This project was a lot of fun, and a great learning experience around delivering exposition. I loved working with Emmy-nominated director, Peter Markle (United 93), and Lost‘s Emilie De Ravin.

Book 'em Danno.

When I was offered a part in Lifetime Television’s Hunt for the I-5 Killer, a project about what it took to catch real life serial killer, Randall Woodfield, me and my friend Henry chatted about whether projects like these glorify what the killer has done. It was an interesting debate, what do you think?

I haven’t seen the project in its entirety yet, looks like it has a great cast and I’m looking forward to watching the whole thing. For now, this clip from the movie was sent to me:

Broken Trail now on DVD in Canada and available for purchase through Amazon

Up until AMC rolled into Alberta with Broken Trail, I’d been an extra or day player on a few Christmas television movies drifting through town, but acting was never something I’d allowed myself to seriously entertain. Broken Trail, would change all that.

How the Journey Began…

When I heard Emmy Award winning casting director, Jackie Lind, was helping AMC find five Chinese actresses to play a group of abducted girls who join two grizzled cowboys (Robert Duvall and Thomas Hayden Church) on a journey across America’s mid-west in the late 1800′s, I started driving to Calgary to attend the auditions. I remember scrambling to get out of my shifts as a news reporter, then driving six hours round trip to audition for five minutes, all the while thinking, “What the hell am I doing?”

I wasn’t sure my life was in local news anymore, but the thought of leaving a secure career I’d built from such a young age felt unsafe and completely counter-survival. Plus, acting seemed like a pipe dream.

But for the five minutes I was in that Calgary room auditioning, all the angst I felt over an urge I couldn’t explain melted away. I just enjoyed the process so much. The first Broken Trail role I auditioned for was cast a few days later out of LA. I shrugged it off thinking, “That’s okay, I’m not an actor anyway.”

Then I got called in to audition for another part. So exactly one week after my first audition, I made the six hour trek to Calgary to audition again. And once more, I found myself wondering, ‘What the hell am I doing?”

This time the part went to someone in Vancouver. “That’s okay,” I said to myself, as I hung up the phone dejected. Then a third trip to Calgary for another audition for another part, this time a director producer session… this time, the part went to someone from Calgary.

But then, an invite to meet with the project’s director, Walter Hill (Warriors, Deadwood), was extended. So for the fourth time in as many weeks, I drove to Calgary, this time to have tea with Walter who explained that Robert Duvall had spotted my first audition on a DVD with over one hundred actors and picked me out. After three auditions,Walter didn’t want to bring me in to audition again, rather, he wanted to talk to me about playing Ye Fung, the girl in the group who’s most emotionally vulnerable.

And then a funny thing happened. As something that once seemed impossible increasingly became a tangible opportunity, I freaked myself out… I was feeling uninspired in my news career, yet now I was fighting anything that threatened to make me look at changing my situation. In the end, with support of people around me who could see the bigger picture, I chose the very thing that scared me most. The very thing I wanted most– acting.

Pre-production…

Within three weeks of booking the role, I showed up in Calgary for my wardrobe fitting where I met Jadyn Wong, Valerie Tian, and Caroline Chan, they would become my little sista’s from other mista’s in a very short period of time. We traded our modern-day jeans and T-shirts for historical outfits that reflected the clothing of girls and women shipped over from China during that time (1890′s).

Meeting Robert Duvall…

The first thing Duvall did when we arrived was hold a dinner for key cast. I remember how he came into the private room, saw us, then smiled huge, and swept his arms open to announce his own entrance, “Hey hey hey! It’s Bobby D!”

You couldn’t help but be charmed by his presence and charisma.

Bobby quickly revealed his passion for tango, and invited a few of us to come learn some steps with him at a local studio. I arrived excited to move and shake. But the dance moves were foreign to me, and I felt flustered trying to learn from Bobby who was very particular about getting the steps right. Imagine being coached by Major Frank Burns. A bit freaked out, I finally blurted, “I feel like you’re mad at me!”

He looked surprised… then took a thoughtful pause before gently responding, “I’d never be mad at you.”

I think I remember that moment because I was struck by how quickly he could transform and affect people. From perfectionist drill sergeant to gentle mentor.

Another day, I knocked on his trailer door early one morning to hang out. I sat at a table with him while he learned his lines. Because he was so focused, I just chilled and watched him work, watching how his lips moved as he worked his lines, how his glasses sat crookedly on his nose amplifying the expression of focused concentration in his eyes. I was witnessing the quiet, dedicated craftsman putting his work in. No bullsh*t.  No short cuts to greatness.

