The following chat with Mag Ruffman is an excerpt from the Avonlea Kindreds Forum (no longer active) chat on April 19, 2009. It's incomplete, if anyone has the full transcript, contact me and let me know!
Felicity 18:
Hey Mag!
I really enjoyed chatting with you on the Anne of Green Gables Message Board, three years ago (March 2006). I had a lot of fun and thank you for taking the time to chat with us. BTW, you were wonderful in your role as Olivia King Dale in Road to Avonlea. Here are my questions.
1) Do you think the rest of the cast of Road to Avonlea would be willing to come back and reprise their roles for a Road to Avonlea reunion movie or mini-series?
2) What was it like filming "An Avonlea Christmas" and seeing everyone again?
Thank you again,
felicity18
Mag:
Yes, I think the cast would come back in a heartbeat. I wish Kevin would ask us!
'An Avonlea Christmas' was a wonderful experience. I remember feeling very relaxed and delighted to be back and everyone else seemed happy to be back as well, even though we were faking December weather in July so we were sweltering in woolens and had to be dabbed constantly to remove perspiration (on our faces, that is: the rest of us was covered). I was shooting another series at the time (A Repair to Remember) and squeezing in Avonlea shoot days between my home repair shoot days. In spite of the heat and fatigue, I absolutely loved clambering into my corset again, and would do it again any day.
Kinded:
Hello Mag, thanks for coming out to do this with us!
What are some tendencies, or even habits that you might have picked up from your time with Road to Avonlea?
Mag:
Great question. Thanks for asking. I picked up yoga, quilting, Maritime music and the poetry of Rupert Brooke. I also learned to act a bit thanks to the insanely talented people in the cast. Another thing that sticks with me is that elusive wholesomeness that comes from spending hours of every day outside in an idyllic setting with lovely people. I also began collecting inspiring quotations during my time on Avonlea. I have a huge collection now, in a Word document, well over 100 pages.
Kattrin22:
Speaking of singing-great job in the episode where you sang w/Rachel's accompaniment. I bet you & Cedric would do an awesome duet! I'd love to hear that!!! I was glad one of his songs was on the CD.
Mag:
Cedric and I used to sing together sometimes when we were waiting for a scene to come up. He'd play guitar or sometimes I would, although he's much better. R.H. would recline and listen. It was fun.
Emilyandilse:
Hello Mag!
Where you an L.M. Montgomery fan before you were cast as Olivia Dale; if not, have you read any of her writings since?
Thanks,
Erin
Mag:
I only read the first book, Anne of Green Gables. I wanted Anne to stay young in my imagination, not go off and grow up, so I never read the rest of the books. I did read lots of other L.M. Montgomery books though. And when we were shooting Avonlea I read all of the journals LMM had kept during her complicated life. Fascinating.
