Schitt's Creek star Emily Hampshire on her love of Scotland and why Martin Compston is 'like Justin Bieber'

Schitt's Creek star Emily Hampshire chats to Graham Falk ahead of the world premiere of her new film 'Mom' at Glasgow FrightFest this weekend

Emily Hampshire is in Glasgow this week ahead of the world premiere of her new film 'Mom'.

Playing Stevie Budd in hit TV series Schitt's Creek and, more recently, Rose Mason in the Edinburgh-based show The Rig, Emily Hampshire became one of the most loved and recognised faces in television over the past decade.

Flying in from Toronto the day prior to the world premiere of her new horror film 'Mom' this Saturday at the Glasgow Film Theatre, the Canadian actress had arranged to meet with The Scotsman at the Dakota Hotel near the city centre.

While she admits to being a little jetlagged, Hampshire's delight at being in Scotland is endearing, infectious and clearly masks any sign of tiredness she'd be forgiven for having.

"I feel extra specially excited because it's Scotland," she says. "I have fallen in love with Scotland and the people here. I have made such good friends here, so for this to be the place that premieres any movie I'm in - it feels like being welcomed home in a lovely way."

Emily Hampshire starred in Edinburgh-based TV hit The Rig with Scottish actors Martin Compston and Iain Glen.

The Montreal local is in Glasgow for the world premiere of her new psychological horror film 'Mom', which screens as part of FrightFest at Glasgow Film Theatre this Saturday. Akin to recent horrors such as Insidious and The Babadook, 'Mom' sees the Canadian star in the role of Meredith, a mother left alone to contend with a sinister entity determined to make her re-experience personal tragedies on repeat in order to tear her from her family for good.

Asked how she feels about seeing the real time reaction to her role at the weekend, a beaming smile comes across Hampshire's face, clearly eager to see how people respond to a horror film that she says delivers an important message on a subject that can often be taboo.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing it with an audience as I've only just recently seen the movie," she says. "It's a horror film about postpartum/postnatal depression and why I wanted to do the movie is it's a subject matter that I think people don't talk about. I like to do anything serious and either attack it through comedy or through a sub-genre that can illuminate it without being pretentious.

"I really feel like horror is the perfect genre for this subject - like the monster is in your head. I find the most terrifying things in movies are almost psychological. I'm excited to see the reaction - good or bad.

"The things that always terrified me the most growing up was real people. Like the people you trust are actually evil - that kind of thing. I never got scared by slashers. I'm obsessed with true crime series - that stuff fascinates me, what makes a person like that, which is why this movie works for me. What I'm most afraid of is losing your mind. I spoke to a lot of new mothers ahead of this movie.

Hampshire is a serial award winner for her role on CBC's hit TV series 'Schitt's Creek'.

"One woman said to me 'when you're pregnant, it is like you're a celebrity' and everybody is like 'oh, look at you, you're glowing'. But the minute you have the baby, you're completely forgotten about. All you're good for is feeding the baby and so many women felt like things like breast feeding wasn't natural for them when it is supposed to be so natural. A lot of women don't talk about that and you're supposed to just do this natural thing, but since nobody talks about it, people can feel ashamed. It was a subject I thought was important and it was done in an interesting way.

"To be able to have the opportunity to choose only comes from the type of success I had with Schitt's Creek. I feel so grateful to that. Having worked in Canada for a while, it is blue collar. You're not famous in Canada, so you get to work a lot without your career going up and down - you just keep working. When we started Schitt's Creek, I assumed it would be a hit straight out of the gate with Katherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy. But nobody knew about it until it was over. Success isn't about breaking out, it is about what opportunities it can give you next - that has been the greatest thing."

Her first visit since filming The Rig with Scottish actors Martin Compston and Iain Glen, Hampshire admits she can't wait to catch up with her co-stars over the weekend either. However, she admits dining with Compston can often feel like she has had an audience with a well-known pop star - such is his celebrity status in Glasgow.

"When we filmed the first season of The Rig, it was in the height of Covid, so we had this sense of being with this group of people in a real lockdown and love each other kind of way," she says. "We formed this bond, especially me, Iain and Martin. I can't even talk about without getting getting a lump in my throat.

"I love them so much. What I really felt with them, and I think it has something to do with being Scottish and is similar to Canada, is that you can make fun of yourself and when they make fun of you, it means they like you. I'm going to see Martin tonight.

"Martin Compston is like Justin Bieber here. Scotland has this perfect thing where you don't yourself too seriously, but you're supported."

- Mom screens at Glasgow Film Theatre tomorrow (March 9) at 10:30am. The trailer is available to watch here with the final few tickets for the Saturday screening available here.