I Spent Years Interviewing Celebrities About Their TV Roles. Then, “Murdoch Mysteries” Gave Me My Own Part on Screen (Exclusive)

• Canada's longest-running drama, Murdoch Mysteries, has welcomed Luann de Lesseps for a guest role, and PEOPLE is taking readers inside filming.

• PEOPLE Deputy News Director Dave Quinn opens up about the experience of making the episode, which premieres on Monday, April 7.

• Murdoch Mysteries airs on Ovation TV (U.S.), CBC (Canada) and will air later in 2025 on Acorn (U.S.) and on Alibi (U.K.).
  

Luann de Lesseps is going from unscripted to scripted for celebrated Canadian TV series Murdoch Mysteries — and this PEOPLE editor was by her side.

I, Dave Quinn, will be joining the Real Housewives of New York City icon as a guest star in the latest episode of the crime drama, which airs on Ovation TV in the U.S. on Monday, April 7.

The historical series follows the investigative work of William Murdoch, a detective in the Toronto Police service in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The show has been airing for 18 seasons since its debut in 2008, and is based on the Murdoch Mysteries novels by Maureen Jennings. It's Canada's longest-running drama series.

Related: Luann de Lesseps Looks Unrecognizable as She Guests in Murdoch Mysteries: 'A Real Blast from the Past' (Exclusive)

De Lesseps will be playing Noelle Victoria, the long-referenced but never-yet-seen wife of Toronto's corrupt Mayor Chadwick Vaughan. She crosses paths with Detective Murdoch amid his latest case, in the episode titled "The Body Electric."

By her side is her trusty assistant, played by me. He isn't named in the script, but I've created my own backstory for "assistant": Noelle Victoria — like any good diva — probably wouldn't take the time to learn his name despite his many loyal years of working for her.

How did this all come to be, you may be wondering? Well the story, as any good reality star would say, is something you couldn't dream up if you tried.

It began as a pitch to simply cover de Lesseps' guest role, though she wasn't even named in the original email from the show's publicity team. Instead, they teased that "an original RHONY cast member" would be guesting in the episode, and "performing a song" in the show's "Starlight Cabaret." They wondered, "would PEOPLE be interested in sending a reporter?"

As incentive, said journalist could also be a background actor in the scene — "in full costume, the whole thing."

Now, you don't have to be a detective like Murdoch to figure out who the email was referencing. Any Bravo fan knows that de Lesseps is the Queen of Cabaret, with multiple successful touring shows over the years and a songbook of beloved bops to her name.

But I'm not exactly any Bravo fan.

See, in my years of covering The Real Housewives (first for Entertainment Weekly and for the past near decade or so, for PEOPLE), I've become a bit of an expert on the acclaimed reality franchise and have built close personal bonds with many of the show's stars. I even wrote its official oral history, the No. 1 New York Times best seller Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside Story of The Real Housewives from the People Who Lived It. (Pardon the shameless plug — it's good for my self-confidence).

Anyway, that was the email. And when my colleague (who received the initial pitch) asked if I was interested, I immediately wrote back, "I bet it's Luann! Super fun, I would love to go if that's on the table."

Next thing I knew, conversations were underway to film in the fall of 2024. And then, almost as quickly, everything seemed to fall through as the Countess' touring schedule didn't align with production.

Disappointed, I moved on to the bevy of other reporting assignments in the queue. And just as I put the whole thing out of my mind, an email came through saying that everything was back on — with filming now set for the third week of December, right before Christmas.

Something had changed in the downtime, though. Now, de Lesseps would no longer be singing and I'd no longer have a background actor role. Instead, the Shaftesbury Films producers had decided to give me a speaking part, to play alongside de Lesseps.

“Do you have any acting experience?” they asked. 

I hesitated. Do I start rattling off all the leading roles I had in my high school musicals and plays nearly 30 years ago, I wondered? Or tell them I majored in theater in college? I had dreamed of being an actor back then, but aside from a few community productions after graduation, I never felt confident enough to try to make a career out of it. So I pivoted to journalism, leaning on my other degree (English) and using my knowledge of the craft to fuel my approach to interviews with talent for years to come. 