The Shoot…

We shot on private ranch land 90 minutes outside of Calgary. The location, with its mountains, rushing rivers and grasslands was STUNNING. Absolutely breathtaking in its purity. Add a herd of two hundred horses wrangled by Alberta cowboys under a bright blue sky with cotton candy clouds, and the epic scale of our surroundings was undeniable.

I was so happy to be on set and fascinated with every facet of the experience having never been on set for more than a day at a time. In terms of the actual craft of acting, I had no idea what I was doing, and was blissfully unaware how I was as green as the grass I was standing on. There were many times my enthusiasm came out in my performance in ways that were completely inappropriate for the story. At one point, I remember watching Bobby do a scene where his character teaches Valerie Tian’s character to ride a horse, giving her a huge sense of freedom given her bound feet.

I whooped and hollered through the whole take, clapping with excitement for my pal. How awesome! Riding a horse with Robert Duvall? Dope.

Walter called cut and strolled over in the calm manner he had at all times. After taking a moment to choose his words, he finally said, “Remember, you’re in 1897 and you’ve been horribly abused. A little less Olivia, a lot more Ye Fung.”

As the shoot progressed, I became increasingly inspired as I watched the more experienced actors around me bring their roles to life. No two takes were the same, their silence said as much as their dialogue, and they really lived real moments in front of the camera.  I knew I was witnessing great artists at work.

I was never reprimanded by anyone on set for pushing moments, indicating emotion and having no understanding of the craft.  Walter would just gently tell me to do less. Bobby would come over and give me a game to play during my scene to get me out of my head. And sometimes the camera would find me when I didn’t know it to capture a real reaction.

A Play for Bobby D…

On our last night in town, Bobby held a dinner for the girls. Because of his paternal bond to us in the film, he’d gone out of his way to get to know us in real life, planning meals and activities for us throughout the shoot. To top it off, he and his wife, Luciana, went out shopping for gifts for us upon wrapping the shoot.

Me, Jadyn, Caroline and Val (Gwendoline was unable to stay for dinner that night), quickly huddled in the bathroom and decided we couldn’t end the evening without giving Bobby a gift of some sort in return. What do you get a guy like Robert Duvall?

During shooting, he’d mentioned a scene he’d really wanted in the movie, where the girls put on a play about the moon to express their appreciation. The scene never made it into the shooting draft, so we decided in the bathroom it would be fitting and meaningful to do the play now. We quickly came up with a plot, assigned parts, and walked out of the bathroom to announce our gift, a play for Bobby.

With Robert Duvall promoting at the Television Critics Association press conference to announce Broken Trail for AMC

I remember how quickly Bobby sat up, and put his crooked glasses on when he realized what we were doing. Don’t get me wrong, the play was five minutes long, klunky and so bad it was sort of good. But the sentiment hit home, and Bobby loved our play, maybe more so because of our mistakes, bad blocking and obvious making-things-up-on-the-spot.

In the end, Broken Trail would go on to be nominated for 16 Golden Globes, win the Emmy Award for Best Mini-series, and screen at the White House in a private viewing for the president. Promoting the film would take me to LA, New York, and Washington, big places for someone who’d never really gone beyond the limits of Edmonton.  While it’s so amazing to have been part of such a critically-acclaimed project, Broken Trail was just the beginning of a new path into the unknown, and for that, this project always holds a special place in my heart.

To view behind the scene photos, publicity stills and promo shots check out my Broken Trail Facebook album.

I haven’t been back in New York since the premiere of Broken Trail, but I recently helped my girlfriend Rebecca (who writes the blog “Brown Eyed Girl in the Big City”) move there for theatre school! I was so inspired by her journey, and I love the pace of the city!

I dream of living in New York for at least part of the year every year, and I’ve decided I want to go to theatre school in the Big Apple too! Just sayin’ Universe ; )

I cut a video of my trip:

From the Real to Reel docudrama "Iris Chang: The Rape of Nanking"

I recently read an article about Christian Bale starring in a new movie about the Nanking Holocaust, and I’m stoked. Not only because I watched him in The Fighter, and was blown away by his performance, but because I think a star like him backing a movie about Nanking will make an impact on the world in a way that hasn’t been done since Iris Chang wrote the New York Times best-selling book The Rape of Nanking.

My connection to Nanking, and how I ended up playing Iris Chang in a docudrama is a long story. In 2010, with  help from my friend, Tony Penikett, (author, prolific Canadian politician and father of Battlestar Galactica’s Tahmoh Penikett) I put my story into words for a public speaking peace tour in Japan. It was my first time visiting Japan, and the trip was arranged by Professor Yoshiyuki Masaki, a scholar who’s made it his personal mission to educate his fellow countrymen about their nation’s violent role in Nanking.

