It was kind of a homecoming for Canadian actress Emilia McCarthy.
The 26-year-old was in North Bay in early June for the filming of season two of SkyMed; a medical drama that airs on Paramount+ and CBC Gem among other international services.
McCarthy plays a character named Madison Van Camp in the Piazza Entertainment series.
"Madison got over her head in a relationship with one of the pilots and so there's a lot of drama and a lot of fun - love triangle-like fun, stuff like that," said McCarthy in an interview with BayToday.
Season two of SkyMed does not have a launch date announced yet. Season one which was shot in Manitoba, was released in the summer of 2022.
"I can't say too much about what happens in the second season. But in the first season, I'm definitely a part of a lot of the drama, which is fun," added the young actress who worked alongside Cate Blanchett in the Golden Globe Award-winning Babel in 2006.
But for the London-born actress - who also has Mexican roots through her mother Margarita De Antuñano - North Bay is a special place.
Her father, Barry McCarthy grew up in North Bay and moved to southwestern Ontario in 1980. However, Barry's father, and Emilia's grandfather Douglas McCarthy was a WWII veteran who was the player-coach of the 1957 North Bay Browns Supply Ontario Fastball Championship team recognized by the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame.
"There's that connection, but I've never been here before, so the show kind of brought me here, so it was kind of serendipitous," she said.
McCarthy says it has been great to have her dad in North Bay during the filming as he has been able to give her a nostalgic look at some of her family history.
"My Dad showed me all the things that I would not have known had meaning behind them. I drive to the set every day and I've passed by these houses countless times, and I had no idea it was where he used to live," she said.
"You know, we drive by the military base over there, and I didn't know all the meaning so it kind of brings meaning to being here and it's full circle."
But perhaps the highlight was for Emilia to see a picture of her grandpa in the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame in Memorial Gardens.
"It's a pretty neat wall," she said.
"It is definitely impressive. There are a lot of faces in there. And so it's cool to see someone who's related to me."
McCarthy, who had been living in Los Angeles for the past year, recognizes why North Bay has got the nickname "Hollywood North."
"I just love the community-based, small-town essence of North Bay, and the beach is beautiful," she said.
"We are lucky enough to be so close to the beach. So on our off days, we get a group together and go to the beach and it's lovely."
McCarthy also recognized the versatility North Bay offers for filmmakers.
"Places are a lot easier to get to and from our show," she said.
"We have the planes, and the different locations depending on what is going on in the episode. We have the beautiful water and the forest, so it gives us a lot of range for filming."
With those North Bay roots rediscovered McCarthy will likely be pretty enthused if SkyMed, or another film production she's involved with in the future, decided to bring her back to her family home of North Bay once again.
