Tag Archives: Jay Ryan

Indigenous stories, characters and cast front and centre in CBC’s charming North of North

It’s hard to re-invent yourself, especially when you live in a small town, where everyone knows you. How can you convince a community that you shouldn’t be pigeonholed or dismissed? And how do you do it with an air of positivity and humour?

That’s the premise behind North of North, CBC’s newest comedy.

Airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem (and the spring on Netflix), North of North stars Anna Lambe (True Detective, Trickster) as Siaja, a young Inuk mother who strives to be something other than the wife of her self-absorbed husband, Ting (Kelly William). So, she exits her marriage, moves herself and her daughter in with her mother, Neevee (Maika Harper), and chases down a job at the community centre in fictional Ice Cove, Nunavut.

With so much upheaval in her life, one could assume North of North is dark and dour. It’s anything but. Created by Stacey Aglok MacDonald (Qanurli, The Grizzlies) and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Angry Inuk, The Grizzlies) and produced alongside executive producer Miranda de Pencier (Anne with an E, The Grizzlies), North of North is jam-packed with quips and comedy, largely due to lead Lambe, whose presence jumps off the screen.

“I was honestly so terrified of comedy,” Lambe says during a recent interview. “So much Indigenous film and television [is drama-based], and I think that’s important and necessary, but comedy was one of those things where it was either going to hit or it’s going to miss so bad that maybe it will be funny.” Add to that the fact the series was filmed in Iqaluit, Lambe’s hometown, and surrounded by background cast that knows her, and the pressure was on.

She need not have worried. Lambe’s Siaja is charming and fun to watch on screen. Siaja’s repartee with Neevee is funny and irreverent (their relationship seems more sisterly than mother-daughter), innocent flirting with the handsome Kuuk (Braeden Clarke) smile-inducing and awkward conversations with Alistair (Jay Ryan), laugh-inducing.

Yes, there are nods to colonialism and residential schools in the dialogue, but they are often used for comic effect in scripts and storylines.

“There was a real challenge to finding what the final tone of the show was going to be and having someone fail so publicly,” Lambe says. “But one of the things I love so much about the show is how authentic it is about how we get through life.

“The only way out of a bad situation is through the bad situation and why not laugh along the way? Why not try to find those funny moments?”

North of North airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Global’s Mary Kills People checks in one final time

Back in 2017, Caroline Dhavernas was proud that the debate over doctor-assisted suicide would be the focal point of Mary Kills People. The Canadian government, at that time, has just deemed it legal with Bill C-14, thrusting Mary Kills People into the spotlight.

Now, with the final season of Global’s drama premiering this Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the network, Dhavernas is just as proud as she was when we first spoke about Tara Armstrong’s creation.

“Tara wrote this when she was in her late 20s, early 30s and I think it was a brave choice to tackle death and make it interesting and funny and sexy and thrilling and serious and dramatic and all that,” Dhavernas said, in the midst of a media day for the series. “When you go to a network with a subject that’s assisted dying, chances are they’re going to say to you, ‘It was nice to meet you, but no thanks.’ But she made it happen.”

In Sunday’s return, it’s been five months since the Season 2 finale. Mary (Dhavernas), Des (Richard Short) and Nicole (Charlotte Sullivan) are running a hospice, the perfect opportunity to help terminally-ill patients exit the world and not worry about the authorities catching them. Of course, before the hour is complete, things seem to be careening out of control. But rather than spoil it for you, just make sure you tune in. 

And, to prep you for Sunday, read our interview with Dhavernas.

Obviously, people are sad that the third season is going to be the last one, but I’m happy, and I think a lot of fans are, that we’re going to get closure. Have you all felt the same way?
Caroline Dhavernas: I was just dealing with the same thing while we were making Season 3. We knew it was going to be the end. So closure is indeed happening and, also, we get to tell the end of the story, which you don’t always get to do. We knew exactly what was happening and we got to say goodbye properly and end the show on our terms, so it’s quite empowering.

I’ve seen the first episode and we’re thrown quite the twist. I guess it should have been a little bit expected because this is Mary Kills People, but it’s a great way to jump back into Season 3.
CD: Yeah, I didn’t see it coming when I read it the first time. I was surprised by what happened and I thought the same thing, ‘I should have known because this is what I do on this show.’ For some reason, because it was about faith and because of her new life I thought, ‘What’s happening? Is she grappling with religion, but no.’

It looks as though this final season is going to be full of twists and turns.
CD: Every episode of this show is quite dense with action and emotion and Season 3 is going to be the same. And it’s a little more character driven, though, this season. Season 2 was really crazy, like the criminal world with Olivia and I think that will have been the season where we dive into the illegal aspect of what she’s doing the most. It’s an exciting season because also it takes place in winter for the first time, so the visuals are quite different and also water has always been an underlying theme on the show and now water has frozen over and it just brings another mood to the series.

