Below ... and beyond: What's next for N.L. actor Willow Kean

“I’m glad this is happening now that I’m in my 50s and not when I was 20,” said actor Willow Kean.

Smash hit Netflix series has kept Kean on the move this fall

Lynette Adams · for CBC News

· Posted: Oct 23, 2026 4:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

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It’s a high-energy season for Willow Kean, who plays Ruth Penney, the harbourmaster with the heart of gold in Below.

The Netflix series, which premiered in October to top-ranking viewership in 70 countries, has been keeping her on the move this fall.

In September, she walked the red carpet and appeared on a panel at the Toronto International Film Festival alongside her co-stars Josh Hartnett, McKenzie Davis and Charlie Heaton.

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October sees her attending post-release receptions in Washington, D.C., and Ottawa. From the hired car services and first-class air travel to the stylist budget, she feels this role has shown her a new echelon of the acting work she loves.

"I’m glad this is happening now that I’m in my 50s and not when I was 20," Kean said.

Willow Kean, who plays harbourmaster Ruth Penney in Below, tries to manage her expectations after her big break on the Netflix series. "It’s kind of like, put your head down, get your work done, and hope for the best." (Lauren Vandenbrook/LV Imagery)

Preparation and timing

Just before she was hired for the Netflix project, Kean had decided to make a serious push in her acting career.

"I was like, look, you’re almost 50, get it together. Spruce up your resume, get some new headshots, get your reel together," she recalled. "I was ready when the work happened. They need your reel, here it is. They need a nice headshot, here it is."

Kean says she approaches the unpredictability of her career with tempered expectations.

"Because I’ve worked in casting, I know how it works," she said. "Just because you’ve had a hit TV show or movie, or you’ve done a scene with so-and-so, sometimes it means stuff, but other times it doesn’t."

She says she wants to be open to opportunities when they come and to try not to be too disappointed when things don’t go her way.

"I guess my plan is to just be ready if the work happens," she said.

What’s next?

A seasoned actor with decades of experience in local stage and screen, Kean says she has no high expectations that this role will propel her into a fully fledged Hollywood career.

"I’ve heard a lot of people say things like ‘this is your big break, you’re going to be working all the time,’ and I feel like that is not the right attitude to have in this business."

One small-but-significant shift Kean has made in her career since landing the role on Below is that she now has an agent.

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In the year since the series shoot wrapped, she has played a small role in Oddly Flowers, a forthcoming film directed by Jordan Canning and based on Jessica Grant’s novel, Come Thou Tortoise. Kean has also done some work on upcoming episodes of Canadian TV series.

The Netflix machine is a great machine," she said, "But at the end of the day, I’d just like to do some cool indie stuff. I don’t want to move to Toronto, but I’d love to do some stuff off island."

A family of creatives

She says her current pace suits her. Her recent success has led to interesting work opportunities, and she has also been able to spend time at home.

Her husband, Justin Simms, also works in the film industry, so the process of co-ordinating their work schedules with their child’s school and extracurricular schedule can be its own creative production.

"We’re lucky in that we do a lot of work from home," she said. "We lucked out last summer because I was on set a lot while he [Justin] was editing, so he was home and was able to do pick-ups and drop-offs. And then when fall kicked in, he had just had a documentary come out, so he was shooting more and I was home."

It’s been a productive season for both. Alongside the premiere of Below, the couple saw the release of Smash & Grab: The Rebel Lens of Mike Jones, a film Simms directed. Kean points out that their child is also getting a taste of show biz glamour.

"Our kid got to go to two film premieres in one week," she says. "He went to the Below screening here [in St. John’s], and then he went to Justin’s screening in Halifax."

A shift in rhythm

Moving into the cooler season, Kean looks forward to a return to the quieter aspects of her creative life. She’ll shift into editing mode as she prepares the script of her play, Supper Club, for publication in 2027 by Breakwater Books.

She also plans to get back to work on her second novel. Her debut, Eyes in Front When Running, was published by Breakwater in 2024.

"If you live in Newfoundland, your whole psyche is attached to the seasons," said Kean.

"I wrapped Below in October last year, just when it was getting cold. And now the show is up and running, and I’m like, now it’s time for tea and sweaters and turning on the heat in my office, and getting up in the morning and making coffee when it’s kind of dark and doing some writing."

She’s quick to add, "Not to say I wouldn’t jump at a gig in fall or winter.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lynette Adams is a Newfoundland-based freelance writer with interests in travel and the arts. She writes about her experiences as a travelling pet sitter on her Substack, Itinerant Cat Lady.