Country Comfort arrives on Netflix today, introducing audiences to a family comedy with a musical twist. Katharine McPhee (Scorpion) stars as Bailey, a singer whose career has hit the rocks but whose life takes a turn when she becomes the nanny for a musically-inclined family.
Shiloh Verrico stars as Cassidy, and I spoke with her about the launch of the show, which is her first series regular role, as well as her own musical interests. Learn more about Shiloh in our interview below, then start streaming Country Comfort on Netflix today.
Brittany Frederick: How does it feel for you to see Country Comfort being released, since this is the first time you’ve been the star of a show?
Shiloh Verrico: It most definitely is very cool. Five years ago I dreamed of having a show, but I never actually thought that I would be at this place. Now I am counting down the days until it’s out, because I can’t wait to see how people respond to it.
BF: The role feels made for you since you’re also musically inclined. So was Cassidy an easy character to dive into?
SV: I am pretty sure this role was made for me because I have a big family. I am the youngest of five kids and Cassidy is one of five kids. And having a role where I get to sing and act was a huge opportunity—outside of theater, there aren’t many roles where you get to do both.
Shooting was challenging and exciting because I was filming in Hollywood, which is a dream, but it was also a bigger role and a more complex character than I had ever played [before]. I had a lot more lines and the script changed as the writers watched us rehearsing, seeing what worked and didn’t work, so that made it exciting to go each day. Every single day I would wake up and think I’m in LA right now, and have to almost pinch myself to believe it was real.
BF: How would you describe Cassidy? Is there something about her that you particularly connected with?
SV: Cassidy is the emotional center of the family. She is struggling to make sense of her mother’s death and has shut off anything, like music, that reminds her of her mother. She has some resentment over her dad having a new girlfriend and how her siblings have been able to mourn their mom and move on in life. She just hasn’t been able to do that.
I haven’t lost a parent or even anyone close to me so I had to really imagine what that would feel like in order to connect to that pain in Cassidy. Cassidy is also spunky and sassy which I can relate a lot more to, but like her, I can be sweet and sensitive.
BF: You’ve been interested in music since well before Country Comfort. Where did your love of music originally come from?
SV: I can’t remember when I didn’t sing or dance, I would give my dogs concerts in my backyard, singing at the top of my lungs. My mom actually has a video of me at three years old singing “Let It Go” from Frozen in my living room, doing all the actions that Elsa did in the movie. And it kind of went from there.
When I was about five years old, I started taking voice lessons because my mom realized if I was going to sing all of my favorite songs from the radio, I had to learn proper technique, so I didn’t damage my vocal chords.
BF: Do you have a favorite musical moment from the show, or a favorite moment overall that people should watch out for?
SV: I really love the very first episode, because everyone poured their heart and soul into it. We didn’t actually film it first, so we were able to get to know each other a lot better beforehand, which made it so much more genuine. I remember thinking that Ricardo [Hurtado, who plays Tuck] was really incredible in this one scene and it was so great watching how talented the whole cast was.
The episode with LeAnn Rimes will forever be one of the highlights of my life. To have two of the greatest singers, her and Katharine, in a scene where you get to sing along…need I say more?
BF: You also have a lot of interests outside of acting. So what do we need to know about you outside this character?
SV: I love rescuing and fostering dogs. We are fostering two eight-week-old puppies right now, but we have actually fostered for over four years. We even fostered a Pitbull named Texas that we pulled from the North Central Shelter in LA. We ended up paying someone to drive him from LA to New Jersey, where I live, when filming had to stop due to COVID because we didn’t want him to go back to the shelter. He is now adopted and living down the street from me.
I also love making scented candles, which I learned during quarantine. I love baking, and I actually have my own table mixer that I got for my birthday two years ago. And I love making slime. I just love anything artsy.
BF: What’s in your Netflix queue right now, other than your show?
SV: I love binge watching Stranger Things and have watched it over and over, I watch Pets 2 because anything Kevin Hart does is genius, Spirit Riding Free, and Selena with Madison Taylor Baez—oh wow, can she sing!
As soon as I log onto Netflix, I go straight to the New Releases section and start watching. There is always such a range of options in animation, in movies and series, and I love documentaries on unsolved crimes, too!
BF: Is there anything you want to say to people before they start watching Country Comfort?
SV: I just want them to sit down with their families or friends and be able to identify with the different characters and personalities. I think it has something for everyone: tons of humor, great music, drama, and music. I hope it gives people the chance to take a break from real life and escape to a nice family show.
Country Comfort is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.
Article content is (c)2020-2023 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram.
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