE LISTENER includes Craig Olejnik (The Timekeeper) as Toby Logan; Gemini-nominated Lauren Lee Smith (CSI; THE L WORD) as IIB Sergeant Michelle McCluskey; Ennis Esmer (Young People F**king) as paramedic Oz Bey; Rainbow Sun Francks (STARGATE ATLANTIS) as Corp. Dev Clark, McCluskey’s computer maven partner; Peter Stebbings (MADISON) as Alvin Klein, the IIB’s brilliant in-house legal expert; Mylène Dinh-Robic (STARGATE ATLANTIS) as Dr. Olivia Fawcett, Toby’s confidante and colleague at St. Luke Hospital; Tara Spencer-Nairn (CORNER GAS) as Sandy, St. Luke Hospital’s triage nurse who runs the floor with military precision; and Arnold Pinnock (COMBAT HOSPITAL) as EMS supervisor George Ryder. U.S. entertainment network ION Television has acquired the first two seasons of THE LISTENER from Shaftesbury Sales Company for broadcast in 2012.
© Channel Canada
Excerpt from Newswire 5/2/12: Lauren Lee Smith, Peter Stebbings (Kristoff in "The Hand of God")
Season 3 of CTV Original Series THE LISTENER Returns May 30
At the IIB, Toby works in tandem with Sgt. Michelle McCluskey (Gemini Award-nominee Lauren Lee Smith, CSI) and Dev Clark (Rainbow Sun Francks, STARGATE ATLANTIS), as part of an elite special ops unit tasked with handling the most difficult cases.
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In the Season 3 premiere, "The Bank Job" (Wednesday, May 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV), due to the mental strain of his telepathic abilities, and the continued warnings from Dr. Olivia Fawcett (Mylène Dinh-Robic, STARGATE ATLANTIS) about the toll they're taking on his health, Toby decides to ignore them and live a normal life. But his good intentions are tested when he's taken hostage during a bank heist, and he realizes that the only way to ensure the safety of the other hostages is to risk his own. And while Toby's efforts help Sgt. McCluskey with the bank heist investigation, they also land him in another precarious situation when she's forced to reveal the truth about his abilities to her boss Alvin Klein (Peter Stebbings, MURDOCH MYSTERIES).
© Newswire
Excerpt from Winnipeg Free Press 5/24/12: Lauren Lee Smith
Craig Olejnik says new season of 'The Listener' is head and shoulders above rest
By: Bill Brioux, Posted: 05/24/2012 12:46 PM
Olejnik is a huge fan of Lauren Lee Smith who plays police sergeant Michelle McCluskey. "You can't help but fall in love with her," he says. "She’s phenomenal."
© Winnipeg Free Press
CTV 7/18/12: Lauren Lee Smith
From ‘CSI’ to ‘The Listener’: Lauren Lee Smith plays a different kind of cop
by: Sheri Block Date: 7/18/2012 9:58:00 AM
Sgt. Michelle McCluskey may live in a man’s world on “The Listener” but she doesn’t try and compete with the men. And that’s exactly what actress Lauren Lee Smith loves about her character. “So often, that’s what I find when I watch these females on crime dramas, they’re trying to act too tough, act like one of the guys, but in reality that’s not usually how it goes,” Smith tells CTV.ca during a set visit last fall. “Women use many of their skills other than trying to be a tough guy, so that’s initially what drew me to this character and I just thought the possibilities of storylines they’re able to play with are also never ending, which is also really fun.”
Vancouver-born Smith joined the cast of “The Listener” in Season 2 as a member of the Integrated Investigative Bureau (IIB), along with Cpl. Dev Clark, played by Rainbow Sun Francks. After moonlighting with the IIB in Season 2, telepath Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik) has since joined the bureau full-time as a special consultant in the third season. Smith says she is pleased the organization has taken on a much more central role in the show. “When we came on last year, it really sort of shook up the whole show in a sense by introducing my character and the IIB and all the other characters that are part of the IIB. It really became a whole new world essentially so I’m glad people have accepted it.”
Not only has this new direction been well-received but so has Smith - she earned a 2011 Best Actress Gemini nomination for her role on “The Listener.” “It was very unexpected. It was a wonderful surprise. It’s just an honour to have that recognition.”