“Not on screen,” I said in response, knowing that was waaaaaay too much information to be throwing a stranger's way. “But I’m a quick study!”

The Murdoch script came a few days before I was slated to head to Canada. At the time it landed in my inbox, I was in the middle of a phone call with a Housewife who I had been telling about the opportunity.

“Open it,” she encouraged me. “We can read it together, I’ll be Luann! I can sing some of my lines and everything!”

I laughed, but didn’t indulge. The truth is, I knew the second I looked at the script, it would be impossible to think of anything else and I had too much work to do after our call.

Later that night, I pulled up the script and much to my surprise saw lines — way more lines than I ever thought I would have. There was actually a lot to work with. Noelle's assistant had clear motivation, a distinct perspective and plenty of personality. My character wasn’t just walking through the world of Murdoch; he was living in it, and I would have to live in the world of the show myself to pull it off.

There was even a nod to the title of my book in one of his lines. "Damn, Noelle Girard," I said to myself, after checking the name of the episode's skilled writer. "You really did that."

Luckily, the team behind Murdoch made it easy.

When I arrived in Toronto and sorted out my work permit with customs, I immediately went to Sullivan Studios, where the show has been filmed for years. The building houses the bulk of Murdoch's recurring practical sets, including the City morgue and Station House No. Four of the Toronto Constabulary, where our lead detective works.

There's also an extensive backlot for exteriors like Juliette's Ladies' Wear, J. Christianson Sporting Goods and Apparel, Scott's Dinner or the local watering hole, The Tipsy Ferret. It's the largest standing period set of its kind in Canada, and is designed in such a way that it can be shot from multiple angles to look like an expansive city.

"That's murder alley," my tour guide told me, pointing to one particular stretch of space where the show's victims are often found. "Let's not go down there, then," I joked.

In every step I took, it was clear that production designer Bob Sher and his team of skilled tradespeople had done an impeccable job. Every detail, down to the type of writing materials on the desk, is crafted to be of the period. Had it not been for the lights hanging from above, I would have thought I'd stepped into a time machine.

As fun as it was to see, I wasn't actually there for a set tour, but instead to get fitted for my character's garbs.

Lead costume designer Joanna Syrokomla had pre-selected a few pieces to choose from, based on the measurements I had previously sent her way. Once again, each suit, each shirt, each tie, each pair of shoes and each accessory were perfectly of the Victorian society period. And Syrokomla and her team of seamstresses ensure that they're custom-fit on cast members and background actors, too, tailoring the looks for each episode.

"How do you do keep track of it all?" I wondered. But Syrokomla, who has been on Murdoch since season 12, barely flinched. "Oh, this is nothing," she told me.

Just then, I peered behind her and caught a glimpse of the rows and rows of costumes taking up the rest of the room. Hats were hung from the ceiling under clothing racks cramped with men's and women's dressings of all kinds. There were clear plastic bins, too, for some of the more delicate items.

"It's a mess," Syrokomla laughed, after I told her how beautifully organized everything looked. "But over 18 seasons, we've amassed the largest collection of period pieces in Canada. And it's constantly growing, constantly evolving, as the show goes on and the time period changes."

I learned that even more when I met with Emmy-winning makeup artist Debi Drennan the next day for filming. "You want to keep the beard, don't you?" she asked me, as a look of panic rushed across my face up her implication that we shave it.

"Please?" I said in fear. "I haven't seen my jawline in a decade, I'm not sure it's even there anymore."

"Okay, but we're going to have to fill it in. Men never wore them that short back then," she said. "It's too modern."

Within 10 minutes, Drennan had worked her magic, giving me facial hair more suitable for 1912. Hairstylist Shirley Bond completed the look, gelling back my hair in a way I hadn't ever worn it before.

"Wow," I said, snapping a selfie after putting on my costume in my private trailer (with the name "Assistant" on the door). "We're really doing this!"

