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Murdoch Mysteries: Elvis Stojko reflects on playing a villain

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Elvis Stojko will always be thought of as a world and Olympic champion figure skater. But Stojko is an actor too and relishes tackling new roles when he has time off from the rink.

That’s what brought him to Murdoch Mysteries. On Monday night he portrayed Sam, a former convict who tangled up in the case of a scientist found murdered in his lab. The script meant Sam went mano-a-mano with Det. Murdoch in the interrogation room and Stojko appreciated the opportunity to spar with Yannick Bisson in those scenes. We spoke to him about the experience and what he’s got scheduled for 2019. [Check out his website too.]

Have you been a fan of Murdoch Mysteries?
Elvis Stojko: I was living in Mexico when Murdoch came out. I don’t think we had access to it there, and when we got back to Canada I got more into hearing more about Murdoch Mysteries, Murdoch Mysteries. I come from the time of The Beachcombers. So now it’s Murdoch Mysteries, I’m like, ‘This is cool.’

My wife and I started watching, we started from the beginning so we’ll binge for a little bit. I think we’re up to Season 3 now. We want to watch it from the beginning and get all of the characters sorted out. We both love period pieces. I love that stuff.

Then [in this episode you have] Nikola Tesla, and I was like, ‘Aw, this is awesome.’ And then they slipped in Albert Einstein. That cracks me up. It’s really great. Those are the things I love about the show, and we were just getting to know characters and how the romance between Murdoch and Julia, how that whole thing is building. So, we were getting into it and we became fans and then, later on, doing the acting thing and I had a connection to [executive producer] Christina [Jennings] and being able to audition for the show and get on was pretty exciting.

So, you auditioned? 
ES: I was meeting with some producers and I had some projects that I wanted to bring through a friend of mine as well, that I had episodics and stuff. And I was able to connect with Christina to take a look at some projects. They said, ‘You know, I think we should get you in an episode of Murdoch. That would be fantastic.’ I didn’t hear for a while from them, because they were busy and everything. And my agent kept checking up with Christina, and they said, ‘Yeah, I think we got something for Elvis that would be really great.’ Obviously, they wanted to see how I would do, so it was sort of an informal audition. It was nice because the director was in the audition room, which doesn’t typically happen during casting. It was great because we played around with some stuff and wanted to kind of get an idea of what I could do and what I was playing with. I was working with my acting coach on it, and then it went from there. It was so great to work with Yannick because I’m actually with Murdoch, which is awesome.

Nikola Tesla is a big fan favourite. I loved him since the very first episode of Murdoch Mysteries back when it debuted in 2008. He’s only been back a couple of times since then, and one of them is in Monday’s episode. So yeah, you were in a landmark and exciting episode.
ES: Yeah, I was really excited to see that. I read the script, and I was prepping for the character and everything, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, Nikola Tesla’s in this episode. This is great.’

I’m glad that they didn’t say, ‘OK, we’re getting Elvis Stojko, so let’s come up with a reason to put some skates on him.’ I like the fact that they didn’t do that.
ES: The thing is I want to separate myself from that, I don’t want people saying, ‘Well, he got the part cause he’s a skater.’ Because I’m studying acting. I’m an actor. I can hold my own, I’ve been in Chicago. So, it’s one of those things where separating myself from that and having people see me as an actor, not as a skater that’s acting. It’s important to kind of change that branding.

Obviously, seeing your name in the credits will cause people to look for you, but you’re not totally recognizable. Maybe I wouldn’t have recognized you if your name wasn’t in the credits. I mean that’s part and parcel of being a good actor, is that you’re immersed in the character, and the wardrobe and makeup helped as well.
ES: Yeah, it was one of those things where when I was playing the character and I was working with my acting coach on it; it happened where even my agent said it, I was working on some parts and I would send her some video and she’s like, ‘I didn’t even see you in there. You’re there but it’s not you.’ And I’m like, ‘OK, that’s good. Excellent.’ There are all these different levels that I’ve been working on it, diligently, every week going to class, working with three different acting coaches, trying to find out what would be the best vehicle for me. Over the years of training skating, the best thing is finding the right coach and finding the right technique that fits me. Zoning in on that was really important. All those years of expertise and knowing myself, I was trying to figure out, ‘You know what? I need to expose myself to different methodologies, understand this … I gotta figure out what I’m gonna gravitate to.’

And it took time, of course. It’s taken a number of years to get to that point. And with this, it was great because I’ve worked with Brad Milne at Milne Studio, and Lewis Baumander was the one that really helped me on this project. And as soon as they put me in the costume and I did the piece, it was kinda like I was absorbed in the character. It’s not like, ‘There’s Elvis, he sticks out like a skater.’ I’m glad that you saw that because it wasn’t a lot of makeup.

