We asked James Clayton to take us inside the dangerous world of Residue and tell us more about his career.

________________________________

Can you start by telling us a little bit about you and Residue?

Residue is a supernatural action horror written and directed by Rusty Nixon and will be released on VOD and iTunes July 18 in North America. The film is produced by Blaine Anderson & myself through our company Motorcycle Boy Productions. It’s being distributed by IndustryWorks Studios and Xlrator Media.

I play a private investigator named Luke Harding who accidentally reads a demonic book that unleashes an evil force in his apartment. It boasts incredible ensemble cast which includes Leo Award nominated Taylor Hickson (Deadpool), Gemini Award nominated Matt Frewer (Timeless, Orphan Black), Alika Autran (Altered Carbon), Elysia Rotaru (Arrow), Costas Mandylor (Saw series), Blaine Anderson (Scary Movie 4), and William B. Davis (The X-Files).

What can audiences expect from the film?

Fun. I had the privilege to watch the film at the Academy Award-sponsored Sunscreen International Film Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida back in April of this year. The film is a thrill ride. The audience loved it and the biggest question we received afterwards was, “When is the sequel?” The film creates a very lush world and although it delivers a satisfying conclusion, it leaves the door open for an entire universe of discovery.

In terms of tone, it very much has elements of H.P Lovecraft, The X-Files, and a dash of Evil Dead.

________________________________

“Never stop. Be yourself. Enjoy the process.

Enjoy the people. Create your own work.”

________________________________

What kind of preparation did you do for this role?

For all my roles I do intensive preparation on the psychology and physicality of the character.

The previous film I did, Candiland with Gary Busey, I lost 55 lbs from my normal weight of 185 lbs. I’m just about 5’11 and I was 130 lbs during filming so it was a real challenge. We went into Residue next and I had to build myself up into a muscular but out of his prime detective. So I worked out quite a bit, ate a lot of burgers, and bulked up to 190 lbs. The physicality of a role really informs the psychology and I love the challenge. I also write an entire backstory for my character.

What was the most challenging part of making this movie and how did you handle it?

You know, there wasn’t anything exceptionally challenging about making Residue. Everything always came together, we had an amazing crew & cast, and post production was seamless. From pre-production to delivery it was only 12 months. It really flew by.

Recommended Reading You Can Act On Camera Click a cover for more details The Art of Voice Acting Secrets of Screen Acting Recommended Reading You Can Act On Camera Click a cover for more details The Art of Voice Acting Secrets of Screen Acting

How would you describe the current state of the film and television industry in Vancouver?

Busy! I think it’s great how many productions are in town and it’s inspiring that the local indie filmmaker scene is expanding every day. There are some great filmmakers in this city and the international market will become very aware of our indie scene as time goes on.

You’ve done a lot of acting in both the film and television worlds. What do you enjoy about participating in each one?

I really enjoy the collaboration. You have to like people to be in the film industry because that’s what it’s built on. Great people. And I love meeting new people everyday and sharing stories. When crew and cast are in sync, that’s when magic happens.

What’s the most important lesson that you’ve learned in your career?

Never stop. Be yourself. Enjoy the process. Enjoy the people. Create your own work.

What film and television-related books and authors have been influential to your professional journey so far?

For the craft of acting: Lori Triolo who studied at The Neighbourhood Playhouse taught me how to act. She resides in LA. She should write a book because there is no one better. But I have read great books about the craft by Susan Batson, Larry Moss, Ivana Chubbuck, Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, and Uta Hagen. Those are all essential reads. Linda Darlow, who also appears in Residue, is an awesome teacher and local to Vancouver. I encourage young actors to read her book Auditioncraft for some amazing practical advice.

What other projects are you working on?

I’m currently in preparation for an action thriller called High Caliber. The film is written by Niall Cassin and Rusty Nixon and will be directed by Rusty Nixon as well. Blaine Anderson and myself are producing it through Motorcycle Boy Productions and it will be distributed by IndustryWorks Studios. Think Die Hard meets Lethal Weapon. We begin filming late September of 2017.

Where can we find out more about you?

