Emily Hampshire: The Life Story Behind the Stevie Budd Star
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Emily Hampshire is the actress who played Stevie Budd in Schitt’s Creek, and she did it in a way that made a quiet character feel essential. Stevie was the owner of the motel where the Rose family lived, a young woman who was dry, funny, and sad, a person who had stayed in a small town while others left, and who was learning how to want more from life. Hampshire played her with a calm that made the audience trust her, and with a humour that made her lovable. She was in the show for six seasons, from 2015 to 2020, and she became one of its most popular characters. Fans loved her for it, and they still talk about her work today. She was not the loudest person on the show. She was the steadiest, and that steadiness made her stand out.
She was born in Montreal, Quebec, and she grew up in a Canada where acting was not always an easy living. She started acting when she was still a teenager, and she learned the business from the inside, taking small roles and learning how a set worked. She appeared in Boy Meets Girl, a film about a young man who falls in love, and in Snow Cake, a drama about a man who meets a woman with autism, and she learned how to play characters who were different, who were honest, and who were real. By the time she was in her thirties, she was a working actress with a growing list of credits, and she was ready for a bigger role. Schitt’s Creek was that role, and it changed her life.
What makes her story worth telling is the way she built her career, one job at a time, without a shortcut. She did not become famous overnight. She worked in Canadian film, she worked in American television, and she learned how to act in every kind of story. She has played a motel owner, a time traveller, a mother, and a friend, and she has done it with a calm that makes each character feel real. She is also a person who cares about her work, who chooses her roles carefully, and who keeps her private life private. This is the story of how a girl from Montreal became one of Canada’s most respected actresses, and how she kept growing long after the cameras first found her.
A Montreal Childhood and an Early Love of Acting
Emily Hampshire was born on 29 August 1981 in Montreal, Quebec, a city known for its French culture, its cold winters, and its love of art. Montreal in the nineteen eighties was a lively place, full of music, theatre, and film, and it was a good place to grow up. Her family was not part of the entertainment world, but Montreal was full of it, and a girl who was interested in acting did not have far to look. Hampshire was a lively child, good at school, and interested in performing. She liked to act, she liked to make people laugh, and she liked to tell stories. That love of performing would shape her whole life, but she did not know it yet. She was just a girl who liked to act, and who was good at it.
As a teenager, she became interested in acting, and she began to take classes and to try out for small parts. She was not the kind of young person who wanted fame for its own sake. She wanted to learn how to act, and she wanted to see if she could make a living from it. She went to school in Montreal, and she began to look for work there. Montreal in those years was full of film and television work, and there were many small roles for Canadian actors. Hampshire took the ones she could get, and she learned from each one. She learned how a set worked, how to take direction, and how to make a small part feel real. She was still a teenager, and she was still learning, but she was learning fast.
Her first major role came in Boy Meets Girl, a Canadian film from 1998, in which she played Angelina, a young woman who falls in love with a young man who is trying to find his way. The film was a comedy and a drama, and it was about young people in Montreal, trying to live and love in a city that was changing fast. Hampshire played Angelina with a warmth that made the audience love her, and with a humour that made her fun to watch. She was still a teenager, and she was already a working actress. That is a good start, and it is one that many actors never get. The film was shown at festivals, and it gave her a name that casting directors knew.
Her childhood matters because it explains the way she has always worked. She did not grow up dreaming of red carpets, and she did not come from a family that pushed her into acting. She came to it because she loved it, and she has kept that love ever since. She is not an actress who talks about herself all the time. She is an actress who does the work, and then goes home. That quiet way has stayed with her for her whole career, and it is part of why people like working with her. She is professional, she is prepared, and she is kind to the people around her. The girl from Montreal was becoming a working actress, and the working actress was about to get her first big break.
Boy Meets Girl, Snow Cake, and the First Films
Boy Meets Girl was Hampshire’s first major role, and it taught her the basics of film acting. The film was made in Montreal, and it was about young people, about love, and about the city itself. She learned how to be ready when the camera was ready, how to do the same scene again and again until it was right, and how to work with other young actors who were also learning. She also learned how to live with a schedule that left little time for a normal teenage life. She was going to school and working at the same time, and that takes discipline. She was still a teenager, and she was already learning the craft that would carry her for the next twenty-five years.