A lot of people that I speak to talk about how important it is, particularly in a period piece like Murdoch, that how much the wardrobe and the makeup really help them get into character. So by the time you get to set, you’re already there. Was it the same for you? It sounds like it.
ES: Yeah, when we went for the fitting, with the bowler hat and everything … I kinda settled in and they talked about the sideburns, which we did later. The hat, I was like, ‘Oh great, I got a bowler hat. This is kinda cool.’ And then, I didn’t realize I would have one until I got on set, and then I just grabbed a hat and just kinda used it as that’s his thing.

On a cellular level, you just become that time and space. And of course, Yannick is just so awesome. It’s what he does. He’s a master at it. As soon as I was with him in the room, there were no cameras. It was just me and him. I didn’t see anything else, it was just the character. I really worked on getting good at doing that. It’s very different obviously in theatre, where you have an audience, but it’s a little bit different where you can be intimate but then you have a bunch of cameras around and guys just hanging out, the sound guy.

Working with Yannick was wonderful because it was just that moment where I could immerse myself fully into it, and it made playing it much more at ease so I could just relax with the character and not be too tense, which was nice.

How many days were you on set, Elvis? A couple of days, just one?
ES: It was just one. We banged it out. I was there early in the morning. I got there early in the morning. I think call time was like 9:30, and then they put me in makeup and then we waited and we shot in the afternoon. It was wonderful. To be able to be taken around the set, and Gladys [Orozco], my wife, loved it because she loves antiques … so looking on set, it was like, ‘Holy cow, this stuff’s real!’

So, we met this character of Sam, and the thing about Murdoch Mysteries is that there’s always a mysteries that someone’s getting killed off. Sam didn’t get killed, so you could come back!
ES: Well, that would be great. The way I portrayed Sam is that he’s an ex-con, not very smart. He’s a dumb hitman that just wants the money. That was the play on it and I played it a little bit more and that’s what the director liked because I kind of had a little bit of … instead of playing it seriously, played it a little funny. At the beginning, he thinks he’s the smartest guy and then all of a sudden, ‘I think I said too much.’ As he tries to get himself out of the hole, he keeps digging himself deeper. And that was the whole gist of the character. It’d be great to have him come back and kind of muddle up something. I mean, it’s one of those characters that he could be one of Murdoch’s guys on the street that kind of give him some info on what’s happening, right?

What have you got coming up either acting or otherwise in 2019? I think, is it the Thank You Canada special? You were part of that, that’s coming up, right?
ES: Yeah, that’s coming out on the 10th of February. We finished that up. My wife and I did a show down in Virginia. We had a four-year contract with Busch Gardens Virginia, so we did, like, 65 shows there. This is our fourth year doing it. And that was a lot of fun. That was butted up against the Thank You Canada tour. Came back, because I shot Murdoch, then went on tour, then did Virginia, then came home. And now I’m just gearing up for a bunch of skating shows in March and then of course Stars on Ice, which I’m doing in the spring. But in the meantime, I’ve got a movie I’m filming next week, an action film.

I’ve got another, just a small part in it, due to the fact that they wanted me in some other stuff but I had a previous engagement last week to go to the National Championships and be an ambassador, so the shooting date didn’t coincide. But I play a military guy in that.

In the fall they’re going to do the Thank You Canada tour but they’ll call it something different. It’ll be different again, it’ll have other skaters as well; the same group but some more skaters. They may dip down into the U.S. as well. So we’ll see where that heads, it’ll probably be a little bit bigger. It’s definitely building for the year, but I leave the summer open for all my acting and auditions and especially for stuff I know that they shoot during that time, so we’ll see what comes of it and, you know, that keeps me busy.

What did you think of Elvis’ guest-starring role on Murdoch Mysteries? And what did you think of this episode overall? Let me know in the comments below!

Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC and streams on CBC Gem.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Preview: Nikola Tesla and Elvis Stojko visit Murdoch Mysteries

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There were two reasons for me to be giddy about Monday’s instalment of Murdoch Mysteries. First, it marked the return of inventor Nikola Tesla (Dmitry Chepovetsky), who hasn’t darkened William’s door since 2010 in “The Tesla Effect.” The second? Elvis Stojko, who skates in for a guest-starring role. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

Combine that with the return of one Thomas Brackenreid and “Murdoch and the Undetectable Man” promised to be one heck of a great time. Here’s what the CBC released as the storyline:

Murdoch enlists inventor Nikola Tesla to help with the murder investigation of a man experimenting with invisibility.