Prior to joining “The Listener,” Smith appeared on the TV series “The L Word” and “Good Dog,” as well as films such as “The Last Kiss” and Clement Virgo’s “Lie With Me.” She also played Riley Adams on Season 9 of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and the actress says some of the skills she learned working on the hit dramatic series did come in handy for her role as Sgt. McCluskey. “There’s little things: how to hold a gun, not run like a girl, different stances and postures. They were very particular with that on ‘CSI.’ I had to do extensive training before doing (the show) so that has stayed in my brain and is very useful for a lot of the stuff when playing Michelle, especially a lot of the physicality, has helped a lot.”
Smith has had plenty of opportunities so far this season to put that into practice, with her character taking part in high-stakes shootouts and going undercover to bust an art theft ring. But viewers have also had a chance to see McCluskey’s softer side after she reunited with her estranged husband at the end of Season 2. So does that mean a romantic relationship for her and her partner-in-crime Toby is out of the question? “So far everything I’ve heard is they plan to keep it very platonic. I think Toby and Michelle have a very special relationship and part of what makes it so special is (even though) there is the sexual tension, we know it will never go there,” says Smith. “They have a really strong bond and a really strong friendship and I think to cross those lines would just get a little bit messy.”
New episodes of “The Listener” air Wednesdays at 10/9C on CTV. Full episodes are also available online at CTV.ca.
© CTV
Excerpt from Brantford Expositor 11/9/12: Lauren Lee Smith
The Listener episode filmed here
By Michelle Ruby, Brantford Expositor Friday, November 9, 2012 6:22:39 EST PM
A cast and crew of more than 50 took over a stunning 1850 Scottish baronial manor house in Paris this week to film part of an episode of CTV's The Listener.
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Inside, director Farhad Mann watched intently on monitors as the show's stars, Craig Olejnik and Lauren Lee Smith, filmed a scene in the home's elegant livingroom.
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Smith, who took a break between scenes, said television audiences are "realizing that Canadians are a talented bunch."
© Brantford Expositor
Excerpt from Paris Star Online 11/09/12
I did so for the first time on Thursday when the location manager for The Listener, a weekly drama on CTV, gave me the all clear to seek out his crew members at an antique store just north of Paris on Pinehurst Road.
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She invites me to watch the scene being shot with actors Craig Olejnik - who plays Toby Morgan, a paramedic who can hear people’s thoughts - and Lauren Lee Smith, who plays RCMP Sgt. Michelle McCluskey. The two characters work together to solve cases. The scene has them walking out of the house, talking intensively and hopping into a Dodge Charger. They run through the scene half a dozen times before the production wraps for lunch, which they eat in a warehouse space set up on Scott Street.
© Paris Star Online
Excerpt from The Province 2/12/13: Lauren Lee Smith
CTV’s The Listener comes to B.C. for season premiere
February 12, 2013. 6:00 am
The cast and crew of the CTV mystery series The Listener head to Vancouver from their Toronto base this week to film the B.C.-set first episode of their fourth season. The show stars Craig Olejnik as Toby, a mind-reading paramedic who uses his psychic gifts to help police solve crimes. Vancouver’s Lauren Lee Smith, who plays his police partner, gets to come home for work for a week. (Smith spends a lot of her hiatus time back home, as an active player in the Vancouver indie film scene.) The plot of the currently-filming episode has the pair in Vancouver following an investigative trail to defuse a bomb threat.
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The Vancouver shoot will include scenes filmed in Stanley Park with Chatwin, Smith and Olejnik, as well as other bits filmed downtown and in a Kits neighbourhood. Season four premieres this summer.
© The Province
Excerpt from James Bawden 5/23/13: Lauren Lee Smith
CTV's The Listener: Back For Season Four
Sunday, May 26, 2013
"Actually only exteriors were shot in Vancouver," says Olejnik's co-star Lauren Lee Smith. "The rest was done in Toronto and it's very seamless."
What emerges is a great, tension filled chase saga as the team must race against the clock to prevent a brilliant but mad young student from blowing up the center of the city. By now Olejnik has settled down to give a compact, precise turn and he's ably paired with Lauren Lee Smith as Sgt, Michelle McCluskey as head of the RCMP's Integrated Investigative Bureau. "I joined in season two," she tells me. "It's the hardest TV series I've been on, 13-hour days are the norm compared with eight hours I'd spend on CSI."
