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By Katherine Monk
Enjoying the scenery on the road to fame: Canadian actor Bruce Greenwood credits the smaller parts he's played during his career for providing some of his biggest rewards -- although he is relishing his good fortunes after a string of standout roles, writes Katherine Monk.
Grieving father, martyred president, zebra trainer, flaming friend to Truman Capote. Bruce Greenwood has taken the side routes on the rocky road to fame.
It suits the Canadian actor's latent West Coast style that puts more emphasis on the journey than the destination, but in the wake of a standout role in Being Julia, the forthcoming Capote starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and the lead in the kid's comedy Racing Stripes -- which hits theatres tomorrow -- Greenwood is savouring each second of what's turning into a very scenic drive.
"I feel I've been reacquainted with the things that really got me into this business in the first place," he says, leaning back in the hotel sofa.
His legs are covered in plush zebra toys and a Racing Stripes poster stands in an easel behind him. It's an odd visual to go along with his thespian invigoration, but he says when things are going well, and the work presents distinct challenges as well as its own rewards, it doesn't really matter what the movie is, how big the role o how much money is being pumped into the marketing budget.
"Some of the biggest rewards -- professionally speaking -- come in the most surprising places. They aren't necessarily the big movies, or the ones that earned a lot of critical attention," he says.
Greenwood's comments come in response to a question about milestones, and whether The Sweet Hereafter and his portrayal of John F. Kennedy in 13 Days marked any definite turning points on the path.
"Those two movies weren't really seminal for me at all. I've had milestones in my career, but they came in a different kind of way. I don't want to say in an 'artistic' way because that sounds too pretentious, but there are experiences that deepen you as a performer and they might not happen to you on a film that's great."
Greenwood describes them as moments of clarity. "There's a flash and you know everything -- as if one were to glimpse through the fabric of normal existence. I remember when I was 19 and I was driving over (Vancouver's) Burrard Bridge. I had a moment of absolute clarity, but by the time I got to Pacific Boulevard it was gone," he says, smiling.
In the recent past, the veteran actor and committed musician says he's had a few other great moments. He says over the course of shooting Racing Stripes in Africa for several months last year, he wrote new music and collaborated with African players, he's also in the process of recording a brand new album.
"It was a wild shoot. There was so much talent there, and that makes you feel pretty good. When you come on set, and everything looks right, you feel a little heavier on the ground."
Though creating a barn and race track doesn't sound like a huge challenge, it is when you consider the movie is set in Kentucky horse country -- and it was shot in South Africa.
"Thy found old beams and incorporated them into the barn set. It looked right and that's a huge help for an actor."
In addition to the set, the racing zebra was also something of a movie miracle. Greenwood says the production used every tool available in order to ensure the illusion of a zebra racing against thoroughbreds held up on screen.
Using real zebras, animatronics, zorses (zebras crossed with horses) and puppets, the film does make you believe a little zebra could not only compete against the racehorses, but could even beat them. The real challenge was to make it appear as through a zebra would tolerate a rider.
"These zebras were tame. But an adult, really well-trained zebra simply means it won't run away from you. Zebras don't like to be ridden. They are very wild animals, but beautiful. Before we started shooting I wanted to spend some time with them and get a feel for what they're like -- and to let them get used to me," he says.
"That was a lot of fun. But it didn't stop them from biting me."
Though working with animals and children were the two things W.C. Fields never recommended, Greenwood has embraced both in Racing Stripes, in which he plays a single father trying to dissuade his daughter from racing the abandoned circus zebra they've raised from a colt.
Concerned about her safety after her mother died in a riding accident, Greenwood's character is afraid of loss. It's a role he has taken on before -- in Atom Egoyan's Sweet Hereafter, as well as in Exotica -- but here, obviously, the tone is decidedly different.
"Working with animals changes the focus of what you're trying to do. You always want them to relax, to trust you. With people, it's similar, but far more complicated."
Greenwood says he's happy to find this new burst of creative energy -- which he describes as a kind of renewal mingled with evolution and newly acquired wisdom.
"I think with a smaller role, it's much more difficult sometimes because you're only there for 10 days, and you have to show up and deliver -- people oftendon't appreciate how much work goes into a supporting role."
Greenwood says the real enemy is laziness. "After a certain point in this business, you know what works and you can get by delivering the minimum. You know it will pass muster, but in the end it's soul-destroying," he says.
"Right now, I feel I'm more relaxed now as a person and as an actor. I guess I'm more available to myself, and that gives you that much more to work with. It's a confidence, too. I'm happy with the work I've been doing, but for the next few months, I'm taking some time off. Bruce not know routine. Bruce need routine. Bruce find routine."
GRAPHIC: Photo: Bill Keay, The Vancouver Sun; Bruce Greenwood spent several months filming the children's movie Racing Stripes, which hits theatres tomorrow. The veteran actor and committed musician is also in the process of recording a new album.
Racing Stripes