Canadian actress Emily Hampshire is best known for playing sardonic motel clerk Stevie Budd in the TV series “Schitt’s Creek,” but she’s also a comic book author, avid reader and graphic novel enthusiast. This “might sound weird” she says, “but I like to go into a small closet with pillows and a blanket and with a book to leave the world behind for a little bit.” On her all-time favorite list is Bryan Lee O’Malley’s six-volume “Scott Pilgrim” series. “This is the holy-grail comic book love letter to the city of Toronto where I have spent much of my life,” Hampshire says.
Of her own book “Amelia Aierwood: Basic Witch,” which she published in 2023, Hampshire says, “It is definitely my baby.” Writing the comic book about a young witch struggling to find her own special powers gave Hampshire the opportunity to go back and tell her younger self, “When you’re older, you realize that the thing you thought was your biggest problem is actually your superpower.”
Ahead, Hampshire shares what’s at the top of her reading list.
“This book holds a special place in my heart and on my coffee table,” Hampshire says of this coffee-table retrospective, which celebrates the town, characters and spirit of the Emmy Award-winning hit “Schitt's Creek.” Created by father-and-son duo Dan and Eugene Levy, the series premiered in 2015 and aired for six seasons. “Dan and Eugene Levy did a beautiful job. It’s overflowing with genuine moments and memories from our time on the show,” says Hampshire, who considers it “the ultimate keepsake for us as much as the fans.”
“I think this is one of the greatest books about being an artist or how to be an artist,” says Hampshire of this memoir by famed singer, songwriter, poet, author and photographer Patti Smith. “I never knew I had such a singular genre focus when it came to reading, but I realized I like memoirs with a message.” In the book, set in New York City during the '60s and '70s, Smith chronicles her deep, enduring friendship with former lover and artistic collaborator Robert Mapplethorpe. “I guess I have a type. My top book faves turn out to be memoirs with lessons on how to live your most authentic life as an artist,” Hampshire says.?
“'Fun Home' is a true masterpiece,” Hampshire says of this book, which she describes as a “graphic memoir,” a work of nonfiction and autobiographical graphic memoir told through images. Written by American cartoonist Alison Bechdel, it's based on her life growing up in rural Pennsylvania, where her father was the director of the town’s funeral home, which they called the “fun home.”
“I didn’t know those two formats could get married until I read this, and then I never wanted to have them separately,” says Hampshire of Bechdel’s story, which chronicles her coming out as a lesbian in college, discovering her father was gay and having to unravel a legacy of mystery after his death. “Read this book, then see the musical, then spend the rest of your life mourning your life before knowing about Alison Bechdel,” she says.?
“Amelia is the most fantastic comic book heroine of all time and space,” Hampshire says. “I might be slightly biased because Amelia was created by yours truly.” The actress may have authored this book about Amelia Airewood, “the black sheep of a famous witch family who land[s] their own reality TV show,”?but as she insists, “Amelia is not me.” In the comic, Amelia gets cut from the show “due to her spells being a little off-brand” and is forced on a journey to discover her own “special magic.” The narrative afforded Hampshire the opportunity “to go back and tell my younger self that thing you think is wrong with you, whatever you’re trying to hide and fix and overcompensate for, that’s your magic,” she says.?
Hampshire hails this memoir-meets-writers-master class by legendary horror author Stephen King as “a writer's bible and compelling memoir.” Offering advice drawn from King’s vivid childhood memories and early career struggles to his success as one of the most prolific authors of our time, the book “has been such a great guide” for the actress and author. “I’ve been doing a lot of writing in the last three years,” says Hampshire, who shares that she reads this book yearly. “It's brilliant, and the best piece of advice I got is to write something and then put it away for a week. Coming back to anything you’ve written with that perspective has been a game changer,” she says.?
Hampshire met renowned interior designer Ken Fulk in 2022 when she hosted the inaugural Palm Beach amfAR Gala, which raises money for AIDS research. “He was wearing the most stunning Thom Brown suit. It had tiny whales on it,” she recalls. So impressed by his outfit, the actress “nervously approached him” to ask if she could “buy the suit when he no longer wanted it.” Instead, Fulk sent her this interior design book, and Hampshire says, “When I saw his introduction begin with ‘Life Is a Cabaret,’ I knew we were meant to meet.” The beautiful coffee table book showcases Fulk's design approach inspired by his travels, film, fashion, art, history and novels. It also features stunning imagery of private residences and commercial spaces. “This book brought together my main squeeze, moving pictures and my secret crush, interior design,” she adds.?