For updates on all the film work I do people can check out:
JamesClaytonActor.com
MotorcycleBoyProductions.com
Instagram.com/jamesclaytonactor
Twitter.com/jamesclaytonactor
IMDB

________________________________

Thanks to James Clayton for speaking with us!

You can see Residue at The Rio on Sunday, July 9th, 2017 at 3:45PM. The filmmakers will be in attendance. For tickets, please visit riotheatretickets.ca.

After that, watch for it on VOD and iTunes on July 18th.

The post The Biz Interview: James Clayton appeared first on Biz Books.

Our sincere thanks to William B. Davis and his team for making this happen along with the excellent group of students, actors, and fans who joined us for a thought-provoking discussion.

For anyone who missed the event, here’s a clip of the Cigarette Smoking Man himself reading an excerpt from his book, Where There’s Smoke…

Watch for more industry events in the near future from BizBooks.net and SchoolCreative!

The post Where There’s Smoke… A Look Back at Our Event with William B. Davis appeared first on Biz Books.

Where There’s Smoke… An Encounter with William B. Davis!

Book Signing, Interview and Q&A!

One of the most iconic villains in the history of television, the enigmatic Cigarette Smoking Man fascinated legions of fans of the 1990s’ hit TV series, The X-Files. Best known as “Cancerman,” he was voted Television’s Favourite Villain by the readers of TV Guide. The man behind the villain, William B. Davis, is a Canadian actor and director, whose revelations in this memoir will entertain and intrigue the millions of X-Files aficionados worldwide.

But there is more to Davis’ story than just The X-Files.

William B. Davis’ extensive acting experience began when he was a child in Ontario in the 1950s, and grew to encompass radio, theatre, film, and television. At the University of Toronto, where he graduated with a degree in philosophy, he turned his hand to directing, a move that took him to theatre school in Britain and a directing career. There, he reconnected with his undergraduate colleague, Donald Sutherland, and worked at the National Theatre, with such notables as Sir Laurence Olivier, Dame Maggie Smith, and Albert Finney.

Join us as William B. Davis discusses his career, reads from excerpts from his book, and answers audience questions. There may even be a few insights about the highly anticipated return of The X-Files!!

Here’s William B. Davis on Breakfast Television Vancouver talking about The X-Files and our event!

When: Sunday, November 15th at 7PM.

Where: SchoolCreative – Institute of the Arts (210 – 112 East 3rd Ave, Vancouver BC, V5T 1C8)

This is a free event.

The post Where There’s Smoke… An Encounter with William B. Davis appeared first on Biz Books.

With over 200 film and television credits to his name, Jay Brazeau has appeared in a diverse slew of projects ranging from film work like Christopher Nolan’s Insomnia, Christopher Guest’s Best in Show, Ben Ratner’s Down River, and Carl Bessai’s Fathers & Sons, TV projects like The West Wing, 21 Jump Street with Johnny Depp, The X-Files with David Duchovny and Gillan Anderson,and Da Vinci’s Inquest with Nicholas Campbell, as well as countless stage roles in Vancouver and beyond.

On the eve of our May Play Sale Pop-Up Store, we caught up with Jay Brazeau AKA”The Braz” to find out more about his long career, the secret of his success, and what makes for an effective play.

______

How would you describe your creative process as an actor for getting into your characters?

Every character is different. I remember doing some play where I never even read the whole script. I was playing a character in the first act who never came back again. So what did he have to know about the second act? Nothing. So he was developed from what I had to know. In fact I don’t think I ever watched the second act of the play. It wasn’t that I am a lazy actor it’s just that I had all that I needed. Some people have too much stuff to sift through. They read every autobiography, see every film, do research at the library…..and they are right to do that if they are dealing with a complex character. But I believe with a good script all the answers should be in the script. that’s all you need. I don’t know if I have a creative process. I never went to acting school. I have a Grade 11 education. I have a street smart intuition that has always helped me. Acting really is about reacting. And not over reacting. Usually it’s about saying yes to everything that is offered to you. It’s amazing all the places that will take you.

What was the moment when you knew you wanted to be an actor?

