CINDY BUSBY IS TRUSTING THE NEXT CHAPTER
The When Hope Calls star opens up about the series’ arrival on Netflix, her years on Heartland, resilience, animal rescue, and what she’s learned about trusting where life takes her.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY FARRAH AVIVA
“I’VE LEARNED HOW TO BE MORE PRESENT, PATIENT, LAUGH MORE, WATCH FOR UNSPOKEN CUES, SLOW DOWN, AND ENJOY LIFE’S SIMPLE PLEASURES.”
CINDY BUSBY, ACTRESS AND SINGER
Cindy Busby has spent more than two decades building a career around characters audiences have come to know and love. From Ashley Stanton on the long-running Canadian series Heartland to leading roles in Unleashing Mr. Darcy, Royal Hearts and more than 20 film and television projects, she has moved between drama, romance and comedy while becoming a familiar presence to audiences around the world.
It is a long way from the little girl growing up in Montreal who already knew she wanted to act, long before she could have known what that dream would require of her or where it might ultimately lead. Busby entered the industry without an obvious roadmap or a network of connections to guide her. She studied theater, pursued the opportunities in front of her, and continued showing up through the auditions, disappointments, and stretches of uncertainty that come with a career built on possibility. Over time, the childhood dream became something tangible, although the path toward it was rarely as straightforward as it might have appeared from the outside.
Heartland became one of those defining chapters, with Busby growing and changing alongside Ashley Stanton as the character navigated her own complicated journey. The series introduced her to an audience that continued to follow her long after her time on the show. What followed brought new characters, new challenges, and experiences that shaped not only the actress she became, but the woman behind the roles. There is a particular kind of perspective that comes with looking back on a career that has unfolded over so much time, especially when you remember what it felt like before there was any certainty that the dream would become a reality.
Today, Busby is in another meaningful chapter as Nora Anderson on When Hope Calls, the When Calls the Heart spin-off now reaching a new audience on Netflix in the U.S., with its fourth season currently in production. Nora is intelligent, independent, and deeply capable, but her strength is balanced by a tenderness that allows her story to explore something more universal than professional ambition. Family, community, hope and the search for a place where we feel understood and truly belong sit at the heart of the series. As it reaches a wider audience, those themes feel particularly relevant at a time when so many of us are reconsidering what home, connection and a meaningful life actually look like.
Away from the camera, some of Busby’s most meaningful lessons have come from a much smaller presence in her life: her rescue dog, Suzie. Her relationship with Suzie has become part of a deeper commitment to animal welfare, including supporting rescue efforts and donating the proceeds from her Cameo appearances to animal rescues, turning something deeply personal into an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of animals that might otherwise go unseen.
Perhaps that is what makes this moment in Busby’s life so interesting. After spending years stepping into the stories of other women, the life she is building away from the camera carries a different kind of significance. Success can begin to mean something different with time. So can strength, ambition, and even our idea of what makes a fulfilling life. The things we once believed we needed to chase can become less important, while the relationships, experiences and ordinary moments we once overlooked begin to matter more.
For Busby, the next chapter seems less about proving what she is capable of and more about remaining open to where life, work and the unexpected opportunities in between might lead. After years spent entering unfamiliar worlds and bringing other women’s stories to life, there is something fitting about this stage of her career being accompanied by a deeper curiosity about her own story, what she has learned along the way and what she wants to carry with her into whatever comes next.
We spoke with Cindy Busby about growing up alongside Heartland’s Ashley Stanton, finding Nora Anderson in When Hope Calls, navigating rejection, the lessons Suzie has brought into her life, and what it means to keep believing in yourself even when you cannot yet see exactly where the story is going.
“LIFE ISN’T PERFECT, BUT I CONSISTENTLY CHOOSE TO SHOW UP FOR THOSE I LOVE WHEN IT’S EASY AND ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S HARD.”