And, here are more tidbits from me after I watched the episode, written by Paul Aitken and directed by Mina Shum. Look for my interview with Mr. Stojko after Monday’s broadcast.

Murdoch’s world is expanding
Every year, thanks to ever-improving technology, the Toronto neighbourhood surrounding Station House No. 4 continues to grow. The smallish backlot in eastern Toronto is swelling by leaps and bounds in post-production and now we can see faraway spires as the city expands.

Stojko as Sam
The medal-winning figure skater is a real hoot as ex-con Sam Marshal, a gap-toothed gent who comes under William’s suspicion for murder. Aside from he and Chepovetsky, keep an eye out for Anna Hardwick and Tara Yelland in guest roles.

Stunning sets
The CGI cityscape isn’t the only wow-factor in “Murdoch and the Undetectable Man.” The laboratory set is beautifully lit and funkily dressed. I think you’re going to love it.

Brack is back
Those CBC teasers didn’t deceive; Inspector Brackenreid makes his triumphant return after a visit to another metropolis. As for how things are between him and Margaret? Well, you’ll have to watch it unfold for yourself. Crabtree returns too and has some interesting thoughts out the disadvantages surrounding invisibility and on Murdoch and Ogden’s manuscript. And it’s George who comes up with the perfect name for their book.

Tesla and Murdoch work on an invention
When these two minds get on the same wavelength, you never know what they might create.

Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC and streams on CBC Gem.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Murdoch Mysteries: Writer Lori Spring recalls “Six of the Best”

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Spoiler alert: Do not continue reading until you have watched the newest episode of Murdoch Mysteries, “Six of the Best.”

Monday’s instalment of Murdoch Mysteries was missing Inspector Brackenreid and Constable Crabtree. But what it lacked in characters on-screen was made up for with an incredible main storyline that dipped into Murdoch’s past while expanding on Watts’. The murder of a young boy brought the pair to an orphanage run by a Jesuit priest William learned under back in Nova Scotia.

The subject matter was dark, the direction by Sherren Lee masterful and the performances sublime. I spoke to the episode’s writer, Lori Spring, to get the scoop on “Six of the Best.”

We got a little bit more information about William’s past. Is it fun digging into that back story for him?
Lori Spring: It’s kind of this weird and interesting process because as this character builds year after year, it’s not like you know all this stuff in Season 2. It’s like you know every single thing about him but as this character evolves, his back story kind of fills in, in a way, out of his character. Out of the things that happened to him and out of the way that his character evolves, his back story becomes what it needs to be for him to be who he is.

You’re right. It isn’t like everybody’s sitting down and saying, ‘OK, here’s the entire back story for this character. We don’t need to learn anything moving forward because we can just refer to this page of bullet points.’
LS: I mean, there was a fair bit of information about him early on and from the outset and there were Maureen Jennings’ novels that the stuff came from. But details fill in as every season develops him more.

We also got a little bit of a peek into Watts’ background. We found out about him being an orphan but he really had this wonderful connection with the boys at the school as they were doing the investigation. I really loved Daniel Maslany’s acting and you did a wonderful job with that script.
LS: Thank you very much, I appreciate you saying that. With Watts, [Robert Rotenberg] and I also were able to have him discover that he was, in fact, that his lineage was Jewish, which was a pretty interesting twist. You kind of learn many things about the characters from the performances of the actors. All the nuances of the performances kind of start to make the characters more alive for you as a writer. You feel the character and then you’ve got a storyline that involves boys and you feel this character. Even back in ‘Murdoch Schmurdoch,’ you kind of sensed him connecting with the young boy.

You kind of sense that he had a sympathetic feeling about the boy and it’s just kind of funny, it’s kind of there. You kind of imagine Daniel Maslany as an actor into the scenes as you’re writing them and he’s brought so much to that character that is just kind of, I don’t know, it seems to happen.

Maybe it was your writing, maybe it was Sherren’s direction and the cinematography, but it felt like an old school episode of Murdoch to me and I’ll be interested to see what the viewers think. What are your thoughts?
LS: It’s funny you say that ’cause I think it’s the darkest episode I’ve written in a long time. The first episode I ever wrote was in the second season and a little boy went missing. That was a real sort of very mixed episode. It had a lot of things going on it but that was a kind of dark thread running through that. Yeah, there are dark episodes still. But this was one of the darker ones and I was able to watch the finished episode and Sherren Lee did a fabulous job and she drew really strong performances from, really sort of nuanced performances from everybody. I was very impressed.