The first time I saw Jerry Lewis on the big screen. I wanted to be like him. manic and strange and child-like. And make millions of people laugh and get paid millions of dollars. Ha! Then later I was exposed to many great actors who took me under their wings and straightened me out.

Who were your greatest influences when you were starting out?

Len Cariou. He gave me my first professional job. I should say jobs. I had 3 small parts in Cyrano de Bergerac and 3 lines. Then at Christmas, I was in a larger role in A Christmas Carol. And my final role of the season was in a Canadian play called Creeps where I played this mentally-challenged fellow who had cerebral palsy and would take out his penis and chase girls around the stage telling them he was going to disintegrate them. It was the best year of my life.

You’ve enjoyed a variety of roles on stage, on television, and on film. What creative rewards do you get from each of these three platform and do you prefer one over the others?

They are all the same and yet all so different. the only thing they have in common is you are only as good as the material you are given. I have had fantastic and shitty parts in all three. Of the three I am most likely drawn to the theatre more than the other two. It’s where I started. At the end of a two show day I could be playing Cyrano and want to party. And an audience gives you so much. They have been my best teachers. On a set, you are giving everything to a machine that doesn’t give you anything back except more coin, and at the end of the day you are exhausted.

Overall, what is the very best thing about acting?

I could have a nickle in my pocket, no hair and a pot belly and on the stage I am Casanova. I am Cyrano de Bergerac. I am Lear. How exciting it is to be a King for a Night. The greatest Swordsman in Paris and the greatest lover. Well I’m already the greatest lover so that doesn’t count.

What are a few of your most memorable moments as an actor?

Playing Tartuffe, the main character in the play that doesn’t enter till 45 minutes after the play begins. They spend the whole beginning of the play talking about you. What a set-up. I slithered on stage and stood next to a stuffed owl. Got a little laugh. Poked the owl and got a bigger laugh. Made the sign of the cross and got applause. This is before I even said a word. It was a lovely part. I’m such a bragger. And no doubt sometimes an over-actor. In my first big play Cyrano I was really worried about that. The director was the famous French actor Jean Gascon. In rehearsal all my choices were small. He took me aside one day and said, “Make it big!” “You are too small I think you are a shitty actor!” “If you are too big I can always take you down.” Good advice. Never be afraid of running blindfolded through the forest.

Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller has always been close to me because reminded me so much of my father. Especially since I have two sons and so did Willy. A tragic figure. But a joy to walk on stage every night carrying those two heavy bags. I remember trying to figure what it was that Willy was selling on the road so we could put those in my suitcases. And then reading I think it was Dustin Hoffman who asked Arthur Miller what it was that Willy is selling and his reply was “Himself.” I have been very lucky to play many wonderful characters in musicals but my fave will always be Man in the Chair in The Drowsy Chaperone. The perfect musical. And it’s Canadian. I so loved doing that part. I cried when I went back to my dressing room the night we closed.

Recommended Reading The Perfect Stage Crew
2nd Edition Click a cover for more details Empire of the Son Ignite: Illuminating Theatre
For Young People Recommended Reading The Perfect Stage Crew
2nd Edition Click a cover for more details Empire of the Son Ignite: Illuminating Theatre
For Young People

You directed the play Poor last year, which premiered at the Vancouver International Fringe Festival. What do you get from stage directing that you don’t from acting and how does your creative approach change?

As a director you never get tired. It always surprises me when the Stage Manager says “Jay we have to stop now.” The time flies. And I’m always begging for a couple of more minutes to do the scene one more time. I love working with actors. Sometimes you have ideas about casting a character and you will hire that person and they will get a movie or a better gig and you have to recast.  Someone who is totally different than the person you wanted but you must tell yourself, “There are many ways to get to Winnipeg.” All that matters is getting to Winnipeg. And you will find that this new actor has a thousand better ideas for this character. Things you would never of thought of. Those are the surprises that a director loves.

You have a reputation as one of Vancouver’s hardest working actors. What is a typical day like for you?

