Second-year Performance student lands lead role in CBC Gem TV show

The highly anticipated tween mini-series, Macy Murdoch, from CBC Gem, is set to hit screens in spring 2023, with production wrapping up in the Greater Toronto Area earlier last October. Featuring second-year Performance Acting student and Canadian Screen Award winner Shailyn Pierre-Dixon as the lead role, Macy Murdoch will introduce a new generation of viewers to the renowned Murdoch Mysteries series.

For the last 11 years, Pierre-Dixon has demonstrated her talent as an actor by starring in a number of high-profile projects. She first gained recognition for her role in the Netflix mini-series The Book of Negroes and then went on to star in the blockbuster hit Suicide Squad, playing the role of Will Smith’s daughter. Most recently, Pierre-Dixon will be starring as Macy in the upcoming CBC Gem series Macy Murdoch. 

Inspiring a generation of storytellers

Macy Murdoch is a new tween spinoff of the popular television show Murdoch Mysteries. The show will consist of eight 11-minute episodes and is set to release in early 2023. Macy Murdoch will follow the adventures of Detective William Murdoch’s time-travelling great-great-great-granddaughter, Macy, played by Pierre Dixon. The show carries on the legacy of the original series while also inspiring a younger generation of viewers who are just discovering the world of Murdoch Mysteries.

Pierre-Dixon has worked with the production company behind the series, Shaftesbury Productions, for quite some time. So when she sent in her audition tape for the role, the producer and director were eager to see her audition over Zoom. The audition process was relatively short, and after wrapping up some chemistry tests with co-stars, she received news that she’d be playing Macy in the series.

Balancing passion and education

Pierre-Dixon recalled how the role came up at the perfect time. As Macy Murdoch is a short series, she was able to work on her passion while also having the opportunity to continue her studies at TMU. “Production wrapped up in two weeks, and it came at the perfect time for me,” commented Pierre-Dixon. “I wanted to stay in my program, but I also love to work, so working on a short series like this was exciting.”

“My favourite part about the entire process was honestly the time between takes,” remarked Pierre-Dixon. “It was a smaller crew, so I got really close with all of my castmates and the main crew, and these moments were always filled with laughter.”

Beginning at an early age, Pierre-Dixon realized early on that her aspirations for acting could become a budding career choice. Seeing her mother, who started acting a few months before she did, acting on set gave Pierre-Dixon the motivation she needed to begin. 

“My mom brought me to one of her commercial sets, and I was asked to be in the background,” said Pierre-Dixon. “I had already been modelling for a while, and when I got on set, I fell in love. I realized this is something I could see myself doing, and it’s been a passion ever since.”

She also remarked how valuable all of her performance classes were to developing her acting abilities. One, in particular, taught by Acting Professor Cynthia Ashperger, teaches students how to take their own life experiences and utilize those emotions for different situations. “When I was playing Macy, I wanted to come from a place of naturalism, and the skills I’ve learned throughout my degree have helped me to achieve this.”

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