Actors Morgan Kohan with Richard Donat in a scene from the CTV series "Sullivan's Crossing". Kohan grew up in Summerland and is a Pen Hi graduate who is now staring in the show.

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Growing up in small-town Summerland, Morgan Kohan never dreamed she would one day become an internationally sought-after actress.

Ironically, during those formative years she actually had little interest in film or television. Back then it was dancing, not acting, that was her passion.

“I was a really cautious and quiet kid and dance is very much where I built my confidence, where I found my creative side,” said Kohan, who is now starring in the new CTV original drama series, “Sullivan’s Crossing,” based on the No. 1 New York Times bestselling book.

“I didn’t watch a lot of TV or film growing up and in the summer we had a (parent-imposed) TV allowance of two hours everyday. I also had all my friends in Penticton and Naramata, so I wasn’t home a lot.”

Added her mom Kim, “Kids will be glued to screens all day if you let them and I didn’t want that to be a thing.”

She added with a laugh, “It was a rule but it was pretty loose, but I just wanted them to search for other forms of entertainment outside of a screen.”

Morgan Kohan performs one of her dance routines on stage when she was a member of the Okanagan Dance Studios in her teens.

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When Morgan wasn’t taking lessons and performing for Penticton’s Okanagan Dance Studios, she was hiking and camping with family.

Taking extended trips on the back of one of her dad Mike’s Harley Davidson motorcycles was another of her favourite things to do as a kid.

It wasn’t until she graduated from Pen-Hi in 2011 and subsequent acceptance into the triple-threat program at Toronto’s Randolph College for the Performing Arts that acting became her career focus.

Morgan Kohan and co-star Scott Patterson in a scene from Sullivan's Crossing.

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The college’s triple threats are dancing, singing and acting. Successful students must excel in at least one of those disciplines and study all three if they are accepted.

“I definitely got in for my dancing,” recalled Kohan, who began school there at age 17 and now lives in Toronto. “As far as my singing, there was a lot to be desired. I had never acted before except in middle school so it was my introduction to acting and that’s where I fell in love with it.”

Interestingly, it was following a conversation on a New York City subway with her Penticton dance teacher and Randolph alumni, Shannon Cote, in her final year of high school, she decided to apply to the college.

When she was about seven years old Morgan Kohan loved to sit on her father Mike's Harley Davidson and go for rides.

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They were in New York with other ODS members to see the stage musical performance of “Billy Elliot” and it was after the show Cote told Morgan, “You can totally do this.”

And she did.

One person not surprised at Kohan’s success is Okanagan Dance Studio director Traci Bourne, who worked for years with Morgan at the studio.

“She was a very kind girl, confident, well spoken but humble and you could tell right away when she first came to us she had an extraordinary talent, in particular just a talented performer,” said Bourne. “She’s just someone who shines on stage and the stage loves her.

“She’s just done so incredibly well because she’s persevered. It’s just a testament to the person she is.”

After college, she quickly moved up through the ranks of struggling actors, but in her words, “It’s not been a straight shot by any means.

“I started searching classes myself for on-camera stuff and working in student and non-union films and some very random and questionable projects, never a dull moment.”

After kicking around that scene for a bit she landed a recurring role on the CBS series “Random” (2017-19) and never looked back.

In 2019 alone, she starred in three feature films and on the television side she was acclaimed for her time as Lillian in “When Hope Calls,” a Hallmark original series.

Just a few of her other credits include a weapons trader on “Star Trek: Discovery” (CBS), “Batwoman” (CW Network) and “Kim’s Convenience” (Netflix).

“Sullivan’s Crossing” debuted in mid-March and is about a Boston neurosurgeon, Maggie (Kohan), whose life disintegrates around her.

Maggie retreats back to the Nova Scotia campground where she grew up and it’s still operated by her estranged father.

“So it’s about her trying to navigate those relationships, with her father and the people in that community that she’s also distanced herself from,” said Kohan. “She’s trying to figure out who she is, that version of herself. She is in kind of a dark corner.”

Morgan Kohan (left) and actress Lindura perform during the CTV original series program "Sullivan's Crossing."

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/CTV

As she does in all her roles, the actress looks to find as much of herself in the character to bring that person to life.

“I’m obviously not a brain surgeon and I’m not estranged from my father by any means but you have to find different versions of yourself that you can connect to,” said Kohan.

“Like if I was to leave acting all of a sudden, how that would affect me, just try and bring everything back to me.”

But perhaps the closest tie to her character is when she returns to her own hometown for a visit like she did last Christmas.

“Coming back reminds you of whatever you were going through during that time,” said Kohan. “You get these little flashback of moments in your life, even if it’s the smell of something or if a certain song comes on the radio and puts you right back into that space. It’s just a flood of emotions and memories and that version of yourself back in the city crumbles just a little bit.”

In Kohan, CTV series executive producer Roma Roth found exactly what he was looking for in a leading lady.

“Someone who would be able to successfully bring to life the nuanced character of Maggie Sullivan,” he said. “Someone who would play the controlled perfectionist while still maintaining a warmth that would develop and grow as we get to know the character. Morgan Kohan was the perfect combination.

“She’s a strong actor who is able to hold her own alongside (co-stars) Chad Michael Murray (“One Tree Hill”) and Scott Patterson, (“Gilmore Girls”) two seasoned professionals. Morgan has the presence and range as an actress to really connect with her audience.”

“Sullivan’s Crossing” airs on CTV Sundays at 7 p.m.

— This story was originally published by the Penticton Herald.

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