It’s a touchy subject dealing with the subject matter that gets covered, but what is it with you and writing episodes where boys go missing or boys get murdered? What does that say about you, Lori?
LS: I don’t know, I’m not sure. It might say something about what people in the writer’s room think about me and what would be appropriate material for me.

There’s got to be a delicate hand and a deft touch with this type of storyline because it’s kind of a hot button topic. Whenever a child goes missing or is murdered, that’s always an awful thing. You need to have a deft touch when you’re writing this, don’t you?
LS: You do, and you have to mind your p’s and q’s and be aware that it’s going be a sensitive subject for people to be watching. The Murdoch audience, they know the show, they know the contours of the show, they know the tone of the show and this kind of pushes to the limit of the darker reaches of it.

What do you think when you’re seeing Yannick play this character and you see him unhinged? It freaks me out because he’s usually the guy in the room that’s calmest. If he’s losing it, that means a lot.
LS: I have to say I loved his performance. In a way, it brought the character that he plays, it re-animated the character and reminded us of the depth of the character that he’s playing. He didn’t overplay it. He contained it in a very Murdochian way. But, it exploded out of him especially in the scene in the jail cell. I was really impressed with his performance. It didn’t freak me out. It made me happy as a writer to have the script so well performed and directed.

Do you still get a thrill when you see the words that you wrote on the page being sad by the actors and actresses on set and in the broadcast?
LS: Oh, totally. How could I not? It’s done so well, but I actually was worried about this one because it was so dark and I was particularly thrilled to see how well this was executed. It was handled with a deft touch by the director. I was also worried about kids. They were great. All the kids were great. Sherren dealt with them really well.

You put forth a question, did corporal punishment, did it shape who William is?  
LS: Of course, it had to. I don’t want to, myself, psychologize the character too much because he’s not my character. Maybe it contributes to his being so buttoned down. We always thought that the Jesuit education was a part of his holding on to dear life, to his need to understand and be rational and explain and invent and he’s doing that for reasons. We’ve seen his relationship with his father. We certainly knew that his mother died in a way that was very painful for him. I think this was another part of the pain. And it’s been wonderful over the seasons, watching how his relationship with Julia has kind of opened him up, made him more confident in his ability to be emotional and attached.

What did you think of this week’s episode? Let me know in the comments below!

Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC and streams on CBC Gem.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Preview: Murdoch Mysteries digs into William’s painful past

It’s hard to believe that, with almost 12 seasons of Murdoch Mysteries under our belts, there are still things to learn about Detective William Murdoch. And yet, that’s exactly what happens in Monday’s upcoming episode.

Here’s what the CBC has revealed as the main storyline for “Six of the Best,” written by Lori Spring and directed by Sherren Lee.

Murdoch’s distressing childhood memories are evoked while investigating the death of an orphan under the care of the same Jesuit priest who taught him.

And here are more details I picked up on while watching a screener.

Classic Murdoch Mysteries
I don’t know how to explain it, but the opening moments of “Six of the Best” felt like Season 2 of the show. Maybe it’s the cinematography, the fact it’s written by Lori Spring or the intense sorrow of the moment—I’m not sure—but I got that vibe. Let me know if you do too. By the way, Yannick Bisson’s performance is truly wonderful. It’s not often that we see William display true anger and rage and we get both from Mr. Bisson on Monday night.

Violet Hart is back
It’s good to see her at the crime scene, aiding Murdoch and Watts in their quest for the truth. So far, we haven’t gotten any hint as to what Violet was plotting for the morgue at the end of Season 11. Perhaps some light will be shed this week? As for other actors dropping by, look for David Ferry, Craig Lauzon and Mike Taylor in supporting roles. It’s Ferry’s character who has the connection to William; they were both at the Nova Scotia Jesuit School for Boys. William isn’t the only one who recalls his past; Watts remembers his own childhood while aiding in the investigation.

Julia is frustrated
The good news that she and William have landed a publishing deal to write a comprehensive police handbook has been tempered somewhat by the thing writers fear most.

Ruth has a job
After accepting a position at the hospital, I had my fingers crossed we’d see Ruth on the ward. We do. And it’s amazing. Congratulations, once again, to costume designer Joanna Syrokomla for doing a spectacular job creating the clothes for these folks. Ruth in her uniform is a sight to behold.

Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC and streams on CBC Gem.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Murdoch Mysteries: Paul Aitken talks “Annabella Cinderella”

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Spoiler alert! Do not continue reading until you have watched the latest episode of Murdoch Mysteries, “Annabella Cinderella.”