Here’s a video I made reading the speech off my computer to start hearing how it sounded out loud:

Searching for John Noble to interview him on the set of Walter's lab.

The Fringe School of Film

Through Vancouver’s In the City Entertainment, and Bryan Dague at FOX, I get to field produce behind the scenes vignettes, special features for DVD and internet bonus content for shows around town. One of those shows is J.J. Abrahams’ Fringe for the FOX network.

The J.J. Abrahams vehicle stars Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble and Lance Reddick as characters dealing with alternate selves from an alternate universe.

At first, I thought it was a show about how we dehumanize and objectify each other in order to fight battles that can’t be won. And how violence against another is truly violence against yourself.  Cast and producers on the show though talk a lot about how the show is a vehicle to examines choices, and the resulting cause and effect of those choices.

Producing for EPK…

Either way, I love working on that show because everyone’s so welcoming. You don’t always get that when you walk onto a set as an EPK producer (EPK stands for Electronic Press Kit, and is the general term for all internal and external media crews brought to set).

As an actor, I usually don’t have time to observe what goes into creating the props and detail of a set I step on to. And I feel like I’m getting paid to go to film school every time I go to the Fringe set as I get to observe individual elements of a complex process to see how the eerie world of Fringe comes to life. I often interview set decorators, production designers,  and crew from wardrobe, special effects, props, make up and prosthetic departments.

Fringe moments…

Once, I came out for a night shoot and walked onto a set looking for a quiet place to pull cast aside for interviews. I stepped into a room, turned on a light and SCREAMED as I came face to face with a badly decomposed corpse inches away on a shelf. Underneath it was a dead dog, and beyond was the body of young man hanging on meat hooks, his legs atrophied from disease.  Welcome to Fringe.

Here’s what FOX did with the footage I got for episode 3.02 “The Box”, my first producing gig on the show:

Acting on Fringe…

Then, while I was on set producing a vignette for episode 3.09 “The Marionette”, I got a call from my agent that I booked a role on the following episode 3.10 “The Firefly”, which first aired Friday, January 21, 2011. Man, I was stoked!  I play Victoria DiMiri, a woman who has no idea she’s being used as a pawn by the Observer in a dangerous and intricate test designed for Walter.

Anyhow– FRINGE! Woo hoo! Have a great day guys!

I had a blast shooting Eureka’s season 4 crossover episode with fellow SyFy show Warehouse 13.

I played Dr. Lisa Wheeler, a PhD brainiac who is a prime suspect in the weird teleportation events happening in Eureka.

The episode was written by Paula Yoo, and I basically got to chill on set with a great cast and crew and find creative ways to amuse myself between takes.

On my last day of shooting, our scene order was switched around due to weather so I ended up hanging out in my trailer for 8 hours. I made this video during that waiting period:

I have a lot of respect for my peers who book commercials all the time because you have such a short amount of time to communicate a story, and sell an experience to the audience. When I got cast in an ad for McDick’s I was curious to experience what shooting a commercial is like compared to a film or TV show. Here’s what I came up with:

The result is shown below, thanks to my Deadmonton producer Jeff Richards for recording this off his TV with his iphone. The funny thing is, most of my friends have never seen half the stuff I’ve done in media or entertainment, but they saw this commercial. Enjoy, and go eat organic vegetables:

I’m writing this on three hours sleep in the last 48 hours.

I love K’NAAN, he has now become synonymous with my Olympic experience here in Vancouver because I heard his song while watching the fireworks at David Lam park last night. Even before that, he’s an artist I’ve been wanting to learn more about for a long time. After hearing his “Wavin’ Flag” song during my wanderings through the city last night, I was inspired to cut together a video to capture the incredible vibe and camaraderie percolating in Vancouver right now:

For more about K’NAAN, visit his site HERE

I would love to write more about why K’NAAN’s sound and songs touch my soul, but I’m so out of it… I spelled his name wrong in my video, crap. This may not be accurate, I need to look up more info, but I heard K’NAAN’s from Somalia and moved to Toronto when he was young. Hip hop had a huge influence as he learned the culture here and (I think) his roots are in slam poetry.

Here’s his new album:

And here’s a link to Syd Woodward’s getgrounded.tv report about a free download to “J.Period & K’NAAN present The Messengers”

Props to a fellow Canadian artist who so clearly has lots to say. I love supporting people who are putting a socially conscious vibe out there. Go Canada go! And go K’NAAN go!

I got this email in my inbox today from a former cast mate of mine who is a gem of a human being. And he happens to be gay.

Growing up in Alberta, I never thought twice upon hearing my boys call each other faggots while play fighting, or using the phrase “That’s so gay”. When I said it, I never meant to slander someone’s sexual orientation per se, but I had a complete lack of mindfulness about how I was contributing to the violence and prejudice toward fellow human beings who happen to be of a certain sexual orientation.

