Jenny Cooper isn鈥檛 a real person, but you wouldn鈥檛 know it from the way Serinda Swan talks about her.
鈥淚 love Jenny鈥檚 strength,鈥� Swan says. 鈥淚 love her weakness. I love her exploration of who she is.鈥�
The Vancouver-born actress portrays Dr. Jenny Cooper on Coroner, the CBC鈥檚 Toronto-shot crime procedural based on the series of books by British novelist Matthew Hall. Coroner 鈥� which premiered earlier this month 鈥攆ollows the personal and professional exploits of Dr. Cooper in the aftermath of her husband鈥檚 unexpected death.
Swan鈥檚 filmography includes plum roles in Marvel鈥檚 Inhumans, Ballers, Smallville and Graceland. But she鈥檚 breaking new ground and having the time of her life in Jenny鈥檚 coroner scrubs 鈥� and in lifting the character beyond the usual crime procedural clich茅s.
鈥淭his is one of the first jobs that actually lets me explore my artistry, as opposed to just being a commodity,鈥� Swan says. 鈥淎 lot of my roles in the past have been very shiny 鈥� 鈥榊ou can be as good of an actor as you want, but make sure you鈥檙e pretty鈥� 鈥� and this was the first one where I was like, 鈥榊eah, OK, so I鈥檓 going to do a really ugly cry face, or you know what鈥檚 not going to be cute? This angle of my face, because I put on weight for the show and I feel frumpy and weird and that鈥檚 her life right now, that鈥檚 how she is.鈥欌��
What Swan loves most about Jenny is the fact that 鈥� unlike most on-screen characters but exactly like living, breathing human beings 鈥� she contains multitudes. Jenny鈥檚 a recent widow, an ER doctor turned coroner, a mom and a trauma survivor who relies on Ativan and therapy to manage her panic attacks.
Jenny鈥檚 panic attacks often rear themselves during inopportune moments, like in Monday鈥檚 episode, when she鈥檚 newly arrived at the scene of a homicide.
鈥淚n that scene, I鈥檓 completely incapacitated, and then I鈥檓 completely capable, because I get on a phone call and talk to my colleague,鈥� Swan says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 still capability, and there鈥檚 still a human being that can have all these emotions and one doesn鈥檛 cancel out the other. She can still be a coroner and be professional while her personal life is falling apart. She can still be very strong in her personal life while her professional life is falling apart. It鈥檚 not one or the other.鈥�
We鈥檝e heard that representation matters with regards to cultural identity, sexual orientation and gender 鈥� and it matters in the realm of mental health, too. Coroner鈥檚 nuanced depiction of mental illness is already impacting a lot of viewers, according to Swan, who notes that she鈥檚 received feedback from fans who appreciate her accurate portrayal of panic attacks and PTSD.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not making it melodramatic, or putting Sarah McLachlan music behind it,鈥� she says.
Swan鈥檚 time in Jenny鈥檚 shoes has taught her a lot about her own flesh and bones. 鈥淚 think I could be a coroner,鈥� she says. 鈥淎pparently internal organs and the workings of the body are very intriguing to me. I saw an actual autopsy to prepare myself for this role, and I was enthralled with the body and it made me realize, for 34 years I鈥檝e been in this body but I really have no idea what鈥檚 going on in it, and how the interior is so much more important than the exterior.鈥�
Coroners perform a beautiful service in society, Swan says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e the undertakers, but they鈥檙e also the dignity-holders. They give dignity to these deceased beings.鈥�
鈥淚 also learned that I really hate maggots, so that was fun,鈥� she adds.
Coroneralso stars 麻豆传媒映画actor Roger Cross (Continuum, Dark Matter) as a detective who works with Jenny to solve murders; Ehren Kassam (Degrassi: Next Class) as Jenny鈥檚 teenaged son; and Quebec actor 脡ric Bruneau as Jenny鈥檚 lover, a war vet who lives in a tree house and, like the coroner, wrestles with the effects of past trauma.
Coroner airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on CBC Television. Stream Coroner anytime at .
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