While she did a couple of episodes of Due South—she played her husband’s character’s mother, which is a lot—I don’t really remember her for it. Her career is separate from him; she’s done Murdoch Mysteries and he hasn’t, which is genuinely surprising to me. Because it’s genuinely surprising to me when anyone in the entire nation of Canada hasn’t been on Murdoch Mysteries, whether they’re an actor or not. Further, to my surprise and delight, she was in Storm of the Century along with my cousin. But we all know where we remember Martha Burns from.

As Ellen Fanshaw, she is talented and brittle. She knows her best years are behind her—when we meet her, she’s gone from Ophelia to Gertrude, and that’s a hard time in an actress’s life. From there, it’s a long slide to the Nurse; there isn’t even a role for an older woman in most of the plays. So she’s got the built-in issues of societal problems with actresses of her age, a lunatic ex-boyfriend who’s returned and appears to be completely nuts, and her own personal problems which are many and varied. It’s a great role, and there is more to it than just the supercut of her saying, “Sorry.” Though it’s a great supercut.

One hopes there are more opportunities for Martha Burns than for Ellen Fanshaw. After all, Burns isn’t tied to a Shakespeare festival. Oh, New Burbage did more than just Shakespeare for its performances, but the driving focus was the Shakespeare. Burns has more options. She was in Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, and that makes me want to see it more. I grant you I’ve never heard of most of what she’s done, but at least there are options there, albeit fewer than there are for a man of her age.

I would love to see what Sarah Polley would do with her, honestly. Polley was on Slings & Arrows with her, and clearly I need to see Alias Grace, a Polley adaptation of a Margaret Atwood work. I’m far behind on my TV Watching That Can’t Be Done Around Kids, for obvious reasons, and it sounds like exactly my thing. Even there, though, Burns is listed as playing a recurring character. There has to be something Polley can do that’s focused on a woman approaching older age that would be a good vehicle for Burns.

Basically, I’d like to see Burns get a full-on spotlight. I’m going out of my way here to avoid mentioning her husband by name because she deserves her own attention. He gave her the best role I’ve seen her in, it’s true, and certainly I’m sure he could write something else good for her and get it made. I wish someone would. It’s certainly not as though Burns hasn’t worked with people who are perfectly capable of it—and it’s always possible that she is herself and just hasn’t been given the chance.

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