First off, I give the appearance of being the hardest working actor. Just because you come home drunk at 2 in the morning and turn on your TV and see me playing a shrink or something doesn’t mean I am working all the time. A lot of that stuff was shot 10 or 20 years ago. If anything, I am working less. But I can’t complain I can be very picky about things. As you get older you want to enjoy going to work every day or night. So it is important to me to have a good time, to work with a director who is not a tyrant, and to work with good actors and to play a part that is challenging. I have done a part in Urinetown, a musical I love twice for the Firehall. I was asked to do it again for the third time but I have done all I can do in that part. It is time for someone else to tackle that character. So I do turn down a lot of stuff but I am 61. There are only so many plays left in me. So I am not a hard-working actor. I do spend a lot of time on Facebook. Maybe that has something to do with it.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue a career in acting?

Well you have to decide if you want to be an actor or a star. If you wanted to be a theatre actor I would say if you were young go to study with Kathryn Shaw at Studio 58. If you were older I would say study with Ben Ratner or Andrew McIlroy. If you wanted to be a star I would say move to Hollywood and hire some hacker to get your sex-tape on the internet. If you wanted to be a Canadian Movie star I would say learn to speak french and move to Montreal. If you were 60 like me I would say don’t quit. Pretty soon all your competition will be dead. Or think about making that tape again. I would love to see more found-sex-tapes with senior actors in it. You could start a new craze.

What books have been influential in your creative journey so far?

Alan Arkin has a marvelous autobiography about his life as an actor and his life as a teacher. I remember loving this autobiography called The Lunts. I read as many biographies about actors and directors as I can get my hands on. A watch all those old moves. And especially all the movies from the ’70s. Biz Books was a great place for me and I’m not just sucking up. Whenever I felt lonely I would drop down and talk to the people behind the counter find out about the latest new hot book, or run into old friends who were looking for a play. We have to support our favourite local bookseller or pretty soon they too will disappear. And if Harper had his way all the libraries would be turned into Tim Horton’s.

What makes for an effective play?

The same thing that makes an effective film or book. People are forever investing more money into the set and costumes and publicity or finding star power to launch their new theatrical extravaganza. It’s all about the story. I can watch a play with no set, 2 chairs and a table and 2 actors and be totally blown away with a great story. Hundreds of years ago that’s all people had. The story seems to always be the last thing that people look for. It’s what’s in the box that matters not how beautiful the box is decorated. The plays I love are the ones that challenge me. The ones I am thinking about weeks and sometimes years later. I did Danny and the Deep Blue Sea by John Patrick Shanley over 25 years ago and I still run into people on the street who saw that play and say it changed their life. The same with Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand and Fiddler on the Roof by Joseph Stein and The Drowsy Chaperone by Don McKellar and Bob Martin and The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? by Edward Albee. And there are new plays. I would tell all the actors out there to find a new playwright and work with them on an exciting new.piece of theatre.  We should be excited and challenged when we go to the theatre. And it is those new playwrights and new actors and new directors who will hold the keys to the future of theatre.

______

Our thanks to Jay Brazeau for speaking with us. For more information about Jay Brazeau, please visit IMDB.com.

The post The Biz Interview: Jay Brazeau appeared first on Biz Books.

We spoke with Rachel Walls, the editor of the book, to get the details on her editing process and her thoughts on the book and the Vancouver film and television industry.

What can readers – especially Vancouverites – expect to learn about the Vancouver film industry that they might not know already?

The book focuses on particular scenes in Vancouver films and the location used in each scene, so a reader might be curious to know the exact location featured in the films they’ve seen and learn about how that location works within the film as a whole. Also, I suspect there are some films readers might not have seen or realized were filmed in Vancouver, and some older films that many Vancouverites may have not heard of.
The reader gets an insight into original research, for instance, the first scene review in the book is Peter Lester’s account of how the Provincial Courthouse (now the Vancouver Art Gallery) was used in the 1927 feature Policing the Plains. As well as learning about films, the reader can learn about the history of Vancouver through this book as many of the locations featured in earlier pictures have changed or disappeared.

How did Vancouver come to be chosen for this edition of the World Film Locations series?