Filming for our scene didn't take place at Sullivan Studios, but on location about an hour away in Hamilton, where the series frequently shoots. A specific spot was needed, as — spoiler alert — the setting for our cameo involved the launch of a new public hydroelectric substation.

Arriving from base camp, I was quickly brought to a holding trailer with the show's actors including Thomas Craig (as Murdoch's boss Inspector Thomas Brackenreid), Mark Craven (as Mayor Vaughan) and Bea Santos (as Toronto Gazette journalist Louise Cherry). The scene's background ensemble was there, too, snacking on warm chili and sandwiches.

De Lesseps, meanwhile, was in her own private area around the corner. We all came together and shared a big hug when we made our way to the set.

"Darling you look fabulous," she told me after our embrace, complimenting my outfit before showing off her character's fur-lined jacket. "How beautiful is this? I like this coat so much, I might just have to take it home with me!"

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

That's also where I got to meet Yannick Bisson, who has been playing Murdoch throughout the series. He couldn't have been nicer, proving those Canadian stereotypes true.

"As an actor, jobs like this don't come around very often," he told me, as I asked him about the legacy of the series. "I feel very grateful, indeed."

While waiting to start, Bisson chatted with de Lesseps, admitting to her that his daughters are huge fans of the Real Housewives and were excited to hear he'd be working with her. "You must have them come to a cabaret," she told him. "I would love to meet them."

We all posed for pictures together, before director Peter Mitchell stepped in and ran us through the blocking of the scene.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

For the next hour and half or so, we did the scene over and over — I'd say less than 12 times but certainly more than six. I lost track of the final count because I was too busy trying to make sure I didn't mess up a take by doing something stupid, like going up on my lines or anything.

I had shown up to set that day fully off-book, of course, partly to look professional and mostly because I was terrified of forgetting them. While being carted back and forth between hair and makeup for most of the morning, I recited them over and over, trying to make sure I got the cadence of speech down properly and hoping to mask my native New York accent as best I could.

"Stay focused," I told myself, repeating RuPaul's mantra in my head. "And don't f--- it up!"

It all went far more smoothly than I ever would have thought. We rehearsed first, went back to our trailers, then came back to shoot the scene from multiple angles. Each time we'd wrap, Mitchell and the crew would reposition the cameras as hair, makeup and costuming would step in for touch-ups.

Consistency was key so that no matter what takes were chosen, they'd still make sense in the overall picture of the scene. Positions on the floor were taped so we knew where to perfectly hit our marks.

But it was also important to be flexible and in the moment — as I learned when, a few takes in, Craig ad-libbed a new line after one of mine. My first reaction was panic, before I realized the benefit of having something extra to work with. It also made me comfortable enough to start taking risks with my facial reactions to de Lesseps' actions. Noelle Victoria's assistant, after all, would have a lot of opinions, I figured.

Meanwhile, de Lesseps was ever the professional, nailing her performance take after take. "Wasn't this fun?" she said to me later, as we ate lunch with the cast and crew. "It's so much easier than Housewives, you know. I wish they'd give me a script and tell me what do to there!"

When we were done filming, I stopped to thank Mitchell for having me. He so kindly praised my performance, calling me "a natural" and telling me how he enjoyed the improvised moments I added (whew!).

"Well, I think Detective Watts needs a boyfriend," I teased, mentioning actor Daniel Maslany's character, who is gay. "Assistant is lonely in these streets of Toronto! It's 1912, help him out!"

"Maybe!" he laughed.

I was kidding, obviously. As great as the experience was, I am far more comfortable on this side of the business. I love my job, especially because it has afforded me the chance to hear first-hand from so many incredibly talented actors, creatives and TV personalities. They've trusted me for over 20 years in the business now to tell their stories, and I don't take any of that for granted.

But being an actor, even for just that day, scratched an itch for me of that dream deferred. It's a chance I'm equally grateful for, and something I know I'll never forget.

Murdoch Mysteries airs Monday, April 7 (at 8 p.m. ET) on Ovation TV (U.S.), on CBC (Canada), and will air later in 2025 on Acorn (U.S.) and on Alibi (U.K.).

Read the original article on People