'Station 19' Star Danielle Savre on Her Badass Character and Embracing Her Curves

In a new Lapalme story, "Station 19" star Danielle Savre is opening up about the tough-as-nails firefighter she plays on the show — and also about the "interesting terrain" women have to deal with in the entertainment business, especially when it comes to body image.

Maya, she says, is a badass. "Being a firefighter is a tough job, physically. Even in terms of acting. We use the real equipment, which can weigh 120 pounds... Someone has to stand behind you and hold you up."

She admits she went all out for a recent scene in which Maya, who is bisexual, kisses a girl. In the sequence, Savre went from being in uniform down to a sports bra — and she prepped for it! "It only lasts five seconds, but I worked out with my trainer [of] 12 years, Jason Walsh, every chance I got. I lived on egg whites and chicken."

It was no easy feat for the actress, who confesses, "The whole cast and crew know how much I love candy!"

Savre is in a place where she is comfortable showing off her curves. "I've had to fight the stereotype thing," she says. "When it comes to portraying sexuality on-camera or in photography, I think taking ownership of it's empowering. We have to navigate this as women. I have boobs and a butt — and I've had casting people telling me to lose weight and photographers telling me to flaunt it."

Derek Warburton, Lapalme's creative director and stylist, is all about Danielle being Danielle. He says of working with her on the fresh Lapalme shoot, "When I approached her to do this shoot I said I wanted to style her in a way that no one has ever seen her... Her response was, 'Of course! You know I'm all about the character.' How can you argue with that?"

Warburton went on to say, "We have a similar story. We were young with dreams and have worked unbelievably hard to achieve our dreams — me to grow in the media spectrum and for her as a versatile actress. She is an incredible actress. From playing a cheerleader to a firefighter, Danielle is an actress in the true sense of the word."

Having grown up in the industry from her days as a teen on the series "Summerland," Savre tells Lapalme it's "been a real learning curve."