To be honest, I heard about the series from a friend and put myself forward to edit a Vancouver edition. I had just written my PhD dissertation about representations of Vancouver so it seemed the perfect project – I had been interested in mapping the locations used in film and TV and thinking about how representations affect our perspective of place. And I thought the combination of local and ‘runaway’ Hollywood productions would make for a really interesting addition to Intellect’s series, adding complexity to the idea of cinematic cities that was explored by the first few books that came out in the series which were on iconic cities such as London, Paris and New York.

What is it about Vancouver that makes it such an attractive location for filmmakers?

For Hollywood filmmakers it is a combination of Vancouver’s diverse ‘looks’ (urban, mountains, ocean, suburb, farmland etc), its relative proximity and same time zone, and, formerly, a favourable exchange rate and tax cuts. There is also a strong infrastructure that has been built up, and it is a shame now that this infrastructure is under-utilized and film professionals are out of work because BC’s tax credits are currently not competitive with other provinces. For local filmmakers, it is usually because it is home and accessible but also often because the filmmakers know and are fascinated by the city’s complex character – its various locations can be used to complement and add meaning to the plot.

Through your research into made-in-Vancouver films and television productions, which ones do you feel have been the most influential?

Hmm, different ones are influential in different ways. Allan King’s Skid Row (1956) was important as an early instance of cinema verité. Larry Kent and Sylvia Spring have not had as much recognition as they deserve, but I feel The Bitter Ash (Kent, 1963) and Madeleine Is… (Spring, 1971) were significant as early Canadian features and in exploring societal and relationship issues that are still pertinent today. Of the runaway productions I think The X Files (1993-2002) has to be the most influential, because it ran for so long and reached such an audience. It was certainly the first time I heard about Vancouver as location in the UK (as a young teenager with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson posters on my wall!)

What can you share about your process in editing this book?

When I started the project, a friend warned me that editing a book like this with many contributors might be like herding cats! But I want to give the amazing team of writers and photographers for World Film Locations: Vancouver due credit – they worked super hard to meet deadlines and stayed in close contact with me. However, with twenty writers and six photographers, I did have a whole lot of emailing to do!
First I had to find my writers, so I targeted people I knew in both the UK and Canada and cast the word around in order to find those working on and interested in Vancouver film. I got a great response. I had suggested a list of films I wanted in the book and the people who responded to my call were interested in writing about many of those and several more that I hadn’t come across, which was exciting. It meant we could show a wide variety of Canadian and Hollywood films from across the decades, representing many of Vancouver’s neighbourhoods and cultures.
I advised on format and style, fact-checked and did research to pinpoint a couple of locations, and mapped all the locations in Google maps for graphic designer Joel Keightley to work from when he created the maps for the book. I found photographers to take the contemporary images of the locations and then sent all the content off to the series editor Gabriel Solomons who laid the book out. Then came a lot of proof reading and promotion!

What are your other favourites as far as film and television-related books?

I love David Spaner’s book, Dreaming in the Rain, about Vancouver’s film industry. There are some great stories in there and it introduced me to films like Dennis Hopper’s Out of the Blue, which I love and which Elvy Del Bianco has done a great piece on for WFL: Vancouver. I also am really interested in documentary so enjoyed reading the edited collection, Challenge for Change: Activist Documentary at the National Film Board of Canada edited by Thomas Waugh, Michael Brendan Baker and Ezra Winton. Otherwise, I enjoy reading about filmmakers whose work I enjoy: I’m a big fan of Guy Maddin, so I loved the book Playing with Memories edited by David Church, and a book about Alanis Obomsawin by Randolph Lewis. Of the World Film Location Series, I especially enjoyed the Tokyo and Paris books!

World Film Locations: Vancouver is now available for sale in the Biz Books online store.

The post The Biz Interview: Rachel Walls – Editor of World Film Locations: Vancouver appeared first on Biz Books.

James is currently the fight choreographer and coordinator on the CW series, Arrow, which has recently been renewed for its second season. He spoke with us about his life in stunt work.

What are the keys to a perfect stunt?

A great script. Prep time. Creativity. Talent. Toughness. A budget… and in some rare cases, a little luck.

Tell us about Arrow and your involvement in it.