For the 2003 season Smith co-starred on CSI and compares the experience as "on CSI I had a small role and I'd sometimes have to wait for hours to do my scene of the day. Yes, it's a well oiled machine, the second unit does a lot of the work. But you can't argue with success, yes, there's a formula but done to the hilt. "On Listener I'm in many of the big scenes, the days are longer. But it's for 13 episodes not the 22 on CSI. But on CSI I'd get a charge just driving to Universal studios every day."
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Smith had her own trajectory on her way to The Listener. In 2005 at the start of her career she co-starred in the explicit film romance Lie With Me acting the part of a blue collar worker and she followed with fine work in the TV drama The L Word ( 2004-06). "I became familiar with controversy early on," she laughs. But just as compelling was the CBC series Intelligence (2006) before she hit the mainstream with CBS's CSI in 2008.
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Smith, 32, who made three movies this year in her hiatus says working 13 episodes a year "gives me the space to do other projects. It's certainly not as fatiguing as working on 22 episodes a season."
"I think with Listener we're now hitting our stride. There's excitement we might get an order for a fifth season."
© James Bawden
Excerpt from TV Eh? 5/27/13: Lauren Lee Smith
The Listener’s Craig Olejnik and Lauren Lee Smith on their Vancouver adventure
Posted by Diane Wild May 27 2013
After three seasons as The Listener‘s paramedic with a psychic secret, Toby (Craig Olejnik) learns what it really means to be a fish out of water in Wednesday’s season four opener: a Torontonian in Vancouver. In the episode, Toby and Michelle (Lauren Lee Smith) are sent to the IIB’s west coast branch to help prevent a bomb threat in the city, “probably because of their 100% solve rate” Olejnik joked.
The actors aren’t out of place in the city, though - the Vancouver shoot was something of a homecoming for both. Olejnik has lived in Vancouver and is an investor in local bar/art studio Raw Canvas, while Smith is a native Vancouverite and still has family here.
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As Smith explained, “everyone is fully aware of what Toby does in the IIB so it frees us up to focus on each case as opposed to the B storyline we’ve had to do in previous seasons, explaining how we know what we know.”
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Smith, who joined the cast in season two, feels that “every season lets you be a bit bolder and take more risks and come into it with a bit more ease.”
The show itself has evolved away from its psychic paramedic roots to become more of a police procedural. With Toby’s secret weapon and that resulting 100% solve rate, the tension of each episode has to come from something other than will they or won’t they solve the case. Smith points to the more complex cases as Toby’s secret has become less of a secret and therefore less of a plot point. Olejnik adds that people watch for the characters, who over time are further developed separately and in their relationships with each other. Neither actor sees much of a will they or won’t they tension in the friendship between Toby and Michelle, either, believing there is no romantic future for the two. “I think it’s nice that the writers haven’t gone there,” said Smith. “It’s so rare that they don’t.”
© TV Eh
Excerpt from CTV 5/28/13: Lauren Lee Smith
Craig Olejnik on ‘The Listener’ Season 4: More stunts, more risks and more romance
by: Sheri Block Date: 5/28/2013 10:14:00 AM
On the season premiere titled “Blast from the Past,” which airs Wednesday, May 29 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, Toby and IIB partner Sgt. Michelle McCluskey (Lauren Lee Smith) are sent to Vancouver to investigate a string of high-tech thefts.
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Smith is also happy with how “The Listener” has evolved and says now that Toby is fully integrated at the IIB - and his telepathy is no longer a secret - it gives the show a lot more freedom. “It gives us a lot more room to let those stories evolve and come full circle. It’s been great for my character Michelle for the same reasons - just to focus solely on that and not always having this little back story of needing to explain things at the end of each episode.”
As well as more action and stunts planned for this season, things will also continue to heat up on the relationship front - for both Michelle and Toby (but not the two of them together). “It’s been really nice to watch their relationship progress within the last few seasons and I think Craig and I both agree, (we’re glad) they haven’t taken it to the romantic aspect of it,” says Smith. “I think it’s really nice to see a partnership between two working professionals and they’ve had to build this trust and this friendship with each other.”
Michelle, who reunited with her estranged husband Adam at the end of Season 2, will find herself navigating some challenges when he wants to have a baby and she wants to focus on her career. “He wants to take the relationship to the next level and me having the struggle of what do I do? So we’ll see how the rest of that plays out.”
