Red carpet secrets from Schitt's Creek's Emily Hampshire

Schitt's Creek star Emily Hampshire has been walking a lot of red carpets this year! Now that the sixth and final season of Schitt's Creek is airing, cast and crew are basking in the glow of its astronomical popularity, culminating in a slew of awards show nominations and wins — including the Primetime Emmy Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Critics Choice Awards, Satellite Awards, MTV Movie Awards and GlAAD Media, to name a few. As such, Montreal native Hampshire has been making the rounds on some of the biggest nights in the biz and killing it with look after look. 

I got to have a quick chat with her about some of her personal highlights from the last few months and, of course, I had to get a few of her beauty and fashion red carpet secrets. 

Congratulations on co-starring in one of this year's funniest Super Bowl commercials!

It's actually my first commercial ever! It's not that I avoided commercials in the past, it's just that I tried earlier in my career but I was so bad at selling anything. But what's great about this Tide commercial is that they just wanted me to be myself. I'm lazy and I do procrastinate about laundry! It's very on brand. Then to be in an actual commercial with Charlie Day!? I'm a big fan of Charlie Day. 

Tell me about award season, how has it been?

Woo not bad at all, it's been amazing. Well, you know award season is Moira's favourite season!

What have been some highlights for you?

So many things, like at the SAG awards when Nicole Kidman asked us to take a picture with us. Nicole Kidman! Or when Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson stopped by our table and said, "We want to be at the Schitt's Creek table." Insane! Kelsey Grammer and wife also came over to say hi. So many people we've watched and admired have come up and said that they are fans of ours.

That's amazing, is this just all a whirlwind or are you being present?

I think the fact that the show got success later on was perfect. We had time with the show to ourselves, we fell in love with characters whether anyone else did or not. I've been in this industry since I was 12 years old. I've come to learn it's a luxury to be a sort of blue collar celebrity in Canada. It makes you more humble. All of that makes it so that I can be more present now. 

You've been killing it on the carpet. What have been some memorable looks for you?

That LADYtux from Strike Oil I really loved. It's mostly memorable because I met Charlie Day from the commercial in that tux. We hugged in that tux!

Can you dish on any fashion tricks you've picked up on the award circuit?

Yes! Okay, so at the 2019 Emmys the shoes I wore were the most torture on my feet I had ever felt in my whole life! I never wanted that pain again. So now I go to Amazon and I find super high [heeled] running shoes. Like high sneakers. You can't see them under my dresses and they're so comfortable. Why suffer?

What about any beauty secrets?

Makeup artists like to give you a little kit with all the makeup you're wearing. But clutches are so tiny. It's like they're made for Polly Pocket! What I've found [to be] awesome are Z palettes that allow you to take a scoop of lipstick, a little scoop of concealer or whatever and then it fits in your clutch. Before that I would use these flat little dental containers that I could put bits of gloss and stuff on.

Next up for Hampshire is the release of the psychological horror movie Home, a film that she stars in and executive produced.

The sixth and final season of Schitt's Creek airs on Tuesday nights 9/9:30NT on CBC TV and CBC Gem

Nneka Elliott (@nnekaelliott) is a lifestyle blogger and actor. She shares her adventures with hair, skincare and makeup in her pursuit of a gutsy life. nnekaelliott.com