I love the atmospheric stuff when you’re working with the seasons because it really adds character to the show and is actually like a member of the cast in telling the story.
CD: I think it forced us to rethink certain aspects of the show. And this happened because I was pregnant last summer and we couldn’t shoot so we were forced to reinvent a little bit, so it’s interesting.

Were you happy with the way that the show ended? Do you think that fans are going to be happy with the series finale?
CD: I think so because we care for these characters and we want them to know that they’ll be OK when we leave them forever. And I think you’ll certainly get a sense of that happening towards the end. It’s been very dense and very stressful at times, what they’re going through. And I’m not going to tell you how it ends, but certain characters will finally be able to calm down a little bit.

What are you most proud of being involved in this show? For me, it’s just the fact that assisted death has been brought to the forefront and is part of the discussion. What about for you?
CD: Yeah, I think it’s a very brave subject matter to tackle, especially from such a young woman’s point of view. Tara wrote this when she was in her late 20s, early 30s and I think it was a brave choice to tackle death and make it interesting and funny and sexy and thrilling and serious and dramatic and all that. Because when you go to a network with a subject that’s assisted dying, chances are they’re going to say to you, ‘It was nice to meet you, but no thanks.’ But she made it happen. It was a bit of a coincidence that the law was changing in Canada in the summer that we decided to shoot. It was kind of in the air for some reason and she made it work and the tone is quite unique, and that’s one of the other things that I’m quite proud of, being part of that uniqueness.

Last question. Did you take any mementoes from your time at Mary Kills People?
CD: Yes, actually I kept some of Mary’s clothes and … a medallion from the goddess of death, an Egyptian goddess, I think. I’m very happy to have been able to keep that.

Mary Kills People airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global.

Images courtesy of Corus.

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Season 2 of Global’s original series Mary Kills People returns Jan. 3; plus cast photos

From a media release:

Following a ground-breaking first season on both sides of the border, Global’s compelling and provocative original drama Mary Kills People returns Wednesday, January 3 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Starring Caroline Dhavernas, Jay Ryan, and Richard Short, and season guest stars Rachelle Lefevre and Ian Lake, the six-episode, one-hour event series picks up eight months after Mary (Dhavernas) and Des (Short) framed Grady (Greg Bryk) for the deaths of their patients. However, as Mary and Des dive deeper and darker into their illegal work, a mysterious woman, Olivia Bloom (Lefevre), comes to them with a deadly request, unleashing a chain of events that unfolds throughout the season.

From Entertainment One (eOne) and Cameron Pictures Inc., the return of the highly-anticipated event series will headline Global’s winter schedule this January. For the first look into Season 2, please click here. Additional programming details for Global’s midseason schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.

Leading up to the premiere, GlobalTV.com delivers exclusive Mary Kills People content. Giving fans a first look at the Season 2 premiere, a special sneak peek of the first episode will be available December 20, followed by the full first episode January 1 on GlobalTV.com and Global Go. Plus, in anticipation of the new season, viewers can catch up on Season 1 on GlobalTV.com and Global Go beginning December 20, and on Global beginning Tuesday, December 26 through Friday, December 29 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, with a two-hour finale at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Saturday, December 30.

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During the thrilling Season 2 premiere, Des is happy to reteam with Mary following his stint in prison, but when a routine case leads to a devastating outcome, Mary questions whether she was better off fighting the good fight without him – in control and unchallenged.

Throughout the new season, viewers will see Mary become more entangled in her illegal work, risking her family and ER career even as she tries to keep her worlds separate and her daughters safe. But secrets can only be hidden for so long when the mysterious Olivia approaches Mary and Des with a deadly request. Then, the personal and the professional come to a head when Ben returns, knee-deep in a complicated undercover case. Ben’s investigation will collide with Mary’s criminal descent, forcing Mary to decide whether to come clean once and for all.

Viewers who miss any of the dramatic moments from Season 2 can watch on GlobalTV.com or Global Go following the broadcast the next day.

Mary Kills People is produced by eOne and Cameron Pictures Inc., in association with Corus Entertainment, and with the financial participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. The series is executive produced by Tassie Cameron (Ten Days in the Valley, Rookie Blue), Amy Cameron (The Book of Negroes), Jocelyn Hamilton (Private Eyes), and Tecca Crosby (Private Eyes). The series is directed by Kelly Makin, Norma Bailey, and David Wellington with Holly Dale (who won the 2017 Directors Guild Of Canada Award for “Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Movies For Television And Mini-Series” for her work on Season 1) a 2017 DGC as Co-Executive Producer. Tara Armstrong (Private Eyes) created the series and is executive producer and writer. Additional writers include Tassie Cameron, Morwyn Brebner (Saving Hope), Lara Azzopardi (Backstage) and Marsha Greene (Ten Days in the Valley). eOne controls the worldwide rights for the series.

 

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