Cancer battle made Smulders ‘a better person’
Vancouver native Cobie Smulders has starred in some of the biggest movies and TV shows in the world, but has also been through a lot during her time at the top.
Smulders was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was filming the third season of How I Met Your Mother in 2008 at the age of 25.
But she is not one to shy away from the topic, answering fan questions at a Television Critics Association panel this week in Beverly Hills about tough times she had dealt with during her career.
“I think that going through (cancer) has made me a better person, a better mother, certainly able to tap into things in terms of creating characters,” Smulders said.
“But I think the general overall gift, if cancer can give you a gift, is being grateful for being here.”
Smulders revealed in 2015 she had cancer and the disease had required multiple surgeries.
“I don’t think I’ll ever feel like I’m cancer free.
“Now that I’m five years out, I’m trying to think of it as a positive thing and what can I learn from it,” she told Women’s Health. “And if I can create more awareness, I’ll do it.”
She is a stronger person after beating the disease and knows how lucky she is, she said.
“I’m a survivor and grateful for that. I will say it has brought me to this place of more strengths.”
Smulders is starring in the upcoming ABC series Stumptown set to première next month.
Her character, Dex Parios, is a private investigator and army veteran, a definite change from her comedic role as Robin Scherbatsky in How I Met Your Mother.
However, Smulders is no stranger to action roles, having played agent Maria Hill in six Marvel movies since 2012.
“You want to choose something you’re never going to be bored with a character you want to live with for a while. I just fell in love with this character (Parios). There’s certainly aspects of Scherbatsky in there.”