© CTV
Excerpt from The Huffington Post 5/28/13: Lauren Lee Smith
'The Listener' Season 4: Mind Games And Familiar Faces
By Bryan Cairns Posted: 05/28/2013 4:13 pm EDT
Telepath Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik) and Integrated Investigative Bureau (IIB) operative Michelle McCluskey (Lauren Lee Smith) are under a lot of pressure on "The Listener." The two have connected a series of robberies to a political activist with an axe to grind. If he's not stopped, a bomb will detonate in downtown Vancouver and time is running out. "Once again, Toby takes the reins and puts himself in jeopardy," offers Smith on the set of "The Listener." "An IIB operative from Vancouver and I have to figure out how to save him. That's going to put viewers on the edge of their seats because he's been put in a very compromising position, as he likes to do.
"This crime is pretty interesting," continues Smith. "The political activist seems fairly unassuming and we haven't shot it yet, but when I read it, it read pretty violent with the takedown. When they capture Toby, they have him tied up to a chair, blindfolded and are beating the crap out of him. That's pretty intense."
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At the same time, the show is going to explore more of Michelle's personal life. "We've had her husband, Adam (Kris Holden-Ried), back for a few episodes," says Smith. "They have this little storyline weaving throughout Season 4 about starting a family. Michelle is freaking out a little. 'I can't be a Mom in this career.' The wheels are turning because he's pretty relentless in her having a baby."
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Dynamic Duo
In the beginning, Toby was alone. He never confided in anyone about his ESP. He was too scared and only relied on himself. Michelle changed all that. Initially skeptical about Toby's telepathic tricks, she's quickly become a trusted partner and an even better friend. "With Toby and Michelle, you get the best of both worlds," agrees Smith. "Toby can read people's minds. He can get in there and know who we need to get. And then Michelle is obviously very accomplished in her career. She's sort of the bad cop and Toby is the good cop. Craig and I have had a lot of fun playing around with that. We have a great chemistry with each other that translates well. We'll see a lot more of that this year. It's really Toby and Michelle out on the road constantly."
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"We've established that everyone within the IIB knows exactly what Toby's powers are," Smith concludes. "This season, we're really focusing more on each case, as opposed to the second story of always having to explain to our higher-ups why he knows what he knows and how he gathers this information. It frees us up a little bit more to be able to delve into the crime scene aspect of it all. Also, we're going to see more action this year. It's fun to be the girl running around with a gun, kicking ass and saving the day. Every episode seems to involve Michelle taking down some big giant dude."
© Huffington Post
Excerpt from TV Guide Canada 5/29/13: Lauren Lee Smith, Peter Mohan
‘Listener’ cast previews Season 4: 'Listener' stars Craig Olejnik, Ennis Esmer, Lauren Lee Smith and showrunner Peter Mohan tease what's to come in Season 4
Cody Powell, May 29, 2013 12:00:00 AM
When we last left The Listener crew, the Integrated Investigative Bureau (IIB) was celebrating its foiling of a plot to frame top investigator Michelle McCluskey (Lauren Lee Smith), Oz Bey (Ennis Esmer) was made the new director of Emergency Services and Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik) had transitioned from paramedic to special consultant with the IIB.
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As for Michelle, in addition to having to deal with Toby on a full-time basis now, she’ll have to decide whether she wants to be a mother or not, as hubby Adam is looking to start a family and set down some roots. Also, she’ll face some repercussions for foiling the frame job against her at the end of last season, but not until the finale. According to Smith, this season doesn’t wrap as cleanly as Season 3 did, ending instead on a cliffhanger for all the main cast. As a result, she’s hoping The Listener gets picked up for a fifth season. After that, she thinks it might be time to test the waters and try on some new character roles, as does Olejnik, who’d like to move into cable programming that explores more realistic scenarios and deep, personal stories. “I think there’s something to be said for stopping while you’re still ahead,” Smith says. “I don’t know if I would be able to believe in the stories much more after another season, unless they came up with some crazy ideas instead of it [going] completely sideways, like ‘It was all a dream!’ or something like that. Personally and selfishly, I’d prefer to get to play many different types of characters.”