In 2006, she appeared in Snow Cake, a drama film starring Alan Rickman and Sigourney Weaver, in which she played Vivienne, a young woman who is killed in a car accident at the start of the film, and whose death changes the lives of the people around her. It was a small role, but it was an important one, because the film was a serious drama, and it was watched by audiences around the world. Hampshire played Vivienne with a warmth that made the audience care about her, even though she was only on screen for a short time. She learned how to make a small part feel big, and that is a rare skill. Many actors need a large role to be noticed. Hampshire could be noticed in a small one, because she brought so much to it.
She also appeared in other Canadian films and television shows, building her credits one at a time, and learning how to work with different directors and different casts. She was not in a hurry, and she was not desperate for any role. She was willing to wait for the right one, and that patience would serve her well when Schitt’s Creek arrived. She was building a career slowly, one job at a time, and she was building it on good work. She did not know it yet, but the years of small work were making her ready. She was learning how to play characters who were different, who were honest, and who were real, and that is a skill that would help her for the rest of her life.
By the early two thousands, she was a working actress with a growing list of credits in both Canada and the United States. She had appeared in films and in television, and she was learning the craft. She was ready for a bigger role, and that role was coming. It would be Jennifer Goines, and then Stevie Budd, and both of them would change her life. The years of small work had not been wasted. They had made her ready, and when the chance arrived, she took it with both hands. The girl from Montreal was becoming a star, and the star was about to be seen by millions.
12 Monkeys and the Role of Jennifer Goines
In 2015, Emily Hampshire was cast as Jennifer Goines in 12 Monkeys, a science fiction series for Syfy based on the film of the same name, about a time traveller who tries to stop a plague that destroys the world. The show ran for four seasons, until 2018, and Hampshire was in it for all four. She played Jennifer as a woman who was brilliant, funny, and mad, a mathematician who had been locked in a mental hospital, and who knew things about time that no one else knew. She played the role with a wild energy that made the character unforgettable, and with a sadness that made her real. Fans loved her for it, and they still talk about her work today. She was not a quiet character. She was loud, she was strange, and she was wonderful.
Jennifer Goines was a different kind of character from the ones Hampshire had played before. She was not a normal person. She was a genius who had been hurt, a woman who laughed when she should have cried, and who cried when she should have laughed. Hampshire played her with a courage that surprised people who had only known her from small film roles. She was not afraid to be strange, and she was not afraid to be funny in a dark way. She made Jennifer feel like a whole person, not a collection of quirks, and that is why fans loved her. She was the most unpredictable person on the show, and Hampshire played her that way, every week, for four seasons.
Playing Jennifer also meant working with a cast of actors who were playing time travellers, and Hampshire learned how to play a character who was in many different times at once. She had to remember what Jennifer knew in each episode, and what she did not know yet, and she had to play that with honesty. That is hard acting, and she did it well. She also learned how to play comedy and drama in the same scene, because Jennifer was a character who could be funny one moment and serious the next. That range is hard to play, and Hampshire played it well. She made Jennifer feel like a whole person, and that is why fans still talk about her today.
When 12 Monkeys ended in 2018, after four seasons, Hampshire had given four years to the role, and she had become a star in the science fiction world. She had also become a part of television history, because Jennifer Goines is now one of the most loved characters in the show. She left the show with gratitude, and she moved on to new work, but she has always spoken warmly about 12 Monkeys and about the people she worked with there. It was the job that showed the world what she could do, and it was the job that taught her how to lead a show. She would use that lesson in everything that came next, and the next job would be the biggest one yet.
Schitt’s Creek and Becoming Stevie Budd
In 2015, the same year she joined 12 Monkeys, Emily Hampshire was cast as Stevie Budd in Schitt’s Creek, a comedy series created by Eugene Levy and Dan Levy, about a rich family who loses everything and has to live in a small town called Schitt’s Creek. The show starred Eugene Levy as Johnny Rose, Catherine O’Hara as Moira Rose, Dan Levy as David Rose, and Annie Murphy as Alexis Rose. Hampshire played Stevie as the owner of the Rosebud Motel, where the family lived, a young woman who was dry, funny, and sad, a person who had stayed in a small town while others left, and who was learning how to want more from life. She was in the show for six seasons, until it ended in 2020, and she became one of its most popular characters.
Stevie was a different kind of character from Jennifer Goines. Jennifer was loud, strange, and wild. Stevie was quiet, dry, and still. Hampshire played her with a calm that made the character believable, and with a humour that made her lovable. She wore a cap, she worked at the front desk, and she answered the phone with a sigh. She was not a glamorous hero. She was a working woman, and that made her real. Fans saw themselves in her, and they loved her for it. She was the person in the town who kept the Roses grounded, and Hampshire played her that way. Over six seasons, Stevie grew from a woman who did not want anything into a woman who wanted a business, a home, and a life of her own. That growth was real, and Hampshire played it with honesty.
