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Gabrielle Miller

The name Gabrielle Miller is fast becoming a household one. Then again, so is the name Lacey Burrows. Oh, and wait: So, is Bobbi Briggs. Gabrielle Miller is one of those fortunate actors starring concurrently in not one but two, hot series – CTV’s Corner Gas and Robson Arms. Not only is Corner Gas – the highest rated comedy program in Canadian history – entering its fourth season and Robson Arms commencing its second, Gabrielle has garnered much in the way of professional recognition. When she isn’t portraying displaced Torontonian Lacey in small-town Saskatchewan, or displaced Prairie-girl Bobbi in Vancouver, Gabrielle is anything but sitting idly. As one of the founding members of the Shanti Miller Friendship Society – a microboard organization started in honour of her sister who lives with Cerebral Palsey – Gabrielle is passionately dedicated to the cause. And just when you think she couldn’t add anything else to her already-full plate, this successful multi-tasker has just wrapped up on her soon-to-be-released feature Love and Other Dilemmas.

Oh, and there’s also a very special little man in her life. His name is Duncan.

MD: You have a Yorkie named Duncan. How did you come up with that name?
GM: It was a big deal naming him. I had a very hard time. So hard that this local restaurant was planning a contest to help me name him! One day my roommate came home and was like: “Hey, what about Duncan?” It just suited him.

MD: Well, of course! He’s dunkable. So, why did you pick a Yorkie?
GM: I had done a pilot show in L.A. where, at the end of the show, I come home and my dog runs up to me. They had a bunch of dogs there to see which one was best. And I just fell in love with the Yorkie.

MD: Is there anything particularly quirky about Duncan’s personality?
GM: He always has the day I’m having. I got really sick with the flu once and he curled up in bed and stayed with me. He’s a very caring little man. And you know, he’s been through a lot. One day, he saw a dog across a busy street and he ran out and was hit by an SUV! He was in a coma for a week! He even lost his sight for a while. And now, he’s completely fine. He’s amazing!

MD: That’s an incredible story. I’m a small-dog person who is constantly defending their resilience to people who think small dogs are waifs!
GM: Nope, not Duncan!

MD: Does Duncan travel with you while you work?
GM: He has the best of all worlds. He travels really well on the plane. And sometimes, he stays with my parents. My step-dad takes him to work and even made him a sled so that he could pull him because otherwise Duncan would get lost in the snow! But I actually just bought a bungalow in Saskatchewan and I’m so excited because we’re going to have a great summer together. He’ll have a yard and he can come on the set (of Corner Gas) with me.

MD: What has been the biggest high about your success on Corner Gas and Robson Arms?
GM: It’s been incredible to get to do work I love so much, in Canada. And also, to have the chance to spend time with characters. Often as an actor, we do a series or a movie and that’s it. Being able to live with characters for as long as I have has been wonderful.

MD: Ultimately, where do you see yourself in ten years? And will there be a Yorkie by your side? GM: I just want to continue to do work that challenges and excites me. That’s an actor’s dream. I’d also like to direct one day. That’s kind of a future goal. And yes, I believe there will be a Yorkie at my side. Hopefully, it will still be Duncan.