© TV Guide Canada
CTV 6/19/13: Lauren Lee Smith
Starting a family won’t be an easy decision for Michelle on ‘The Listener,’ says Lauren Lee Smith
by: Sheri Block Date: 6/19/2013 11:05:00 AM
As the IIB’s top sergeant, Michelle McCluskey knows exactly how to tackle a tough case…and catch the bad guys. But in the most recent episode of “The Listener,” available online at CTV.ca, Michelle (Lauren Lee Smith) is not nearly as certain when it comes to her personal life - and the pressure to start a family. In the episode titled “Cold Storage” Michelle’s husband Adam (Kris Holden-Ried) brings up the subject of children, something that couldn’t be further from her mind. “He wants to take the relationship to the next level and Michelle is having the struggle of ‘What do I do?’” says Smith.
She adds that this decision of whether Michelle wants to start a family in the midst of a demanding career will continue throughout the season. “You’ll see a lot more of her struggles of ‘Should I or shouldn’t I? Is this the right thing to do? Is motherhood something that she wants?’ It’s a nice balance between that and sort of being the tough sergeant who kicks all of the bad guys’ asses,” says Smith.
Smith says this decision of whether to have a baby is something many women - including her - contemplate at this stage in their lives. “For sure those thoughts, they start to pop into your head, like, ‘Is it time? Should I? Do I want to? Is this what we’re all meant to do?’ And definitely it is a struggle . . . I love working and I know from working mothers how much you have to give up and sacrifice and my hats off to all working mothers.”
© CTV
Excerpt from Newswire 10/6/13: Lauren Lee Smith
CTV Orders Fifth Season of Hit Original Series THE LISTENER
CANNES, France, Oct. 6, 2013 /CNW/ - CTV announced today a 13-episode fifth season order for its hit original drama series THE LISTENER, bringing the series total to 65 episodes. Produced for CTV by Shaftesbury in association with Fox International Channels, and distributed by Shine International, the one-hour drama stars Craig Olejnik as mind-reading crime-solver Toby Logan. The announcement was made at MIPCOM, the world’s annual entertainment content market in France, with cast members Craig Olejnik and Lauren Lee Smith in attendance.
© Newswire
Excerpt from The Futon Critic 3/28/14: Lauren Lee Smith, Peter Stebbings (Kristoff in "The Hand of God")
[ION Television Premieres Hit Series "The Listener" on Tuesday, April 1 at 10/9C
03/28/14 - 06:54 AM]
Back-to-Back One-Hour Episodes to Make Debut Every Tuesday with Saturday Night Encore Beginning at 10/9c
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The series also stars Ennis Esmer as Oz Bey, Toby's best friend; Lauren Lee Smith as Sergeant Michelle McCluskey; Rainbow Sun Francks as security and technical expert Corporal Dev Clark; Peter Stebbings as agency head Alvin Klein; Tara Spencer-Nairn as hospital triage nurse Sandy; and Mylène Dinh-Robic as Olivia Fawcett.
© The Futon Critic
Excerpt from CTV 5/5/14: Lauren Lee Smith, Anthony Lemke (Charles Marlowe in "Meaning of Death")
CTV Unveils 2014 Summer Lineup, Headlined by Season 2 of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA Beginning July 8
May · 05 · 14
THE LISTENER - CTV Original Series - Mondays at 9 p.m. beginning May 26 Available live and on demand on CTV.ca and the CTV GO app Ranked as a Top 5 Canadian series in all genres, and with an average audience of 1.1 million viewers in its fourth season THE LISTENER returns for Season 5 with telepathic former paramedic Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik) still reeling from killing a suspect, while Sgt. Michelle McCluskey (Lauren Lee Smith) works to juggle motherhood with her policing duties. Faced with a range of challenges at the Integrated Investigative Bureau, the biggest obstacle for Toby, Michelle, and Dev (Rainbow Sun Francks) comes in the form of their new boss, Detective Sergeant Brian Becker (Anthony Lemke, LOST GIRL), who is sceptical about Toby’s contributions to the department.
© CTV
Excerpts from Huffington Post 5/25/14: Lauren Lee Smith, Peter Mohan
'The Listener' Season 5: Craig Olejnik And Cast Spill Details
HuffPost Canada TV | By Bryan Cairns Posted: 05/25/2014 12:10 pm EDT
Toby Logan's (Craig Olejnik) telepathic abilities have proven to be more of a blessing than a curse on "The Listener." Back in Season 1, paramedic Toby aided those he randomly crossed paths with while on the job. After meeting Sgt. Michelle McCluskey (Lauren Lee Smith) the following year, he slowly embraced his powers and helped solve crimes. These days, Toby, Michelle and communications expert Dev Clark (Rainbow Francks) belong to an elite Integrated Investigation Bureau (IIB) unit that heavily relies on his gift to crack cases. "The Listener" kicks off Season 5 on May 26, 2014. During a recent press event, Olejnik, Smith and executive producer Peter Mohan sat down with HuffPost Canada TV to discuss personal stakes, unwelcome blasts from the past, and disguises.
