North Vancouver actor Sophia Powers grows up on hit TV series Son of a Critch

Sophia Powers has pretty much grown up on TV.

Four years ago, when she was just 11, the North Vancouver actor first appeared as Fox, a tough, wise-beyond-her-years kid on the hit CBC sitcom Son of a Critch. Now, at 15, Powers is excited to talk about her character Fox and the series that just returned for a fourth season on CBC and CBC Gem.

“I feel like I’ve just grown up a lot, you know, in both my work and my personal life,” Powers said recently after a day of grade 10 classes at Handsworth Secondary School in North Vancouver.? “This was my first job when I was 11, so I think it was a lot of learning on the go. And then not really knowing what to expect and just trying to take it day by day, and figure it out and kind of find my footing with it… This show has given me so many opportunities to just grow, as an actor and as a person.”

Based on the award-winning, bestselling memoir from Mark Critch (This Hour Has 22 Minutes),?Son of a Critch?is the story of a young Mark coming of age in St. John’s, Newfoundland in the 1980s. The heartfelt and funny show stars Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Mark, with Critch playing his father. The new season sees Mark, pal Ritchie (Mark Rivera) and Fox, Mark’s former nemesis and now maybe soon-to-be official girlfriend — there was a big kiss shared in the final episode of Season 3 — headed into the wild unknowns of high school.

“It’s been four years with all these amazing people, and I’ve got to kind of have such nice relationships with all of them. And it’s such a nice environment that I get to go back to every summer,” said the Hollywood North-based Powers.

Playing a character of the same age comes with the benefit of insight. In the case of Powers and Fox, both 15 and trying to navigate high school,

Powers often uses music to help step into her character’s runners.

“I think one of the biggest (ways I prepare) is I always make a playlist for my character each season once I get the first couple episodes, because I usually get those before I fly out to Newfoundland,” said Powers. “I just try and kind of find things, find songs that I think resonate with where she’s at. I find that really helps, because I get a better understanding of her through something that I really enjoy. And then also, if there’s a big scene, I can put my headphones on and pull back to a song I’ve already chosen.”

So, what’s on Fox’s playlist?

“(There’s) quite a few ’80s songs, just to get into the vibe of everything going on,” said Powers, adding that one episode where she said Fox is in “an overwhelming spot,” she turned to Pearl Jam’s All or None for inspiration. “It’s a very, just very like, sad song. A very kind of hopeless song, and I thought that would be good for definitely a few moments in that episode.”

Powers’ four-year journey has been one of firsts and plenty of learning experiences. Helping her figure out her first big job and what may lie ahead has been a seasoned cast and crew, headlined by iconic English actor Malcolm McDowell (O Lucky Man, A Clockwork Orange) who plays Mark’s grandfather Pops.

“Malcolm is great,” said Powers when asked about McDowell. “He’s always so gung-ho to try things and to do things and he just loves being on set and being around everybody. He makes it such a great environment.

“When they’re so big in the industry, you would expect something different. But Malcolm is just not that. He is so down to Earth… I love him,” added Powers.

And yes, the bold-type star with decades of experience offers good advice.

“It’s been four years of just all this advice, of schools I should look at or different ways of handling things,” said Powers. “He always was like, ‘You’re gonna make it big. And this is how you handle it’.”

One of the things McDowell talked about handling was how Powers approached the character of Fox, who over the course of the series has gone from bully to bestie. And now, probably girlfriend.

“He said people always start off not liking the bully. And people are always gonna have something to say about that. But you just have to be true to her, and you have to love her enough, and people will love her. And they’ll love you for making her such a great character,” said Powers. “That just was really nice to hear, because as an 11-year-old, you’re kind of nervous of how people are going to respond to what you’re doing with this.”

As for any fourth season plot points, Powers is tightlipped. She’s even coy about the will-they-or-won’t-they boyfriend/girlfriend situation between Mark and Fox. But what she can say is that this season viewers will get to see a broader version of Fox, who gets a job in the mall at a “novelty store,” as her family plays more into the story.

“You kind of get to see her grow up a lot. Maybe, like, in ways that you wouldn’t always want to see a kid have to grow up,” said Powers. “It’s nice to see her mature… you see a softer side of her. It’s really nice.”
Dgee@postmedia.com?