Arrow is an adaptation of the DC Comics character, Green Arrow. In our version, he is quite a bit darker/grittier than the original comic, quite similar to The Dark Knight/Batman character. My involvement consists of membership on a complete team of the stunt department. I personally choreograph, and oversee all of the combat/fight action on the show, including training of the actor(s) and other utility stunt coordinator duties. We have a stunt coordinator, in addition to myself heading up our team, Mr. JJ Makaro.

What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had from doing a stunt?

The worst immediate injury consisted of tearing my lat muscle in half during a highfall (the landing). But I have accumulated damage to both my hips throughout the years requiring a double hip replacement surgery. I’m bionic from the waist down.

How do you mentally and physically prepare for a stunt?

Mentally, I go into a bit of a calmed zen state of meditation immediately before the camera rolls. Physically as a performer, I attempt to make it to some form of physical training as many times a week as possible. It’s important to keep sharp at all times when being a regular performer of stunts. Losing your edge is not an option.

What advice do you give to actors when you are training them for a stunt?

To be honest with me regarding ability, previous injuries incurred, and to listen when instructed to “stand down” during the performance of any given stunt on set, letting a double take their place.

How has recent film technology like CGI and 3D affected modern stunts?

It has enhanced what was already a beautiful creative process. One can’t replace the other, as a good coordinator knows. Working together with the VFX department only serves to ensure a seamless blend of live action and FX magic.

What made you want to get involved in the stunt side of the industry?

Early on, I was influenced by Bruce Lee and Muhammad Ali. There was really no other path for me.

What is a typical day like for you on set?

Does typical exist on set for a stuntman?

What’s the most surprising thing about stunt work?

The average person has no idea how much the stunt performer actually is subjected to on a regular basis. In conversations with extras, or other civilians they assume that everything is just “cool” and “fun” and therefore won’t hurt…. How wrong they are. This career is not for just anyone. There is a small section of the population who can handle it, and they are proud of the job for that reason.

What advice would you give to people who are interested in doing stunts for a living?

Many times I’ve just told them, “Don’t bother, unless you want to limp permanently by the time you are 35”. If they are still around 5 years later wanting the job, then they are worth giving a shot.

Are there any differences between doing stunts for film vs TV?

Time. We have far less time to prep and shoot on a TV series as compared to a feature film.

What stunts are you most proud of?

I don’t have the room here to go on, but there have been too many times in my career where I’ve walked away at the end of the day saying to myself, “Today I can die happy.”

At what point in the filming process do you need to replace an actor with a stunt performer?

When the risk to the actor’s safety becomes more than the stunt coordinator, insurance company, production, and in some cases the actor is comfortable with.

Are there any books that you would recommend about stunts?

The Stuntman by Yakima Canutt and The Fall Guy by Chuck Roberson.

What is the casting process like for stunt performers as far as physical resemblance to the actor vs the requirements for a specific stunt?

That is the stunt coordinator’s skill set to determine. There should be a balance of the correct physical look and skill set.

What upcoming projects do you have that we should be aware of?

I’m currently on the TV series, Arrow full-time and that is where I plan to stay for the near future or until season 10 comes around… if and when that does.

The post The Biz Interview: James Bamford of Arrow appeared first on Biz Books.

We spoke with William B. Davis to get his insights into Where There’s Smoke … Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man and the various musings that we can expect to see.

Can you walk us through the process of writing this book – from the early stages to publishing? Why was now the right time to make it happen?

To write a memoir one has to be a certain age; old enough to have a story to tell and not too old to tell it. Early seventies seemed about right.

I had often thought about writing a memoir, my idiosyncratic background surely of interest to aficionados of Canadian theatre if no one else. It was Jerry Wasserman from UBC who first suggested it and directed me to Fred Euringer’s memoir, A Fly on the Curtain, that dealt with a similar period from my early life, summer stock and University of Toronto in the late fifties. I also read my friend David Helwig’s memoir, The Names of Things, also about the same period.

Would the book be about early Canadian theatre or about my life as a late blooming celebrity? I decided on both. And added my life in the British theatre in the dynamic sixties.

Not only is the book a history of theatre and film, it is also a social history spanning the early postwar period to the present. And I am far too candid about my personal life.

