It’s been two decades since Kristin Kreuk first graced the small screen as Lana Lang on the hit TV show Smallville, which ran from 2001 until 2011 on The WB and The CW. But what has the Canadian star been up to since Smallville went off the air? Here’s a look at Kristin Kreuk now and the state of her career today.
Kristin Kreuk’s Acting Roles After Smallville
While Kreuk is best known for starring in the superhero show, she’s had lead roles in two other TV series since Smallville came to an end. In 2012, the actress was tapped to play Detective Catherine Chandler in The CW show Beauty & the Beast, which was loosely based on a 1980s drama of the same name.
While critics panned the show, it garnered a seriously dedicated fan base — one that rivaled the enthusiasm of Smallville followers. “They’re rabid,” Kreuk said of Beauty & the Beast fans in a 2013 interview with Daily Actor. “I don’t know what we tapped into. It feels like… it feels stronger than Smallville fans in some ways. I know. But the intensity. It’s a smaller group, but the intensity of it is so strong, it blows my mind. I’m like, wow.”
The series won six People’s Choice Awards during its four-year run, including one for Best New TV Drama, three for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show, and two for Kristin Kreuk as Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress. The show went off the air in 2016.
Two years later, Kreuk was cast in the Canadian legal drama television series, Burden of Proof. Initially airing on CBC (the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), it was later picked up by The CW and run in the United States. The show follows the trials and tribulations of a high-powered corporate attorney.
Burden of Truth just wrapped production this past March after a successful four-season run. When she announced the finale on Instagram, Kreuk wrote:
“I have *loved* working on this show. For so many reasons. When Bradley Simpson, Lynn Coady, and I sat down so many years ago to chat about this series, I didn’t imagine it would get green lit, let alone run for FOUR seasons. Brad created something so special with this series and I will always treasure the experience of making it and feel proud of the stories we told. And the cast just breathed so much life into their characters and gave them nuance and texture.”
The hard-working actress isn’t giving herself much of a break between projects. In 2022, Kreuk began starring in an Amazon original called Reacher, which is based on a series of best-selling crime novels by British author Lee Child.
Kristin Kreuk Was Also Involved With NXIVM
Unfortunately, not all of the press surrounding Kreuk in recent years has been positive. In 2018, following the very public exposé of the NXIVM sex cult, it was revealed that Kreuk had been a member of the organization.
While the tabloids (of course!) made a big deal about the discovery, Kreuk released a statement on social media regarding her involvement with the group. She revealed joined NXIVM for their Executive Success Programs and personal growth courses. She left in 2012 and insisted she never participated in or even knew about the secret sex trafficking “DOS” society. Kreuk also expressed her support for the victims who came forward after years of brainwashing and abuse.
Ironically, Kreuk was the one who reportedly encouraged her Smallville costar Allison Mack to join the community. Mack ended up becoming one of the organization’s most influential members and a major force behind the DOS sex slave operation. But as Kreuk had hoped, justice was eventually served — the 38-year-old former actress was recently sentenced to three years in prison for her involvement in NXIVM. Keith Raniere, the mastermind behind NXVIM as a whole, was sentenced to 120 years behind bars for his heinous acts.