Well, that as quite the road trip for Constables John Brackenreid, George Crabtree and Detective Watts, wasn’t it? I always get a kick out of road trip episodes and this one was a lot of fun, even with an accused axe murderer at the centre of the story. With Inspector Brackenreid gone from our lives for now and Julia and William back on Toronto planning to write a police handbook containing the latest forensic sciences available, it was up to the trio to collar Annabella and investigate the truth behind her case.

We caught up with the episode’s writer, executive producer Paul Aitken, for details.

It’s been a great season so far.
Paul Aitken: Yeah, I think it’s been good. I’m curious to see how it all turns out. I know how the stories turn out, but I haven’t seen it in frame.

Oh really? Is that common?
PA: It’s common for me because once we get past a certain point in the story, I like to just see it in its whole.

We’ve seen a little dip into Watt’s past, and certainly a lot more into Brackenreid’s past. As somebody that’s been with the show from the very beginning, what’s it like to dip into these back stories and find out a little bit more about these characters as we’ve been going along this season?
PA: Oh I think it’s a really useful well to dip into because you can get story ideas out of the past that you can’t if you just are going forward. There’s something you can use that’s interesting, and you can build a story around it, and it also deepens the character. I think it’s fun for the audience because they get to see and come to understand the characters in a way that they wouldn’t have in the past, and it’s also just a really useful story tool.

The story getting a peek into Watts’s history was fantastic, emotional. Daniel Maslany did a wonderful job.
PA: I thought so too. I thought that worked really well. We didn’t know Watts very well, and I think he was a bit of a mystery, and I think this grounded him. It picked up on story elements we introduced in earlier episodes. But I think it’s true with any character, if you can pull something out of the past, it’s fun to watch and it’s fun to write.

Let’s get into tonight’s episode. I immediately thought of Lizzie Borden. Was that an inspiration at all? 
PA: No, actually, it wasn’t, not at all. We came to the idea of the axe because we wanted her to be dangerous. It’s more fun if your quarry is someone who could kill you. And it also made her dangerous. You want to buy that this character could be nice and flirting with John, but at the same point would drive an axe into his back if necessary. And I think the mother aspect of it, because Lizzie killed her parents, that was a plot that seemed to work best. So first came mother, then came the axe. And Lizzie Borden wasn’t just an afterthought. We did think of referencing it, but I’d already referenced Lizzie Borden in an earlier episode in Season 3. We’ve had several women wielding axes on the show, and we can’t reference Lizzie Borden every time. But yeah, there are a lot of parallels. She killed her mother, there was someone coming into the house at the time, someone running out of the house. I can’t remember exactly what happened with Lizzie Borden, but yes. Obviously, I can see why you would think that.

It’s been nice to see Charles Vandervaart get more screen time, and clearly, you were able to touch a little bit into the fame that goes behind supposed serial killers or just killers at large, this fascination that he had with her was pretty great.
PA: I thought so, too. We’ve been trying to make this an episode for a while. And I always pictured it as the person that they are escorting to justice, and then they escape. I always thought of that person as a man. It’s kind of like, what’s that movie with Jack Nicholson back in the early 70s? He was escorting a sailor to be incarcerated. [Editor’s Note: The Last Detail.] I always wanted to make an episode like that, and so that was how it started out and then we realized that it was actually a lot more interesting if the protagonist was a female that John Brackenreid had a crush, and we could play that flirty angle. So that’s how that came about.

I did want to ask about William and Julia. There are a lot of fans out there that always want to see the two of them front and centre every episode, and in this one, they certainly weren’t. They weren’t a major part of the story, although they did have their own fun kind of storyline. Is it nice to have them in the background and not be having them do the heavy lifting? 
PA: As regards to heavy lifting, I think it’s always good if you can give your main actors a bit of a break, because so much is demanded of them, just on a humanitarian crowd I think it’s a good idea. And in terms of the story, in terms of what the audience wants, yeah, they want to see the main guys, but it’s also kind of fun and challenging for an audience to not be able to see the main guys in the main role all the time, to see someone else step up. I think it’s kind of fun to be able to do that. And I know that the audience, I think, will sort of just go along with it. Murdoch will be back next episode, there’s no danger about it, and I think it’s unusual to have Murdoch not be involved in any way in the actual mystery except at the very beginning and the very end.

Will their storyline continue? The publishing storyline? Or is that kind of a one-off?
PA: We’ll see where it goes.

What can you say about Margaret and Thomas going forward as we get closer to the end of this season?
PA: I think, obviously that will be when the season goes along, but it’s a season long story. And I think it’s a really good story. I think it resolves, or doesn’t resolve, I think, where it goes, how it goes is actually really interesting, and I’m looking forward to seeing it myself.

What did you think of this episode? Are you excited to see where Julia and William’s writing careers go? Let me know in the comments below.

Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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