Of course my X-Files experience is important and has many fans, but equally important was the light I could shed on the development of theatre in Canada.

In the book, you discuss how chance factors into the career of any actor. What can today’s actors do to increase their “luck” in the hopes of having a more successful career?

I suppose I should suggest all those things I hate doing and rarely do. Going to the right parties, meeting the right people. Being a first rate actor is all that you can control. Whether you are the right size or look is out of your control.

What kinds of discoveries can your fans expect to learn about you from reading this book that they might not know already?

Few fans of The X-Files, few producers of The X-Files, were aware of my long career in Canadian and British theatre. They will learn more of my personal life than I should have revealed. And they will learn of my personal history with the show and my thoughts about it.

You mention that Bill Davis has had many different lives. What are the accomplishments that you are most proud of as an actor and also as a person?

I am proud of my early career as something of a boy wonder in the theatre – as a director, not an actor.

I am proud and surprised to have become a successful actor, a career path I had abandoned in favour of directing when I was 20.

My short film, which I wrote, directed, and performed in, Packing Up, is still especially meaningful for me.

Founding The William Davis Centre for Actors’ Study in 1993 which continues to this day.

I am pretty pleased that at age 74 I can still climb the Grouse Grind and water ski competitively.

How influential do you feel that The X-Files was for science fiction, television, and also the Vancouver film and TV industry?

No doubt the success of The X-Files has brought attention to Vancouver as a location for science fiction projects. Many have followed, notably Supernatural and Fringe and more recently, Continuum.

How do you handle the challenge of being closely tied to one character without being typecast? What steps can actors take to avoid that and what can they do to also further their enjoyment of playing the same character on a regular basis?

Of course I am typecast sometimes. But I’m fine with that. Fortunately I am quite a different person than the character I played on X-Files so frequently I play very different roles. I don’t know how one deals with playing the same character for hundreds of episodes – I only did 35 episodes of X-Files. For me the character kept changing in subtle ways and deepening.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given in your career and what’s the most important thing from your own experience that would share with today’s actors?

On my first day as an acting student at LAMDA in London, the principal told us all to be happy, to accept that we had talent or we wouldn’t be there, and allow our work to grow. For me, beating young actors into submission is to risk destroying their talent to say nothing of debasing them as people. Talent is to be nurtured like a plant, provided with nutrients and a healthy environment. If you pull it out of the ground every week to see how it is doing you will surely kill it.

You’ve been acting at many different points in your life and have been able to witness a lot of different actors come and go throughout the industry. Which actors really stood out for you in your earlier years and which ones impress you with their work now? From your vantage point, what are the elements that make someone a legitimate talent?

There were many actors in my early years, Michael Redgrave, Joan Plowright, Paul Newman, Geraldine Page, Albert Finney. Now, Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, Anthony Hopkins.

Is there a difference between a talent and an actor? There are many film actors with amazing talent but limited to a narrow range of film and television work. To be a major star one needs training and experience in both theatre and film.

But any actor must be able to put herself in imagined circumstances and live truthfullu.

What books have been important to you throughout your career and were there any that inspired you when it came time to write your own?

I have read widely on subjects such as evolutionary biology and climate change that have influenced my thinking about life in general. I read many memoirs when I came to write mine. Peter Hall, Judi Dench, Amelia Hall, and Fred’s and David’s mentioned above. I read Christopher Plummer’s and William Shatner’s but felt I wanted to write a different kind of book.

Theatre books – Larry Moss, Hart, Uta Hagen, and, of course, Constantin Stanislavski.

What other projects are you involved in right now?

I have a small but key role in the new series Continuum. Tall Man will be released at the end of August. I shot a new Steve Austin action movie, The Package, and a low budget science fiction feature, The Singularity Principle. A lovely docudrama, The Mountain Runners has just been released. I am looking at other writing projects, a new book on acting and a new translation of Feydeau. And some directing projects are being discussed for 2013.

Where There’s Smoke … Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man is available for purchase at WilliamBDavis.com.

The post The Biz Interview: William B. Davis for “Where There’s Smoke… Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man” appeared first on Biz Books.