Tag Archives: CBC

Featured, This Life

This Life’s Kristopher Turner on Oliver’s artistic “delusions”

Oliver Lawson has always been the enigmatic sibling on CBC’s This Life. Gifted, troubled and intensely private, he has chosen to wrestle his demons in silence while trying to break into the Montreal art scene.

“I think that Oliver is an incredible artist with an incredible amount of arrogance that, ironically, is covering for a massive amount of insecurity,” Kristopher Turner says of his character.

However, in Season 2, the cracks are beginning to show. Early in the season, Oliver turned down Romy’s (Julia Scarlett Dan) request to live with him if Natalie (Torri Higginson) died, fracturing their close bond, and in a recent episode, Maggie (Lauren Lee Smith) discovered he was living in squalid conditions in his art studio.

“There’s an addictive personality to Oliver that manifests itself in many different forms,” he explains.

Joining us by phone from Toronto, Turner tells us more about Oliver’s artistic “delusions” and previews what’s coming up next in Season 2.

What do you enjoy most about playing Oliver?
Kristopher Turner: I love being able to play this role. To be able to play something my own age was huge, to be able to play something sexual and artistic and as out as Oliver is in all senses of the word, and have him so flawed and conflicted about that as well. There’s not any black and white. There’s so much murky human grey area of all of these characters, but particularly with Oliver . . . Because I am an artist myself, obviously, and I love it so much, and to get to play somebody with such passion for it, to a point of it being a character flaw in a way.

And he struggles with sexuality, and even though I’m not personally identifying as homosexual, I still struggle with my own sexuality and my own desires and how that relates to the world and how people look at me. And to be able to look at it from that perspective, as human sexuality and the shames and the ripples that it has in our lives as we act on our desires, what it has for other people, I loved exploring that.

When we first met Oliver in Season 1, he didn’t feel completely accepted by his family because he is gay. Is that still a struggle for him? 
It’s always a part of him. It’s never not a part of who Oliver is. I think in a weird way, it’s what gives him the specialness that he so desperately craves. And so it can be that double-edged sword, ‘I so want to be seen as this because it makes me special, and it makes me different in a family that I want to try to be separate from, that I want to find my voice in.’ But at the same time, it can be separating. So in a family that he desperately wants to be a part of and desperately wants to love him, it sort of does both things.

But at the beginning of Season 2, I think we see Oliver put that on the back burner in favour of the artist that he wants to be. In Season 2, we find Oliver not in a relationship anymore and not trying to identify and separate himself because of his sexuality, and he finds his passion for his art again. And so we see him 100 per cent diving into becoming identified and becoming special because of how great an artist he is now.

Last week, Oliver boldly installed an art project in Alexis’ (Simone-Elise Girard) gallery without permission to get her attention. Did that go the way he wanted it to go?
I think from Oliver’s perspective it went very well in the sense that he got to put his art out there, like he’s living in such a delusion that he’s this incredible artist, and the irony is that he is an incredible artist. It’s just the pieces aren’t together yet. He’s still maturing.

A few episodes ago, Maggie became worried about Oliver after finding the deplorable living conditions in his studio. Is she right to be concerned?
Yeah, she should be concerned. There’s an addictive personality to Oliver that manifests itself in many different forms, and [earlier in the season] Oliver made it clear that he wasn’t drinking anymore, he wasn’t doing drugs, but there’s a thing that you could call a dry addiction, whereby the addictive behaviour is still rampant, but it’s not necessarily drugs or alcohol. And, I think in this case, he’s addicted to this delusion, he’s addicted to his art. On the one hand, it’s great to be addicted to your art form, it’s great to be putting yourself 100 per cent into your work and putting it out in the world, but I think, in Oliver’s case, when you’re dealing with an addictive personality like he is, what is the cost being paid in order to do his art to his own health?

What can viewers expect from Oliver in this week’s new episode, “Intervention”? 
Maggie’s the one who has peeked behind the curtain as to what Oliver’s current living situation is, peeked behind the curtain into Oliver’s world a little bit because he’s so attached to being separate from the family. He so wants to be special, to find his own space, his own voice in the family . . . He’s isolated himself in this artistic studio, and Maggie starts to be able to peek into the art that he’s working on and the cost that he’s willing to pay to make his art at this point in his life.

this-life-206-1

There is an amazing and very revealing scene between all four Lawson siblings in this episode. What was that like to film?  
It was my favourite scene of the show. One, because it was all four of us together interacting in what was basically filmed like a play. A big scene is like three pages in the show, usually, but this was like a nine-page constant scene. And that’s all interacting with each other, all in one space. And we got to rehearse it like a play. We didn’t have the time like a play, but we had the freedom to walk through the space, and the cameras followed us instead of us having to adjust to the blocking . . . It was just so incredible to all work together as a family, as this common unit. It wasn’t one person’s scene, it was everybody’s as a family.

