For the majority of Karin Konoval鈥檚 film and television career, she鈥檚 been a proud chameleon.
The 麻豆传媒映画actress was already a veteran stage performer when she started booking significant screen roles in 2006, and she quickly became known as The Special Effects Actress 鈥� a highly physical thespian with a knack for disappearing into complex, sometimes non-human, roles.
Konoval portrayed an orangutan named Maurice in three Planet of the Apes films, basing much of her performance on a real-life orangutan named Towan. Last December, she won a UBCP/ACTRA award for the dual role of Chucky and Judy Poundstone in The X-Files.
Now, as Konoval is inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame (joining Juno Award-winning musician Colin James and Ballet BC artistic director Emily Molnar among the 2019 inductees), she increasingly finds herself shedding her chameleon skin.
Konoval鈥檚 career transformation is happening, in part, on the most watched drama in the world: The Good Doctor, which has a global audience of 50 million viewers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 interesting to be on screen in a role where I鈥檓 not disguised in some way,鈥� Konoval says about playing Nurse Deena Petringa on the ABC medical procedural. 鈥淯sually I disappear into a role completely and no one recognizes me on the street. That鈥檚 starting to change. I don鈥檛 know where it鈥檚 headed. It鈥檚 a learning experience and I鈥檓 grateful to be making a living and to keep learning as an actor in every situation I鈥檓 in.鈥�
Teachers have been central to Konoval鈥檚 career journey 鈥� from the fifth grade teacher who encouraged her to write stories as if her life depended on it, to renowned Canadian author and professor emeritus Rudy Wiebe, who taught her how to craft and edit stories, and finally to Towan the orangutan, who not only influenced and inspired her performance in Planet of the Apes, but shaped her world view.
鈥淭here鈥檚 something about the power and stillness and insight of orangutans that I鈥檝e never experienced elsewhere,鈥� says Konoval. 鈥淚 often ask myself, 鈥業 wonder what Towan would do about this?鈥欌��
Towan 鈥� who resided at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle 鈥� died in 2016 at the age of 48, but his passing didn鈥檛 spell the end of Konoval鈥檚 relationship with orangutans. She fosters nine orangutans through various organizations, attends conservation conferences around the world, and every couple of months, she heads south for a couple of days to collaborate on paintings with a 47-year-old female orangutan named Melati.
鈥淥nce you become familiar with orangutans, once you have the experience of that connection, all you can really do is say thank you forever,鈥� says Konoval.
Konoval was born in Baltimore and raised in Edmonton, where she studied dance and dreamed of being a prima ballerina until she realized she was unlikely to move beyond the corps de ballet. She was enrolled in a languages program at the University of Alberta when she was bitten by the acting bug 鈥� and in the early 1980s, she graduated from a 麻豆传媒映画acting school and threw herself into the local theatre scene.
Konoval worked steadily in the musical theatre realm for the first 25 years of her career. She wasn鈥檛 truly interested in film and television gigs until 2006, when she landed a leading role in an independent feature.
鈥淔inally I felt what it was like to work within the ensemble of the crew and the cast and to feel the magic at the heart of it,鈥� says Konoval. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I fell in love with the process of filmmaking.鈥�
Speaking of love, Konoval has mad love for The X-Files鈥� showrunner Chris Carter and executive producer Glen Morgan. The duo created the fan favourite characters of Chucky and Judy Poundstone (from a season 11 episode entitled 鈥淧lus One鈥�) especially for her.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a gift of a role,鈥� says Konoval. 鈥淭hey wanted me to do it as close to without makeup of any sort. There鈥檚 no wig. They made me some sideburns and a moustache. They just cleared everything off and let me go at it and supported me to do it. I could play Chucky until the cows come home.鈥� 听
Besides The Good Doctor, Konoval will be somewhat recognizable as a character named Dr. Pelton in the highly anticipated series, Snowpiercer, which debuts on TBS in the spring of 2020.
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