‘Nurses’ Star Tiera Skovbye Is Taking Her Show Global

If you’re based in the United States, you probably know Tiera Skovbye best from her roles as Polly Cooper on The CW’s Riverdale, or Margot/Robin on Once Upon a Time. You might even recognize her as Young Betty Broderick on Dirty John‘s second season, or as Elizabeth Berkley in The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story.

But if you’re Canadian? She’s Grace Knight, star of the massive hit Nurses, which aired its first season on Canada’s Global starting back in January. Though a second season of the series has already been filmed, there’s a good chance American audiences will begin to recognize Skovbye as Grace Knight, as well: NBC will beginning airing the first season of the show for two weeks on Monday nights, starting tonight, before it moves to the plum spot following This is Us Tuesdays at 10/9c starting January 5.

“Sometimes, Canada feels like the little brother to the States,” Skovbye told Decider over the phone in advance of Nurses‘ NBC premiere. “We have to almost prove ourselves. To be a Canadian show, we’ve done two seasons in [Toronto], and then to be recognized on a big scale like NBC is everything we could hope for, making a show like this.”

The series — as you can probably figure out from the title — follows a group of nurses starting out at a newer hospital in downtown Toronto. Relatively unique to a series like this, Toronto isn’t standing in for New York, or Chicago, or a multitude of other cities… Nurses is filmed and set in Toronto, meaning while you’ll get all the regular drama and romantic entanglements you might expect from a medical drama, it’s also dealing with the Canadian healthcare system (don’t worry, fellow Americans, it’s pretty easy to follow).

Also unique is how Skovbye’s Grace and the rest of the diverse ensemble cast of nurses, including Natasha Calis, Jordan Johnson-Hinds, Sandy Sidhu and Donald Maclean Jr., aren’t the damaged genius doctors of your run-of-the-mill medical drama. Instead, they’re all starting out, and they’re all there to support and help. That kindness seeps through the series, and though there are plenty of twists and surprises, it’s much more about being there for others, than epic clashes and drama — a refreshing change that should help make Nurses as big of a hit here as it is to the North.

Decider discussed all this with Skovbye, plus her approach to Grace, filming Season 2 under COVID restrictions, a teensy little bit about her return to Riverdale, and much more.

Decider: You’ve been bumping around in TV and movies in supporting roles for awhile, but Grace on Nurses is your first ongoing lead. What was it like when you nabbed that role?

Tiera Skovbye: Oh, it was incredible. I have a video, if you look on my Instagram, where I get the phone call. I’m actually filming an audition tape when I find out that I booked it, and I just start crying immediately. It was incredible. I’ve been acting since I was a kid, and I’ve worked really hard. To get an opportunity like this is huge, and I don’t take it for granted at all. To be picked up on a U.S. network as well is just the cherry on top — it’s all so great.

You’ve done a ton of different projects, but I think for fans at least, you’re probably most identified with Once Upon A Time and Riverdale, two shows with massive, very intense fan bases and some wild storytelling. What was it like moving from those to a relatively more down-to-earth, taking place in a real world show like a medical drama?

It’s really fun. I loved being able to do and explore all sorts of different characters and worlds, I think that’s one of the most fun parts about my job. But it is nice, it’s nice to do something that’s based in reality. Also, with everything that’s going on right now, it’s so amazing and so timely. It’s such an honor to be able to tell these stories about these nurses and frontline workers right now. So it’s really the perfect time for a show like this.

One of the things that I liked about the show in particular was just how kind and supportive it was… On medical dramas you always have the genius doctors racing against time, trying to solve these medical mysteries. There’s a little bit of that medical mystery factor with Grace’s storyline, but mostly, it feels like Nurses is about you all being there for others. What does that bring to the characters, and what does that bring to the dynamic on set?

Yeah, I definitely think that what I like so much about the show is it shows all sides of failing, as well. And learning, and growing. I don’t think it’s so much about us being these time crunching miracle workers. You see how hard we work, and you see us make mistakes and learn and get better and grow, and grow into the nurses that we continue to become. I think we did such a good job with Season 1, really showcasing the growth and how hard everybody works in the show. That that was a really interesting thing to play with.