You knew from a young age that you wanted to act. When you think about that little girl growing up in Montreal, what do you think she knew about herself before you had the words for it?
My younger self knew that she loved to perform and the feeling that came with it. She loved to know she was making an impact on people’s lives through entertainment. The transformation I felt when creating a character felt invigorating and that inspiration is what kept fueling my passion to keep going.
You built your career without an obvious roadmap or industry connections. Were there moments when you wondered whether it was really going to happen? What helped you keep believing in yourself?
I’ve had many moments throughout my career when I’ve questioned whether I should keep going, what is this all for, and why am I putting myself through this. However, my passion for the work outweighed those doubtful moments. It’s a knowingness from within that this career was the only option for me. Like a spiritual mission that I felt so deeply that nothing could stand in the way but time.
Heartland became such an important chapter in your career, and you were growing and changing alongside Ashley Stanton. Looking back now, what did playing Ashley teach you about yourself?
Getting to play Ashley Stanton in Heartland gave me the validation that I could do this, I could be a working actor. It gave me consistency, confidence and clarity. Ashley taught me that we are so much deeper than our stereotypes and it’s never too late to be the change that we wish to see.
After more than two decades in the industry and so many leading roles, do you ever stop and think, “I actually built the career I dreamed about”? Or do you still feel like you’re figuring out where it might take you?
I absolutely take moments to feel gratitude for how far I’ve come. It’s in these moments that I am invigorated to keep going and create new goals for myself. I never take my career or the life I’ve created for granted and it’s through appreciation that I’m able to see the greater picture.
When Hope Calls is now reaching a new audience on Netflix. What do you hope people discovering Nora Anderson for the first time connect with in her? And has playing Nora changed anything in you?
I hope that new audiences see the humanness in Nora. Her strength in starting over, her perseverance in becoming a female lawyer in 1920, and her kindness and love for the people of Brookfield. Nora is a deep well of wisdom and she is truly a light in the show and I have no doubt that audiences will learn through her. I am growing alongside Nora and I wouldn’t say she has changed me, but rather, has awakened things in me that I had yet to look at before.
“I’VE LEARNED TO TRUST IN MY JOURNEY AND TRUST THAT WHAT IS MEANT FOR ME WILL NOT MISS ME.”
So much of When Hope Calls is about hope, family and finding where you belong. What does belonging mean to you in your life today?
Belonging to me means acceptance and love of myself. That no matter where I go or who I am with I have my internal guidance always with me. Trusting that everything is happening for me and that I belong simply because I am here and that’s all I need to know.
Rejection is such a difficult part of acting because it’s hard not to take it personally. How did you learn to hear “no” without letting it change how you saw yourself?
I never really resonated with the word rejection as I know that there are so many factors involved in the casting process that are completely out of my control. I’ve learned to trust in my journey and trust that what is meant for me will not miss me.
Your love for animals has become such an important part of your life, especially since adopting Suzie. What has she taught you about yourself?
As long as I can remember, animals have always had a special place in my heart. Suzie certainly solidified the empathy and love I already had. Beyond learning about the animal shelter crisis all over the country and the importance of adopting animals, she has taught me unconditional love and companionship. I’ve learned how to be more present, patient, laugh more, watch for unspoken cues, slow down, and enjoy life’s simple pleasures.
You’ve accomplished so much professionally, but I’m curious about the things people don’t see. What are you proudest of in your life that would never appear on your IMDb page?
I’m most proud of the daughter, friend, sister, wife, co-star and dog mom that I am every day. Life isn’t perfect, but I consistently choose to show up for those I love when it’s easy and especially when it’s hard. Connection is what I value most in life.
There may be a woman reading this who feels behind, or who thought her life would look different by now. What would you want to tell her?
You never know what’s around the corner, so trust in the greater picture. Everyone has their own timeline and no two stories are alike. Be grateful for what you do have and keep envisioning what you want without limiting yourself on how you get there. There’s more than one way and always leave a little room for life’s magic.