Playing Stevie also meant working with the Levy family, and Hampshire learned how to play comedy in a new way. She learned how to be funny without trying too hard, how to listen to other actors, and how to let a scene breathe. She also learned how to play drama in the same scene, because Stevie was a character who could be funny one moment and sad the next. That range is hard to play, and Hampshire played it well. She made Stevie feel like a whole person, not a collection of traits, and that is why fans still talk about her today. She was not a side character. She was a person, and Hampshire gave her a life. Her friendship with David Rose, and her singing in the show, became some of the most loved moments in Schitt’s Creek.
When Schitt’s Creek ended in 2020, after six seasons, Hampshire had given six years to the role, and she had become a star. She had also become a part of television history, because Stevie Budd is now one of the most loved characters in the show. She left the show with gratitude, and she moved on to new work, but she has always spoken warmly about Schitt’s Creek and about the people she worked with there. It was the job that made her famous, and it was the job that taught her how to lead a show. She would use that lesson in everything that came next. The girl from Montreal had become a star, and the star was about to be seen in a whole new world.
After Schitt’s Creek: New Roles and a Different Path
After Schitt’s Creek, Hampshire looked for roles that were different from Stevie Budd. She took roles in television and in film, looking for work that interested her, not just work that would make her famous. She played characters who were older, who had harder lives, and who had to make difficult choices. She was growing as an actress, and she was willing to take risks. She was not in a hurry, and she was not desperate for any role. She was willing to wait for the right one, and that patience would serve her well. She was building a career that was not tied to one show or one character. She was building a career that was about her, about her skill, and about her ability to play many kinds of people.
She has also appeared in the series Chapelwaite, a horror drama based on a story by Stephen King, in which she played a new character, and in other shows that let her play different kinds of women. She was not trying to repeat Stevie. She was trying to show that she could play many kinds of people. That is a brave choice, because many actors would stay with the role that made them famous. Hampshire chose to grow, and that choice has shaped the rest of her career. She is still working, still learning, and still finding new ways to tell stories. Her best work may still be ahead of her, and that is a hopeful thought for anyone who has followed her career from the start.
Her work after Schitt’s Creek has been steady and varied, and it has shown that she is not a one-role actress. She can play a motel owner, a time traveller, a mother, and a friend, and she can make each one feel real. That range is rare, and it is the reason she keeps working. Directors know that she will be prepared, that she will do the work well, and that she will treat everyone on the set with respect. That reputation is worth more than any award, because it is what keeps a person working for decades. She has earned it, and it is part of her legacy. She is not only known for Stevie Budd. She is known for being a professional, and that is a fine thing to be known for.
She has also become a voice for honesty, speaking openly about her own life, about her relationships, and about the importance of being yourself. She was engaged to the singer Teddy Geiger, and that engagement later ended, and she has spoken about it with honesty and with kindness. She does not present herself as a victim. She presents herself as a person who had a relationship, who learned from it, and who moved on. That is a powerful message, and it has helped many people who have heard it. In a world where many famous people hide their struggles, her honesty is refreshing, and it is brave. She is not only an actress. She is a person who cares about others, and who uses her fame to help the things she believes in.
A Quiet Life and Work That Matters Now
Today, Emily Hampshire lives a quiet life, and she keeps her private world to herself. She has spoken about her family, about her love of Montreal, and about her wish to live a normal life away from the cameras. She is not a person who shares everything on social media, and she does not seek attention for its own sake. She works when she has work she believes in, and she spends the rest of her time with the people she loves. That balance is something she has worked hard to keep, and it is part of why she has lasted so long in a business that burns many people out. She is a woman who needs to work, and to love, and to live. That is enough for her, and it is a wise way to live.
As she moves into the next part of her career, she has the freedom to choose. She can act, she can produce, and she can tell the stories she cares about. She has the experience, she has the skill, and she has the audience. That is a good place to be, and it is a place she has earned through years of hard work. The girl from Montreal who played Stevie Budd is now a woman who makes her own work, and that is a story worth telling. She is still growing, still learning, and still finding new ways to tell stories. Her best work may still be ahead of her, and that is a hopeful thought for anyone who has followed her career from the start. She is not a star who burned bright and faded. She is a star who has kept shining, year after year, because she has built her career on good work and on good choices.