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"Michelle has gone off on mat leave and had a baby," says Mohan. "Toby and Dev have been working together. Toby has learned to be a cop without Michelle's strong hand to help him all the time. He's a much more professional and valuable member of the team. In this season, he goes undercover in quite dangerous situations with much more comfort."
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"Michelle is being accused of possibly putting away a wrong man, who has spent the last few years in prison," explains Smith. "She's still very career-driven, even though she's in mama mode, so she makes the decision to come back and take on this one case. It's her name on the line and I think she realizes how much she missed work."
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Smith adds, "For Michelle, it's obviously a disappointment that she didn't get the chief job. I think she does understand why. It's not a huge surprise to her. And quite honestly, I think it would have been too much for her. Becker is so very different from Klein. He has such a different way of dealing with the team. He's much rougher. It's fun. It keeps a certain tension that we didn't have in the IIB before, that we're going to see throughout the season."
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Michelle gets involved by transforming into Toby's girlfriend, Gina. "Toby goes undercover in this prison and we have to be able to get intel from him," explains Smith with a huge grin. "At different times, Dev and Michelle have to go in undercover. Props to our wardrobe and makeup team. They took this little nugget and rolled with it. I put on the black wig, the bright pink lipstick, the killer six-inch heels, the leather pants and the bustier bra. She's chewing gum and blowing bubbles. We even did this thing where we put our hands on the glass. That was ridiculously fun."
© Huffington Post
Excerpt from CTV News 5/26/14: Lauren Lee Smith, Anthony Lemke (Charles Marlowe in "Meaning of Death")
Monday, May 26, 2014
Bytown Dog Obedience www.bytowndogobedience.org
Holtz Spa Monday Makeover www.holtzspa.ca
CTV's "The Listener" Anthony Lemke Lauren Lee Smith Twitter: @listenertv
© CTV News
Excerpt from CTV 5/30/14: Lauren Lee Smith, Anthony Lemke (Charles Marlowe in "Meaning of Death")
Craig Olejnik says the new boss on 'The Listener' is out for Toby's blood
By Sheri Block 5/30/2014 1:08:00 PM
As a mind reader posing as a special consultant, Toby Logan is an invaluable asset to the Integrated Investigative Bureau (IIB) on “The Listener.” But that all could change with the arrival of a new boss, who just happens to be Toby’s old nemesis. Det. Brian Becker (Anthony Lemke), who previously appeared in Season 1, will take over the IIB from Alvin Klein (Peter Stebbings), who is leaving for a job with Interpol. But Becker blames Toby (Craig Olejnik) for getting his former partner, Detective Charlie Marks, killed. Toby was working with Marks at the time as a special consultant and she was trying to protect him when she got shot.
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Anthony Lemke says not only is his character suspicious of Toby but he also brings a very different style to the IIB - something that affects the whole team, which includes Sgt. Michelle McCluskey and Cpl. Dev Clark. “My style is entirely different from what they’re used to in the team. I’m a ‘cop’s cop,’ a lot more direct, and I find this whole sort of touchy feely thing that Logan’s involved in really kind of suspect and then I even take it upon myself to find out exactly what the real deal is with Toby Logan,” says Lemke. “That creates a lot of tension once I do find that out.”
There’s also tension between Becker and Michelle as she believed she was the obvious choice to take over for Klein and wonders if she was passed over for the promotion because she is a new mother. “I don’t think she necessarily would’ve taken the position because I think it probably would’ve been too much for her but I do think that she felt she deserved to be next in line, the respect to be asked, so I think that is a disappointment for her,” says Lauren Lee Smith, who plays Michelle. “And then having someone like Becker’s character come on who’s so different - he comes from Metro whereas Klein had a law background - they’re very, very different and have different ways of dealing with people and cases so it definitely is some adjustments within the whole IIB unit.”
© CTV