Me and Nelson Wong, my co-star from "Death Among Friends". Getting to know Nelson's positive, encouraging and supportive essence was a catalyst in my own awareness of my homophobic-isms.

It wasn’t until I moved to Vancouver where I began befriending people who are gay that I realized I’d absorbed homophobia-isms by osmosis. More disturbing to me was realizing how I’d been completely unaware of my own attitude. I caught myself saying things like, “I just met Joe. He’s gay.” I wondered why I felt a compulsion to compartmentalize someone and fit them into a picture that only existed in my head. Regardless of how I feel about what someone does with whom, I have come to believe every human being has the right to a life free of violence and persecution. I think about how we all know what it feels like to be labelled. To be seen as nothing more than the category someone else has placed you in. Being on either side of the experience strips both parties of humanity because suddenly we become objectified game pieces to each other. Differences are emphasized like battle armour, turning the beauty of our universal humanity into a bartering tool that is conditional and easily disregarded.

Chink, honkey, nigger, spic, hick, snob, fat, thin, whore, slut, bitch, asshole, player, thug…

The intention behind name calling forges the weapon of emotional violence. And in parts of the world like Uganda, “gay” is a label that some are pushing to become synonymous with institutionalized, government sanctioned death and torture. So friends, today, I pass on the following letter my friend e-mailed to me for you to consider.  I don’t see it as a gay or not gay thing, I see it as an opportunity to add your voice to a movement that ultimately upholds humanity, and the right for all to have lives free of violence:

Petition to stop Proposed Imprisonment and Death Penalty of Gays in Uganda

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/uganda_rights_3/98.php?cl_taf_sign=6aQEtuHr

A Ugandan protester in support of the proposed anti-gay legislation

Dear friends, Uganda’s parliament is preparing to pass a brutal new law that would punish gay people with prison — even death. Initial international criticism drove the President to call for a review. But after a well-funded and vicious lobbying effort by extremists, the bill looks set to be passed — threatening widespread persecution and bloodshed. Opposition to the bill is rising, including from the Anglican church. Ugandan gay rights advocate Frank Mugisha writes, “This law will put us in serious danger. Please, sign the petition and tell others to stand with us – if there’s a huge global response, our government will see that Uganda will be internationally isolated by the proposed law, and strike it down.” With the decision expected in days, only an irresistible wave of worldwide pressure will be enough to save Frank’s life and many others. Let’s build a

A Ugandan voice for peace. I can't imagine how frightening it would be to walk in a gay rights march in Uganda with this message on your face.

huge petition to stop the gay death law — click here to take action, then forward this email: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/uganda_rights_3/98.php?cl_taf_sign=6aQEtuHr The petition will be delivered to President Museveni and the parliament at the end of this week by top Ugandan civil society and Church leaders. Pro-death penalty advocates have also planned a march this week, so our voices need to be louder than theirs! The bill proposes life imprisonment for anyone convicted of having same-sex relations and imposes the death penalty for “serial offenders”. NGOs working to prevent the spread of HIV could be imprisoned for up to 7 years for “promoting homosexuality”. Even members of the public face up to three years in jail if they fail to report homosexual activity to the police within 24 hours! The bill’s advocates claim that it defends national culture, but its strongest critics come from within Uganda. The Reverend Canon Gideon Byamugisha is one of many who’s written to us – he says, “It is violating our cultures, traditions and religious values that teach against intolerance, injustice, hatred and violence. We need laws to protect people — not ones that will humiliate, ridicule, persecute and kill them en masse.” By rejecting this dangerous bill and supporting the breadth of opposition to it, we can help set a crucial precedent. Let’s build massive support for Uganda’s human rights defenders, and save lives by stopping this bill — sign now here, then tell friends and family: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/uganda_rights_3/98.php?cl_taf_sign=6aQEtuHr With hope and determination, Alice, Ricken, Ben, Paul, Benjamin, Pascal, Raluca, Graziela and the whole Avaaz team

SOURCES

African letter to Ugandan President to throw out Anti-Homosexual Bill: http://www.africafiles.org/article.asp?ID=22761 Ugandan church leader brands anti-gay bill ‘genocide’: http://www.guardian.co.uk/katine/2009/dec/04/gideon-byamugisha-homosexuality-bill Human Rights Impact Assessment of Uganda’s Anti-homosexuality Bill By Sylvia Tamale, The Dean of Law at Uganda’s Makerere University: http://www.zeleza.com/blogging/african-affairs/human-rights-impact-assessment-ugandas-anti-homosexuality-bill-sylvia-tamal