My Take:
When I think about Emily Hampshire, the first thing I think about is dry humour, and how powerful it can be when it is done well. Stevie Budd did not shout, she did not laugh loudly, and she did not try to be funny. She was funny because she was honest, because she said the true thing in a few words, and because she did not care whether people laughed or not. Hampshire played her that way, and it worked, because the audience trusted her. They knew that when Stevie spoke, she was telling the truth. I admire that, because it takes confidence to be quiet when everyone else is loud. It takes a person who knows what she is doing, and who does not need to prove it by shouting. Hampshire knows what she is doing, and she does not need to prove it.
I think about Stevie Budd, and I think about how hard it must have been to play a character who is both funny and sad. Stevie was a young woman who had stayed in a small town while others left, a woman who owned a motel, and who was learning how to want more from life. Hampshire played her with a calm that made the character believable, and with a sadness that made her real. Over six seasons, she turned Stevie from a woman who did not want anything into a woman who wanted a business, a home, and a life of her own. That is brilliant acting, and it is the kind of acting that only comes from a person who has thought deeply about the character. She did not just learn lines. She built a person, and that person is now part of television history.
I also think about Jennifer Goines, because she was the opposite of Stevie. Jennifer was loud, strange, and wild, a genius who had been hurt, and who laughed when she should have cried. Hampshire played her with a courage that surprised people who had only known her from small film roles. She was not afraid to be strange, and she was not afraid to be funny in a dark way. I think that is a brave thing to do, because many actors are afraid to look foolish. Hampshire was not afraid. She trusted the character, she trusted herself, and she made Jennifer unforgettable. That is a rare achievement, and it is one that will last. Long after the show is over, people will still talk about Jennifer Goines, and they will still talk about the actress who played her.
I think about the years before Schitt’s Creek, and about how she built her career one job at a time. She started in Boy Meets Girl, she worked in Snow Cake, she worked in 12 Monkeys, and she learned how to play many kinds of people. She did not become famous overnight, and she did not try to. She worked, she learned, and she waited. That patience is the first thing I admire about her, and it is the thing I keep coming back to when I think about her life. She did not need to be famous at twenty. She needed to be good, and she was willing to wait for the world to notice. That is a wise way to live, and it is a way that many young people should try.
I think about Snow Cake, and I think it showed a different side of her. Vivienne was a young woman who died at the start of the film, and Hampshire played her with a warmth that made the audience care about her, even though she was only on screen for a short time. That is a hard thing to do, because a small role can easily be forgotten. Hampshire did not let it be forgotten. She brought so much to it that people remembered her, and they asked who she was. I admire that, because it shows a person who understands acting. Acting is not about the size of the role. It is about what you bring to it, and Hampshire brings a lot to every role, big or small.
I think about her private life, and I respect the way she has kept it private. She does not share everything, she does not chase attention, and she does not need the world to watch her every day. She works, she goes home, and she lives her life. That is a choice, and it is a wise one, because a life lived for the cameras is not a life at all. She has kept a part of herself for herself, and I think that is why she has stayed sane in a business that makes many people lose their way. I admire that quiet, and I think more people should try it. She is not a star who needs to be seen. She is a woman who needs to work, and to love, and to live.
I think about what a young actress could learn from her, and the lesson is clear. Learn the craft, take the small roles, do them well, and do not be in a hurry. Be patient, be prepared, and be ready when the big role comes. When it comes, play it as if it were your own, because it is yours. And when it ends, do not try to repeat it. Move on, try something new, and keep growing. Hampshire did all of that, and she built a career that has lasted for more than twenty-five years. That is not luck. That is a life built on purpose, and it is a life worth learning from.
I think about the future, and I hope she keeps working, because she has the skill and the experience to tell stories that matter. I would like to see her play more motel owners, more time travellers, more mothers, and more women who are trying to do the right thing. She has shown that she can do that work well, and I think the world needs more of it. She has the freedom to choose now, and I hope she chooses the stories that mean the most to her. That is how good work is made, and it is how a good career continues. She has the experience, she has the skill, and she has the audience. That is a good place to be, and it is a place she has earned.
In the end, I think Emily Hampshire teaches us that a quiet character can be the most important one in a show. She was quiet as Stevie Budd, she was quiet in her early films, and she is quiet in her private life, and yet she has built a career that has lasted for more than twenty-five years. That is not an accident. It is the result of a person who knows who she is, who does the work well, and who does not need to shout to be heard. I admire that, and I think her story is worth telling, not because it is perfect, but because it is real. A real story, told honestly, is always worth telling, and hers is one of the most honest I know.
