Episode 374: Bethany Brown
Bethany Brown starred in one of the most highly anticipated features at the 2026 Vancouver International Film Festival: Gloria Mercer’s queer erotic crime thriller, A Safe Distance, which also stars “friend of the pod” Cody Kearsley and the phenomenally talented Tandia Mercedes. Bethany was nominated for a 2026 UBCP/ACTRA Award for her work in A Safe Distance playing a cubicle worker turned sexually adventurous, gun-toting badass – and she was also nominated (in the voice category) for her work in a very different kind of project: Colin Matthews’ blistering short film, Never Use Alone, about an overdose intervention hotline operator played by another longtime “friend of the pod” Chelah Horsdal and the cascade of life-or-death calls she handles over one harrowing night. One of those calls is voiced by Bethany. The film has already won a slew of awards – including four Leos earlier this year – and it will soon have its premiere on Telus Optik TV.
Last year, Bethany fans rejoiced when she joined Murder in a Small Town in the incredibly nuanced role of corporal Laila Jackson, a dedicated but deeply flawed officer from Minneapolis. She’s also had some great roles in The Good Doctor, The Astronauts, The 100, and The Flash, as well as festive fare and thrillers. Animation fans know and love Bethany for her work in projects with Lego, as well as The Treebees, Strawberry Shortcake, and Littlest Pet Shop.
In this wide-ranging conversation with Sabrina Rani-Kiperchuk Furminger, Bethany talks A Safe Distance, Never Use Alone, Murder in a Small Town (spoiler: she loves working with “BFF of the pod” Amanda Tapping), the fun of the voice booth, and the remarkable journey through this industry that brought her to this moment.
CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains frank talk about addiction. Please don’t use drugs alone. In Canada, call the National Overdose Response Service (NORS) 24/7/365: 1 888 688 6677 & https://www.nors.ca/
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RELATED LINKS
https://www.asafedistancefilm.com/
https://viff.org/whats-on/viff26-a-safe-distance/
http://www.NeverUseAloneFilm.com
https://www.yvrscreenscene.com/home/2026/9/21/episode-371-an-amanda-tapping-extravaganza
ADDICTION & MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES LINKS
CANADA: The National Overdose Response Service (NORS) 24/7/365: 1 888 688 6677 and https://www.nors.ca/
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/substance-use/supervised-consumption-sites.html
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/substance-use/get-help-with-substance-use.html
https://www.calltimementalhealth.com/
https://www.crisiscentre.bc.ca/
https://kidshelpphone.ca/
https://www.drugrehab.ca/
https://capsa.ca/peer-support/
https://www.aa.org/
https://canaacna.org/
SOCIAL MEDIA
https://www.instagram.com/bethanybrown/
https://www.instagram.com/tandiamercedes/
https://www.instagram.com/codykearsley/
https://www.instagram.com/doctorgloria/
https://www.instagram.com/asafedistancefilm/
https://www.instagram.com/seehorsefilms/
https://www.instagram.com/neverusealonefilm/
https://www.instagram.com/colinwmatthews/
https://www.instagram.com/chelahhorsdal
https://www.instagram.com/ubcp_actra/
https://www.facebook.com/YVRScreenScene/
http://www.instagram.com/yvrscreenscene
http://www.instagram.com/sabrinarmf
https://www.threads.com/@sabrinarmf
CREDITS
Host and executive producer: Sabrina Rani-Kiperchuk Furminger
Editor: Simon Furminger
Producer: Paul Furminger
Patreon ad reader: Mariana Furminger
Original music: Dane Deviller