As the episodes go on, there’s certainly more interaction. But at least in the pilot, you essentially have everybody set up, and then they split off into their five different storylines. How does that impact filming? And how does that impact the camaraderie behind the scenes with the team, given that you’re all on these different, separate paths?

Yeah, it is definitely an ensemble show. But at times, we’ll go a couple of weeks without actually doing a scene together. It’s like, “Oh, hey! I know you’re here as much as I am, but I haven’t seen you in forever.” We all do have our own patients and our own storylines. But we all get along super well on set, and we’re all really good friends. Like during this last season, I lived with Natasha, who plays Ashley. We got along really great. Yeah, we wish we had more stuff together. But the scenes that we do have as a group are so much fun.

Despite being friends in real life, you and Natasha spend the first couple of episodes either not interacting at all or outright hating each other. What was it like playing that? How did your friendship develop?

Yeah, that was so funny. I remember us reading the first script and being like, “No, we hate each other! What? I thought we were going to be friends.” There’s a couple incidents in Season 2 where we butt heads as well. I think it’s always funny for Natasha and I — because we do get along so, so well — that the scenes are almost, like, we have to really act and be serious around each other. Because we’re so comfortable and so goofy. It’s definitely fun to play that. And it’s even more of a challenge if you’re friends with someone.

Grace is definitely the anchor for the show. She’s narrating, her plotlines push a lot of the main drama. But at the same time, at least initially, she’s not necessarily the anchor for the group. How does that affect the dynamic? Being the lead of the show, but not being the lead of the group of the show, if that makes sense.

Yeah, what I really liked is that throughout Season 1, you really get to see Grace. She comes in, she’s done this before, she’s no bullshit. She very much is like, “Well, I’m here. I know what I’m doing. I’m here to have a job and work. And if I make friends, whatever.” And what’s really cool is you get to see her realize that she needs these people, and relies on them and depends on them to get through the things that she goes through in Season 1 — and just the job in general. You get to see them evolve throughout the season and really become friends, and need each other more than when they start.

There’s so much going on internally with her at the beginning, and certainly, we spool out what’s been actually happening with her as the show continues. But what is it like as you’re approaching those scenes, holding all those emotions and thoughts in? You can almost see everything bubbling up, right below the surface of your face, at times.

It’s always a struggle. I feel like you have to kind of almost get there emotionally and then put a whole bunch of stuff on top of it to make it just at the surface. But it’s interesting. What I like so much about playing her was that she pushes those feelings and her personal stuff down so much so that she can be the best nurse she can be, and provide the best care for her patients. But you can see it all right there, living under the surface. At times, she does find the right opportunity to use that. Use her past, use her personal experience to help guide her or give advice to a patient. And she knows how to use her personal life in the right way, to be able to have it be an asset for her care.

You touched on this a little bit earlier, but part of the selling point — and they’ve certainly been pushing this hard from NBC — is that Nurses is a show that’s shot in Toronto that’s actually set in Toronto. I know that’s a big deal for them, but I’m curious from your perspective. Does that change anything for you? Is it just a relief that you don’t have to pretend you’re on a New York City subway, for example, when it’s clearly in Canada?

It was really cool that Toronto got to be Toronto, and not pretending to be New York. We actually got to make a show that is in Canada… I also love that now it’s being brought to the States, and they’re not trying to change it. It’s a Canadian hospital set in Canada, and that’s really neat. And also new.

It’s also interesting, frankly, to watch from an American perspective, because we have a lot of misunderstandings about the Canadian healthcare system. I know obviously you’re Canadian, so it’s not weird to you, but how much did you learn about the healthcare doing the show?

I thankfully haven’t spent a lot of time in the hospital. My appendix ruptured when I was 18 and I spent a couple days in the hospital then, but other than that, I haven’t really. But the biggest thing that I learned through the show is that it really does showcase how overworked nurses are, and how hard they work and how long their hours are and whatnot. Nurses and doctors, the hospitals are so busy. I can’t even imagine what it’s like right now.

