Karyn Dwyer

Although Karyn Dwyer has often been praised for her all American looks, this gifted actress is quick to point out she was actually born and raised in Newfoundland, Canada. She has worked in Canadian and American films and some Canadian television series but so far is best known for the hit independent film, Better Than Chocolate. The petite fiesty redhead has made a point of eschewing straightforward pretty-girl parts in favour of more intriguing ingénues and as a result, she's built an eclectic résumé; that runs the gamut from Shakespearean tragedy to modern day comedy and erotica. Often compared to Julianne Moore and Kate Winslet, fans agree that Karyn Dwyer is truly an original.

Related Topics:
Newfoundland - Canada - Better Than Chocolate - Julianne Moore - Kate Winslet

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Born in Newfoundland to an Irish Catholic family of five children, Dwyer came into her talent at the early age of 10 when she won the title role in Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador's production of Alice in Wonderland and went on to become a theatre veteran, while maintaining an A+ average. Upon graduating high school with honours, she turned down a journalism scholarship to the prestigious Carlton University in Ottawa and made the long hike to Toronto for Theatre School. When money ran out she got an agent and started appearing regularly in a wide range of film and television roles. Meanwhile she wrote and starred in her hilarious one woman show Bad Girls at The Rivoli, and played Phoebe in As You Like It for the internationally acclaimed theatre festival DuMaurier World Stage opposite distinguished stage veterans Seana McKenna and Albert Schultz. The actors had no rehearsal and were given cue scripts with only their own lines and three words of the line before, which was their cue to speak.

Related Topics:
Alice in Wonderland - Carlton University - As You Like It - DuMaurier World Stage - Albert Schultz

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Her first big break came when after a cross Canada search, the Newfoundland native won the starring role in Better Than Chocolate. Still a relative unknown, she had originally been brought in to audition for the smaller role of main character's girlfriend. She made an immediate impression on the film's director, Anne Wheeler, who asked her to do a cold read for the film's main character. Karyn beat out more than a hundred other hopefuls and lit up the screen in the starring role, propelling Better Than Chocolate to a 30 million dollar world box office. Young lesbians the world over both idolized and identified with Dwyer. Internet voters loved her performance in the stunningly memorable erotic body painting sequence, rating her lesbian love scenes the hottest ever. Better Than Chocolate ranked 31 on The Hollywood Reporters list of best independent films that year. It won numerous awards and earned Karyn a loyal cult following when it became one of Canada's highest grossing English speaking movies of all time. The Chicago Tribune raved, "The highlight of the movie is unquestionably Dwyer's performance as Maggie. She brings a sexy intelligence to the role of a floating 19 year old trying to find a place to land that keeps us rooting for her?It may well be that Better Than Chocolate will be remembered as the film that kick starts her career."

Related Topics:
Better Than Chocolate - Anne Wheeler - The Hollywood Reporter - Chicago Tribune

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Dwyer immediately followed it up with a big budget American comedy, Lorne Michael's Superstar. In it she as a mean cheerleader opposite Molly Shannon and Will Ferrell. But then tragedy struck. The oldest of five siblings, Dwyer had already lost her father to cancer when she was 10. Now, after the swell of unexpected attention surrounding Better Than Chocolate and Superstar, Dwyer's brother tragically passed away. She then spent the next three years advocating programs to fight her brother's illness and was eager to spend time with her family and retreat into theatre and critically praised but little-seen independent short films.

Related Topics:
Lorne Michael - Superstar - Molly Shannon - Will Ferrell - Cancer - Advocating

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On stage, she played the title role in Native Earth's Romeo and Juliet, performance artist Sooze in Eric Bogosian's Suburbia and originated the role of Carrie, a junkie prostitute in the extremely innovative and experimental Exercises in Depravity, opposite R.H. Thompson performed in the bathroom of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Dwyer joked, "Exercises in Depravity was big hit. We were sold out every night... Of course, there was only room for 12 audience members." One night, during the monologue where Dwyer's character burns out her own eyes, an audience member fainted and had to be carried out. Other audience members assumed it was part of the show.

Related Topics:
Romeo and Juliet - Eric Bogosian - R.H. Thompson

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The little-seen but critically praised independent short films award winning shorts Pony, "Polished" and "Dying Like Ophelia" really opened eyes to Dwyer's ability. She delivered on her earlier promise with another endearing performance in Pony based on White Biting Dog by two time Governor General Award winning playwright Judith Thompson as a dead girl who tries to ease her father's grief. Dwyer is nicely understated in Polished, garnering praise from critics such as Film Threat who said "What shines best (no pun intended) is shoe shiner Karyn Dwyer. She has all the characteristics of the typical working class stiff with a likeable honesty." But it was her gritty and heart wrenching performance in Dying Like Ophelia based on Lion in the Streets also by Thompson, that cemented the fact that Dwyer had indeed matured into a genuinely gifted actor. For it she temporarily gained weight to convincingly transform herself into a young working class mother dying of cancer who yearns for a beautiful death like Millais's famous painting of Ophelia in stark contrast to the ugliness of her grim reality. In the film, she tries to persuade her mortified friend to help her carry out her plans; in real life, Dwyer volunteers for a telephone support line in Toronto and has received extensive training in suicide prevention.

Related Topics:
Pony - Polished - Dying Like Ophelia - White Biting Dog - Governor General Award - Judith Thompson - Film Threat - Lion in the Streets - Millais - Ophelia

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Her extraordinary performances in low budget Dogma-styled features Flit and The Right Way are admired on the underground film screening circuit but producers are waiting to release them.

Related Topics:
Dogma - The Right Way

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Although she has so far eschewed more mainstream production she continues to gain critical acclaim and increasing underground popularity if the steadily growing number of fan sites dedicated to her is any indication, playing roles, both large and small, in independent film and highly innovative theatre productions. She continues to select somewhat dark, idiosyncratically funny roles that surprise critics and audiences alike. When asked about her selection, she insists that she has no agenda but merely tries to pick to the best scripts available and work with people she respects.

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Most recently she teamed up with Anne Wheeler again to guest star in the awarding winning Canadian series This is Wonderland. Reportedly, when Wheeler offered her the role she told Dwyer she wanted her to look completely unrecognizable from Better Than Chocolate. Dwyer eschewed personal vanity and bravely decided to cut her trademark red ringlets short on half her head and shave the other half her head for an asymmetrical effect appropriate for this extreme character that only the likes of Dwyer could pull off. Although the show's style is very theatrical, her performance was so rooted in the truth it allowed her to believably take the character to many extremes, both hilarious and poignant for a bold and accomplished performance.

Related Topics:
Anne Wheeler - Better Than Chocolate

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Despite much curiosity about her love life, Dwyer has managed to stay out of celebrity gossip rags. She is quoted as saying, "I prefer to keep my private life private. When an audience watches me, I want them to be able to see the character I'm playing, and not be thinking about whether I'm dating Ellen Degeneres or Ben Affleck... But I am thinking about "coming out" as a straight woman."

Related Topics:
Ellen Degeneres - Ben Affleck

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Although she seems to be more focused on her craft than her stardom, Karyn's warmth and exceptional ability to connect with audiences will always keep her in demand by directors concerned with talent and originality.

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