A Miller's Tale

My phone conversation with Gabrielle Miller, star of the immensely popular and amusing Corner Gas and the upcoming“dramedy” Robson Arms, begins with a discussion of her shows.

The Vancouver, BC-born Miller is enthused to be associated with both productions and says, “For me, it’s an incredible feeling to be able to do such great work in Canada and to be part of shows that I’m so proud of.”

Miller’s acting schedule is hectic: During 2004, she spent part of the year shooting Robson Arms, which is set in Vancouver’s West End, and then worked on Corner Gas, filmed in Rouleau and Regina, Saskatchewan. When Miller wrapped up those shows, she headed to Los Angeles to work on several other projects, including guest spots and feature films.

Back to Her Roots

To cope with her frenetic work pace, the 30-year-old actress says she has revisited the nutrition and health knowledge her parents imparted to her when she was a child.

Miller was raised in a vegetarian environment by parents who fed their children natural foods rather than nutritionally deficient processed offerings. She notes that vegetarian families weren’t all that typical 20 or 30 years ago.

“What we were doing then was really different,” Miller says. “We didn’t drink store-bought milk. Our family would drive out to a farm near White Rock just to get goat’s milk.”

Being vegetarian as a child created some humorous moments in Miller’s life. “Once in a while,” she recalls, “my mother would take all us kids to McDonald’s, and we would order McDLTs without the meat. This was before veggie burgers. It was hilarious; people couldn’t believe we would order a burger without the meat. Now it just seems so normal. Luckily, my mother was dedicated to providing us with a strong nutritional foundation.”

Miller did have a nutritional rebellion, though. “It was a different story when I went out on my own as teenager,” she says. “I didn’t eat as well as I should have. But I’ve gone back to my roots and now I’m actually listening to much of what my mother was telling me when I was younger.”

“In my life, I strive for balance and happiness in my career and my home life,” says Miller. “The basis for achieving this is to support my body, nutritionally and physically, so that I have the strength to deal with the day-to-day stresses.”

Her parents’ influence has spread to her kitchen. Miller’s mother has maintained live vegetarian food kitchens over the years and now, Miller says, “I’m starting to sprout veggies and grains, and I’ve been enjoying a raw foods cookbook I’ve recently bought.”

Besides trying the recipes from Raw, The Uncook Book: New Vegetarian Food for Life (Regan Books, 1999) co-authored by Chef Juliano Brotman and Erika Lenkert, Miller has also highlighted her stay in California by visiting the author’s well-known Santa Monica restaurant, Juliano’s Raw and sampling its exotic raw vegetarian foods.

Time for Fitness?

Even with her busy schedule, Miller still finds time to exercise. “My boyfriend Toby and I really love being in nature so we do a lot of bike riding and hiking. I’m also learning how to surf while I’m in Los Angeles.” Miller also enjoys Pilates and yoga and tries to keep her exercise regimen interesting and fresh. She even took her skateboard to Regina, but didn’t use it. “I decided to wait until we finished filming because I didn’t think they’d be very happy if I showed up on the set with a skinned face and bruises all over my body.”

Now that she is one of Canada’s busiest actresses, Miller might not be able to ride her skateboard any time soon. Corner Gas continues to garner rave reviews and increased ratings, while Robson Arms, which is set to premiere later this year with its stellar cast of actors,
writers, and directors, has all the makings of a hit show.

An Attitude of Gratitude

As our conversation draws to a close, Miller sums up her attitude toward life: “I try to have fun and not to take things too seriously. It’s not always easy to do–this is something I’m working on, just letting the little stuff slide and being thankful for being alive in this beautiful world.”