Get your medical masks on and eyes wide open—you’re about to get hooked on the new CW show Containment (premieres April 19) that follows a deadly virus outbreak in Atlanta with different types of characters caught in the middle of the chaos. One of the key players is an elementary school teacher named Katie Frank with some serious baggage, a son and impressive will to survive. Katie’s played by Canadian actress/singer Kristen Gutoskie, who talked to us about the show, her other projects (there’s a lot!) and why it’s not a good idea to sneeze on set.

How are you?

I’m good, thanks. What about you?

Well I just watched the preview for your new show Containment and it got me pretty spooked.

Yeah, it’s definitely not a bedtime story.

What’s your story though? You sing, you act… What can’t you do?

I grew up in Canada. I started singing and acting when I was 10. I love doing both, but I wouldn’t categorize myself as a singer or an actress or a dancer. I love to express myself, so any way I got an opportunity to do that, I’ll hold on to it. That’s what I do: tell a story artistically.

So what story are you going to tell on Containment? Is it more of a drama or a thriller? Or a mix of everything?

I think it’s a good mix of everything. Sure, it’s very dramatic, but it also got some light moments. You’ll catch a little humor between some of the characters. Jake (Chris Wood’s character) and Katie develop a friendship inside the quarantine, they have this fun light cute moments. And even between Leo (Trevor St. John) and Lex (David Gyasi), who are at odds with each other, you’ll find a little bit of humor. As much as it’s a very dramatic intense show, there are also a lot of sprinkles of humor and love. Your heart will be warmed but you might also get freaked out.

Tell me about your character, Katie Frank.

Katie’s a young mom. She had a son in high school and pretty much raised him by herself. She’s an elementary school teacher. On the day the virus breaks out, her and her 15 students (including her son Quentin) go to the hospital to play some music for the patients. So they end up being stuck in ground zero.

As for Katie, she’s amazing. She’s an incredibly compassionate, loving person who would give her life for her students. She does everything for everybody else. I think she had a hard upbringing and got involved in some stuff she shouldn’t have. But she’s developed her sense of self by now. She still has her inner demons and struggles, sure, but she’s also a very strong heroic character.

Will we see the flashbacks of your character’s past?

I don’t think that we’ll have many flashbacks on the show—we’re trying to keep it in the world that we’re in. But we definitely talk about the characters’ past.

Did anyone actually get sick on set?

You know what, I would’ve thought I would get sick, ‘cause I seem to be prone to getting colds. If I Google anything I’m convinced that I have it. But it was all sick-free on set. Maybe someone got a little bit of cold here and there, but nobody got very sick. The hardest thing when you’re doing these scenes is if you’re sneezing on camera, most people would think that your character sick. That’s where the tension comes from on our show: do they have it, do they not? So if anybody would sneeze, we’d have to do the scene all over again.

Are there plans for the second season yet?

I hope so! We have to wait and see if people dig the series. I’m hoping everybody will watch it, ‘cause I’m proud of it.

What would you do in real life if there was a deadly virus outbreak? I’m sure this thought has crossed your mind once or twice while shooting the show…

It’s funny: you never know how you would react. I keep saying that I hope I react like Katie did. She’s very strong and puts the kids first and thinks of everybody but herself. I would definitely cover myself in some hazmat suit and put a mask on and wouldn’t let anybody come near me. Would have to drop my social life for sure [laughs].

How do you keep healthy?

Over the last few months, I’ve been working with a trainer and he got me on a meal-plan thing. I basically cook my meal ahead of time in the beginning of the week and then I prepare the food during the week and count all the calories. I love bread and cheese and wine, but now I have to be aware of what I’m eating and trying to keep it organic as much as I can. I hike and train a couple of times a week. The last month has been crazy and I haven’t been keeping up with the meal plan thing, but I try to hike a few times a week and do work out sessions. If I can’t work out that day, I’ll just make sure to be active in some sort of way. Even if it means doing a couple of squats in the elevator.

And my mom’s a nurse, so here’s a tip for you: If you feel like you’re getting a cold, put some oil of oregano under your tongue or dissolve it in water and take it three times a day. It kills any cold.

Considering you have a healthy throat, let’s talk about music. Do you plan to release an album any time soon?

I’ve been working with a producer in Toronto and have one single that we may be releasing soon. It’s not quite where we want it to be, so I don’t wanna rush anything. But I do want to release some music within a year. It’s been a long time coming.

What genres are you drawn to music-wise?

I love old stuff. My favorite artists are Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. I do love electronics, too. Anything with soul. Leon Bridges is killing it right now. My music is influenced by Lauryn Hill and Norah Jones.

You can’t go wrong with the soul!

No, right? It hits you right in the heart.

What apps do you use the most?

Instagram. It’s the best. I try to stay off it, ‘cause it can get very distracting.

Social media provides a great way to show the glamorous side of your work. But what’s the least glamorous part of being an actress?

[Long laugh] Oh god, there’s a lot. You gotta get up at like 3 in the morning sometimes to go to work. The least glamorous thing would probably be all the rejections. It’s a hard business and a lot of people just see the glamour—everybody out on the red carpets—while there’s a ton of work that goes into getting to this carpet.

Are there any other TV shows you’d like to guest star on?

I haven’t even watched it yet, but I’d love to play a musician on Vinyl, that would be awesome. Would be great to completely transform on Game of Thrones, too. So HBO it seems like.

Where else are we gonna see you in the nearest future?

I have a film called The Dust Storm that premiered on Nashville Film Festival on April 14. It’s a project I did about a year and a half ago with Colin O’Donoghue from Once Upon a Time. There was a music scene and the both of us sang and I actually wrote a song for the soundtrack. It’s a story about the one that got away who comes back, with the Nashville music scene around the two lovers.

I also have a project called Relationship Status, that premieres at Tribeca on April 21. That’s a vignette digital series. It premieres as a film but will be aired as separate episodes. It’s got amazing cast with many many talented actors. It’s all about dating in the digital world, dating apps, text messaging, all that stuff. Very relatable for where we are right now.