I keep coming back to the idea of steadiness, because it is the word that fits her best. She was steady as a teenager in Boy Meets Girl, steady as Jennifer Goines, and steady as Stevie Budd. She was steady when the work was hard, and steady when the work was good. Steadiness is not exciting, and it does not make headlines, but it is the quality that makes a career last. I would rather be steady than famous, and I think she would say the same. That is why I respect her, and why I think her story will still matter in twenty years.
One more thought stays with me, and it is about the girls who watched Schitt’s Creek and who saw themselves in Stevie Budd. For many of them, Stevie was the first character who showed them that a girl could be dry and funny, that she could stay in a small town and still want more, and that she could be a good person even when she was sarcastic. Hampshire gave those girls that character, and she gave it to them with honesty. That is a gift, and it is a gift that lasts longer than any award. I think she knows that, and I think it is part of why she keeps working. She knows that stories matter, and that the people who watch them matter, and she takes that seriously.
I also think about the way she treats the people she works with, because that is a thing that actors on a set always notice. A kind actor can make a set a good place to work, and a cruel one can make it a bad place. Hampshire has a good name on sets, and people who have worked with her say that she listens, that she is prepared, and that she treats the crew with respect. That good name is not something that can be bought. It is earned, day by day, over many years. She has earned it, and it is part of her legacy. She is not only known for Stevie Budd. She is known for being a professional, and that is a fine thing to be known for.
I think about the long view, too, and about what her career will look like in ten years. She is still able to play many kinds of roles, and she is experienced enough to lead a show. That combination is powerful, and it gives her a freedom that few actors have. She does not have to wait for someone to offer her a job. She can choose the jobs she wants, and she can tell the stories she cares about. I hope she does that, and I hope she tells stories about women who are strong, about families, and about the world as it really is. She has the skill to do it, and she has the audience to watch it.
I think about the motel, and about what it meant to Stevie. The Rosebud Motel was not a glamorous place. It was a small motel in a small town, with a front desk, a phone, and a sign that needed fixing. Hampshire played Stevie as a woman who owned that motel, and who took pride in it, even when it was not much. That is a lesson for anyone who does a job that is not glamorous. If you take pride in it, and you do it well, people will see that pride, and they will respect you for it. Stevie took pride in her motel, and Hampshire took pride in playing her, and that pride shows in every episode. It is a small thing, but it is a real thing, and it is why the character is still loved.
I also think about the singing, because Stevie sang in Schitt’s Creek, and Hampshire sang with a voice that was soft and true. She sang at the motel, she sang at a party, and she sang with David, and those moments became some of the most loved in the show. I think that is because singing is a vulnerable thing, and Hampshire was willing to be vulnerable. She did not hide behind a joke. She sang, and she let the audience hear her. That takes courage, and it is a courage that many actors do not have. She has it, and she used it, and the show was better for it.
One more thought stays with me, and it is about the rain in the picture of her, the wet street and the neon lights. That picture feels like her work: a woman standing in the rain, looking at the lights, not running away. Hampshire has spent her career standing in the rain, in one way or another, doing the hard job while others watch from inside. I admire that, because it is easy to stay dry, and it is hard to stand in the rain. She stands in it, and she does the work, and she does not complain. That is a fine way to live, and it is a fine way to work.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Emily Hampshire born?
Emily Hampshire was born on 29 August 1981 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and she began acting as a teenager in Canadian film.
What role did Emily Hampshire play in Schitt’s Creek?
She played Stevie Budd, the owner of the Rosebud Motel, in Schitt’s Creek, a comedy series that ran for six seasons from 2015 to 2020.
What role did Emily Hampshire play in 12 Monkeys?
She played Jennifer Goines, a brilliant and unpredictable mathematician, in 12 Monkeys, a science fiction series that ran from 2015 to 2018.
What was Emily Hampshire’s first major film role?
Her first major role was Angelina in Boy Meets Girl, a Canadian film from 1998 about young people in Montreal.
Did Emily Hampshire appear in Snow Cake?
Yes, she played Vivienne in Snow Cake, a drama film from 2006 starring Alan Rickman and Sigourney Weaver.
Is Emily Hampshire still acting?
Yes, she continues to act in television and film, including roles in Chapelwaite and other dramas after Schitt’s Creek.
Was Emily Hampshire engaged to Teddy Geiger?
Yes, she was engaged to the singer Teddy Geiger, and that engagement later ended, and she has spoken about it with honesty.