You touched on this a little bit earlier, about bringing the show to the United States… It was a huge hit when it debuted in Canada, but what does it mean, bringing the show to NBC now, for you?

It’s amazing. Sometimes, Canada feels like the little brother to the States. We have to almost prove ourselves. To be a Canadian show, we’ve done two seasons in [Toronto], and then to be recognized on a big scale like NBC is everything we could hope for, making a show like this. I think that it’s something that audiences everywhere will like, and I’m really glad that we have the opportunity to show it to everyone.

I know you’ve already wrapped on Season 2 at this point. Which I believe was filmed during COVID protocols, versus Season 1. Is that something you address at all in the season, since it’s a medical drama? And just generally, what was your experience like filming under these restrictions?

Well, we started Season 2 before COVID hit, and then we got shut down. And then I was in Toronto, and they were like, “We’re locked down for a couple of weeks, just hang out in Toronto.” And then they were like, “Ah, it’s going to be maybe a little longer. You can go back to Vancouver, but leave your apartment.” So I left my apartment in Toronto with all my stuff in it. Natasha and I were living together, so we just left all of our stuff, packed a small suitcase full of sweat pants, thinking that we were going to go home and sit on our couch for a couple of weeks. And then weeks turned into months, and we had to get rid of our apartment, and pack it all up and store it at the studio.

And then coming back and filming, we were the first show in Toronto to start filming. I believe the second show in Canada. It was scary. It was a whole new world, new protocols, new stuff to get used to. We didn’t want to get shut down, make people be in Toronto for longer. It was a lot. It was super overwhelming. But I also think it added to all of our performances, because we knew we were making a show to honor the people who were then, at that time and still now, were completely dedicating their lives to keeping people alive during such a crazy time in the world. It definitely added some weight to all of our performances and the stories in Season 2.

You’ve got a fellow Riverdale alum, Jordan Connor, joining the cast in Season 2. Did you guys swap war stories behind the scenes?

It’s funny, I’ve known Jordan for years. We did music videos together. I actually recommended him for the role, because I thought it would be fun to work with somebody that I know and I think Jordan’s great. We were definitely able to swap stories, and talk about our experiences together and how different it is working on that set versus the Nurses set. It was a lot of fun. We had so much fun together in Toronto.

Speaking of which, I believe you’re coming back as Polly in Riverdale Season 5, at least in some capacity. What can we expect from her, post-time jump?

Well, you’ll see the twins. And that’s about all I can tell you! [Laughs]

I know that fans have been speculating that she’s the blond woman seen fleeing from an oncoming truck in the promo art. Is Polly about to get run over? I hope not, she’s already been through enough!

I don’t know. I don’t know!

Fair enough, I have to ask! Before I let you go, for anybody who might be reticent to take up another medical drama, what would you say to get them to check out Nurses?

I would say that if you like medical dramas, it’s definitely that. It’s got that fast-paced medical sense to the show. But it’s more than that. Other than the obvious, that it’s showcasing primarily the nurses, it also shows they’re young, they’re struggling. They’re figuring their lives out, their relationships, their past, how to be good nurses. It’s not just about them being perfect at their job. It’s about them figuring everything out, and kind of how they do that in their day-to-day setting with the people that they’re around all the time.

Very specific question, but did you guys build a drinking game out of every time Grace says, “I worked in OR at the General”?

Did we make a drinking game out of that?

I don’t know, she says it a lot in the first couple of episodes.

Oh my god, no! But that’s so funny, I love that. We’re rewatching, obviously, the premiere on Monday, and I have seen the first episode so many times. But we will definitely be doing that. That’s really, really funny.

Nurses premieres tonight on NBC at 10/9c, and will air again on Monday, December 14 at 10/9c, before moving to its regular time slot on Tuesdays at 10/9c following This is Us on January 5.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Where to watch Nurses