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by John McKay
TORONTO (CP) - With appropriate modesty, journeyman Canadian actor Bruce Greenwood says he sought the coveted role of President John Kennedy in the Cuban crisis thriller Thirteen Days because he was certain he would never get it.
"I jumped at it without thinking," he says. "Then when it began to appear that I might get it, I thought 'Now what do I do?' What he did - after a few sleepless nights - was set aside the intimidation, dig into the research material and develop not the usual JFK impersonation (He doesn't even say 'Cuber') but a finely tuned impression that seems to come from within and radiate across the big screen.
Add the famous Kennedy haircut and the results have the stunning effect of sidelining the film's star, Kevin Costner as White House chief of staff Kenny O'Donnell, and of generating early Oscar buzz (as does co-star Steven Culp in the supporting role of Bobby Kennedy).
He even gets a great Hollywood entrance. Costner steps into the Oval Office, the camera moves deliberately to the desk where the president is hidden behind a newspaper. The audience waits breathlessly for the paper to come down and for the film to reveal Kennedy.
"You just ignore it," Greenwood says with a shy smile about any Academy Award prospects. "That's great to hear but how are you supposed to respond to that?"
Although tall and possessing matinee-idol good looks replete with an unruly shock of hair, the Quebec-born actor is probably best known for a recent string of villain roles, such as the deadly husband in Double Jeopardy or the conniving U.S. bureaucrat in Rules of Engagement.
He was once quoted as saying he had no ambition to be a wealthy movie star and, despite this star turn in Thirteen Days, insists that remains true.
"I still want to make a decent living but to be a mega-star? That's not the plan."
Like Costner, Greenwood wears his liberal politics on his sleeve. Thirteen Days was withheld from release during the recent U.S. presidential election debacle and some say it was to avoid saddling Al Gore with an unfavourable comparison with the legendary Democrat. Greenwood vigorously denies that.
"Well, look at the other guy!" he says defensively in a reference to Republican George W. Bush. "If you think Gore's not going to look good."
But he does acknowledge that leadership is at the core of the story.
"If we don't have people of superb intellect and instinct guiding us out from under these threats when they do get close to the edge, we're going to find ourselves scraping each other off the sidewalk."
The actor expects, though, that moviegoers can set aside their present-day political sentiments and not view the film - despite being blatantly pro-Kennedy - as left-wing propaganda.
"If they do, I think it's myopic of them. I think most people will rise above it. I think our common humanity is going to speak a whole lot louder than our political affiliation when we imagine being put in this position again."
Still, it's hard to walk away from Thirteen Days and not ponder the contrasts between leaders who four decades ago successfully averted a nuclear war and those today mired in legal wranglings over spoiled ballots.
"This is where these man came of age, you know. They came out leaders," Greenwood says. "The way they kept the almost-inevitable at arms' length long enough to find a peaceful solution. If they were put on Earth for no other reason than to preside over this fortnight."
In the script by David Self, the Kennedys and O'Donnell - part of the Boston Irish mafia that had captured the White House in 1960 - are seen threading their way through a critical chess match not only with the Kremlin but with their own military commanders gung-ho to invade Cuba and risk a nuclear clash with the Soviets. The actors are filmed striking now-famous news photo poses and even uttering lines of historical dialogue ("We were eyeball to eyeball and the other fellow just blinked.")
Greenwood says the film is packaged as a big, glossy political thriller that moves like a freight train.
"At the same time, it's smart. And guess what, it really happened."
Like other actors Bruce Greenwood has his share of Internet fan sites. One of them includes the following did-you-know facts:
He's left-handed.
Was born in Noranda, Que., because his father was working on a mining project there at the time.
Was eight-years-old, living the Washington, D.C., suburb of Bethesda, Md. - effectively Ground 0 - during the missile crisis.
Disliked scary films as a child and was terrified by the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz.
Was raised mostly in Vancouver but never lived in any one place for more than four years.
Lost a front tooth in a tussle years ago and gladly removed it for his role in Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter.
His favourite film is This Is Spinal Tap.
Planned on becoming a professional skier until he injured his right knee at 16. He's had six operations, the latest one in 1997 and wears a brace for sports activities.
Was inspired to become an actor by Brad Dourif's performance as Billy Bobbitt in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975.
Got his first walk-on role in Sylvester Stallone's First Blood. His first big role came in the HBO series The Hitchhiker in 1983.
Got his first TV series break in St. Elsewhere.
Was nominated twice for a Genie for Exotica (1994) and The Sweet Hereafter (1997).
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