Oliver and Romy have had a strained relationship since he told her he didn’t want to be her guardian. What’s next for them? 
It’s such a special bond because of how much they understand each other—on top of the joy I have working with Julia, and the interaction we get to have as actors. But as the characters are going through this, and as the rest of the family is starting to take a peek into Oliver’s world, I think Oliver’s decisions, which may seem cruel on the outside, might be seen more like—albeit they are selfish decisions—in a way they’re also to protect Romy.

I think Oliver is selfish and self-interested, and as much as he loves this person, he knows how much he’s idolized by her. On the one hand, that feels so good to be idolized like that, but, on the other hand, he also knows what destruction is in her path if she keeps following in his footsteps. There’s a bit of tough love that I think he’s been giving her, pushing her away, knowing that he’s not in a place to be the idol that she sees him as. I think idolatry that she has for him is starting to crack, so she has to start seeing him for what he really is and not what she wishes he was.

What’s coming up for Oliver in the second half of Season 2? 
I think we’re finally getting to peek behind the curtain of what’s going on in Oliver’s world, and it’s a lot of illusion. And [after] this episode, Oliver is starting to see the consequences of his delusions, and he has the choice to accept that it’s happening, or double down and spiral even deeper into his delusions.

This Life is filmed in Montreal, and you’ve been making a big effort to learn French. Why has that been so important to you?
For me, looking to open up as an artist and a person, to be able to communicate more with the crew in their own language—and they all speak English, it’s not like I couldn’t communicate with them—but I think it’s important as a Canadian in general to be able to join in conversations that I normally felt isolated from. And even though I could only contribute a little bit here and there, I was able to sort of open myself up a little bit more and be more social, rather than isolating myself from the crew and people in the city who don’t speak English. It felt really good to do that.

This Life airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

Images courtesy of CBC.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Murdoch Mysteries, Pure

Alex Paxton-Beesley talks Freddie Pink and Murdoch Mysteries fans

Alex Paxton-Beesley has nothing but pure love for fans of Murdoch Mysteries and of Freddie Pink in particular. But, in the beginning, she was very nervous; Murdoch fans are a passionate group and make their feelings known.

“I was very nervous because the fans are incredibly loyal to the established relationships on the show,” Paxton-Beesley says. “If they [had put William and Freddie together as a couple], I would have said, ‘Guys, I’m going to be killed in real life!’ It’s so cool to see a Canadian-made show—with a Canadian cast, written by Canadians and shot in Canada—that is such a massive hit with a global audience. It’s awesome and inspiring and really fun and speaks to the quality of the show.”

The Toronto actress is days away from wrapping production on Pure, CBC’s upcoming six-episode drama about the Mennonite Mob dealing drugs out of Canada, Mexico and the United States. Paxton-Beesley plays Anna Funk, Mennonite wife to Pastor Noah Funk (Ryan Robbins) who sees her quiet life threatened after a mob leader named Eli Voss (Peter Outerbridge) gives Noah an ultimatum, forcing the Funks into the crime world.

“My character has to hold down the home front and make some pretty tough choices,” Paxton-Beesley teases. “It’s fun to play, but emotional.”

After filming wraps in Halifax, she jets back to Toronto where she’ll once again assume the role of Freddie Pink in a Murdoch Mysteries episode to air later this season.

“I don’t know if I can tell you anything,” she says. “But I can say that show is the most fun.”

Season 1 of Pure will air during the winter on CBC.

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

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
The Romeo Section

Link: Eugene Lipinski talks The Romeo Section + a preview of “Forced Entry”

From Heather M. of The Televixen:

Link: Eugene Lipinski talks The Romeo Section + a preview of “Forced Entry”
“Al is an enigma. He’s a contradiction. He’s a [shit stirrer]. I don’t think he wants anything for himself. He wants to stir the pot and drag people into darkness. I’ve worked with Chris a long time [and he] worked my accident into the story. On my tired days, my gait is not perfect, so [the audience] can wonder, ‘what’s going on [with Al]?’” Continue reading.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Murdoch Mysteries

Link: 5×5 With The Hook: Alex-Paxton Beesley

From You’ve Been Hooked:

Link: 5×5 With The Hook: Alex-Paxton Beesley
“I LOVE Freddie. I’m currently working on another show for the CBC that I’m incredibly proud of, called PURE (premiering early 2017!) — but I’m always thrilled to wear Freddie’s hats. She’s such a strong, interesting woman and I love playing her.” Continue reading.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Murdoch Mysteries’ Carol Hay breaks down “Jagged Little Pill”

Like many Murdoch Mysteries fans, I’ve been anxious to have some serious storyline time devoted to Rebecca James. Yes, we did get some backstory about her in “Colour Blinded,” but we wanted more. Thankfully Monday’s newest, “Jagged Little Pill,” sated our thirst for Rebecca, as she was front and centre doing a little investigating of her own after a schoolmate at the Ontario Medical College for Women turned up dead.

Though Dr. Ogden and the police considered it a suicide, Rebecca wasn’t sure. Upon more digging, she not only uncovered a secret about her friend Sarah, but her case intersected with Murdoch’s hunt for the killer of a rich man.

We spoke to the episode’s writer, Carol Hay, about the storyline, the real history behind the Ontario Medica College for Women and, well, syphilis. Also? We get a sneak peek into next week’s episode, “Bend it Like Brackenreid.”

How do you walk that line developing a character like Rebecca while staying true to what Murdoch Mysteries is?
Carol Hay: You develop character through story. In the most successful drama you inform who the character is and you explore who the character is by how they act. Rebecca not only took something on, but was going against Dr. Ogden. She was actually in her own way trusting her instincts about her friend and saying, ‘I don’t think she killed herself.’ It’s very interesting because, in my first draft, I had a much stronger scene with Ogden where Ogden basically says, ‘You’re wrong, move on.’ And everybody felt I was being too harsh because Rebecca had obviously lost a friend.

I was very happy we did a story about the Medical College and it was natural to have Rebecca stepping into her own world.

murdoch2

Rebecca has great enthusiasm when she’s talking about putting McInnis’ liver and kidneys into bottles.
That’s something we did in terms of character development. I liked that we introduced her very tentatively. It was period accurate. I liked that we brought her in as the cleaner in the morgue and Ogden spotting something in her and fought for her to come and work in the morgue. The idea was, when we moved to this season, she feels comfortable and can make jokes. It’s a sign of her maturity and sign of her growing confidence.

After 10 seasons of adding little bits of development to the other cast, it must be fun to create Rebecca because she’s a clean slate.
Yes, absolutely. It’s always difficult to add a new character because it’s another character to serve. It’s finding her a place in the stories that doesn’t take away from Ogden. Rebecca is very ahead of her time. She’s young and has the youthful energy, and that attitude has been really fun to write.

We also got a little bit of a history lesson with regard to the Ontario Medical College for Women and its beginnings as Women’s Medical College and its ties to Dr. Emily Stowe. It was also neat to have Emily’s daughter, Augusta, teaching at the school.
It’s true. Augusta Stowe-Gullen was at the medical college at that time. It was terrific to look into all of that. We take liberties, obviously, with the actual history. That medical college really did exist because it was thought that men and women shouldn’t be taught together. One of the scenes I wanted to explore in this episode was the medical establishment’s attitude toward women and whether they were capable of the challenges of being a doctor.

All the stuff about the coming together of the two cases, the research into syphilis and the sleeping sickness is visually all historically accurate. There was a brilliant scientist in Germany at that time who was researching the sleeping sickness at the same time as other scientists were looking at a cure for syphilis. It really was a coincidental thing.

Before Hemphell is revealed as the killer, he was showing respect to the ladies in his class. He wasn’t talking down to them.
He wasn’t a flirt, but he enjoyed teaching the women. We wanted to show that his sexism was a little more buried. It would have been easy to make him a jerk from the beginning and everyone would know was the villain.

Do you recall where the medical school scenes were filmed?
It was at a medical college in Guelph, Ont.

Julia was offered a teaching position at the college. Can you comment on how that turns out?
It’s something we pick up in a future episode. I’ll leave it at that.

Thank you to whoever added ‘automatic dishwashing cupboard’ and ‘standing bath’ to the script.
[Laughs.] That was likely Paul Aitken.

What can you say about next week’s episode, “Bend it Like Brackenreid”?
It takes place in the world of soccer and features the Brackenreid’s prowess on the soccer field. A friend of Brackenreid’s is coaching the game to decide who represents Canada at the 1904 Olympic Games. It’s between U of T and Galt, which is completely historically accurate.

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

Images courtesy of CBC.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail