14 —- North Shore News - Friday, June 2, 2000 Knocking them ou in New Wateriord VANCOUVER actor - Tara Spencer-Nairn is used to having no girl- friends. “ve always had a hard time fitting in. Especially with girls,” says the star of New Waterford Girl, a film based on Tricia Fish’s screenplay about adolescence in a suffo- cating Cape Breton town. In fact, when we meet for coffec, the first thing Spencer-Nairn does is to offend a group of matronly-looking women when she unknowingly tries to commandeer their table. “Serry, I thought you were CLEANING it,” she says, wide-eyed. . As we settle into another table, the 21- . year-old actress throws off her jean jacket to show me her perfect L.A. tan, drawing more menacing looks from the neighbouring dowa- gers. . Spencer-Nairn’s personality isn’t too far off that of Lou Benzoa, her character in Allen Moyle’ s new film. Lou is a displaced New er with a big heart and a mean left hook. vo She’ ’s a newcomer, and the girls of New Waterford don’t like her. Lou’s only friend is . Mooney Pottie (Liane Balaban), a misfit who enlists Lou’s help i in escaping the dead-end Naim started training forthe uirhood-tough role early when she got kicked ‘out of Crofton House girls’ sch ‘As a joke one day I was threatening this ‘gl that. we didn’t like and I kicked some holes in the walls. I- lipped off the headmistress... I just isn’t happy, it wasn’t my scene.” She went’ on to Braduate from’ Shawnigan Lake. - H ‘on experience may have: ‘helped, ut Spencer-Nairr ‘credits her 12 years as a" r gymnast and growing up the as ample preparation for the 7 film: That, ‘and lots of -: The knockout punch was the. funniest." . ” laughs Spencer-Nairn. “We had- been from seven at night till seven in the had, to get this shot. The who was the boxer had never nae irying co" pumy lying “You can do it’ and I went for ‘he Nai laghs beplesly cer-Nairn lau; lessly rl think. Aid ” Road Tri 7:30, 9:45 p.m. ‘ Shanghai Noon — 1 250, 4:25, 720,10 Beer 10, 3:10, 5:10, a m Caprice Park Royal “West Vancouver (926-6699) East is East (PG) — 7:10, 9:15 p.m ‘I Dreamed of Africa (PG) — U tia (PG) — 7:08; 9:20 — 1, 3:15, 5:20, “I had never done a New York accent before, so 1 tied to put it more in my atti- tude, sort of ‘in-your-face’. I'm like that anyway, so it was fine.” Sometimes that in-your- face attitude softens, hke the more than 10 times during our conversation Spencer- Nairn exclaims “Oh my Gosh!” or when she corrects her own grammar: “My Mom would kill me,” she explains. And the girl who likes to hang out in the camera truck with the grips was devastated when she couldn't afford to go to Sundance. “I had my skis and my snowboard ready, but it came down to moncy. I’m so scared... what if that’s the only Sundance movie I ever do?” New Waterford Girl co-stars some other big names, including Canadians Nicholas Campbell and Mary Walsh ( This Hour Has 22 Minutes) and Andrew McCarthy. When I assume she’s too young to remember 1986's Pretty In Pink Spencer-Nairn quotes from the movie without missing a beat. “I was nervous about meeting Andrew McCarthy. He was cool, but I had more fun with Nicholas Campbell. He took me to the racetrack. I didn’t gamble much because I knew I'd lose my money... He had so many words of wisdom for me.” Spencer-Nairn i is quickly learning how the business works: “It’s a game. Do I want to whore myself out and do these teen flicks so I can go back and do what I really want to do?” She recently turned down a role because they -refused to give her a no-nudity clause. “I find it very insulting. I refuse to do it now unless " there’s artistic reason, unless i it makes sense to the story.” Things are tough in Los Angeles. Spencer- Nairn just auditioned for a role that was : offered to Heather Graham. She finds herself. ‘part of a close-knit gang of Canadians . is > to make it in L.A. “It’s funny. There’ bes ‘party and there’ll be about 20 Canadians. - We're the ones at the bar drinking the most. What is with that?” Of L.A. Spencer-Nairn says: “It’s still not home. It’s the place I live right now so I can do what T want to do and ° take that next step.” That next step, hopes Spencer-Nairn, irivolves more challenging film roles, and © eventually the chance to work with people she : admires, such as Jodie Foster, Sean Penn and’ : . Molly Parker.” a °-. Her ultimate goal? 4] want to challenge : the‘audience. f-want to challenge myself. ; : That’s what I want to do for the rest tof my . life.” Seyiynn Hall _ Just Cause ON June 3 the second all- ages concert of the Just Cause Live 2000 series put on by Kwest 4 Music will be held at North Vancouver’s Hall, 625 Mountain hosts ail-ages. + ss Tied G = 200 =.333'Brooksbank, ‘North - ‘Vancouver (985-3911) « Center S tage (PG) — 12:20, 45, :25 p.m. Time Code (subject to classifi cation) — 1: 20, 40, 0, 7:25, : D Big Moms s Howse (Pay. -- :30, 7:05, 9:35 p.m. Gladiator (18a) —12, 3:08; The Big teins (14A) — 5,7:30;9:30 p.m. B Esp Janade 6 Cinemas ~°200 W. Esplanade, North ae Vancouver (983-2762) MGI-2 — 12:45,-1:15, 3:40, 4: 10, 73 7:25, 9:50, 18: :10 p.m. ping The Faith (PG) — Fifth Avenue Cinemas 2110 Burrard at Sth, Vancouver - . (734-8706) “Hamlet (PG) — 7, 9:45 pn. uc a . Sat¢Sun- 1:30, 4: 16 p.m. 4:10 p.m Bast is East (14A) — 7:20, 9:35 -m. Sat/Sun 2:10, 4:40 .m. Tue 4:40 p.m. lew Waterford Girl (PG) —~ 7:15, 9:30 p.m. Sat/Sun 2, 4:30 p.m: ue 4:30 p.m. Passion Of Mind (PG) — 7:10, 9:40 p.m. Sat/Sun 1:50, t 20° 2° Five uc 4:20 p.m. yself, I (14a — 7:05, pss p.m. Sat/Sun 1:40, 4 p.m. Tue 4 p.m (no 7:08 p.m. show Thu, June 8) | @ Park Theatre - 3440 Cambie at 18th, Vancouver (876- 2747) Mission Impossible (14A) — ~ 7, 9:40 p.m. Sat/Sun 1:30, 4 p.m. Tue 4pm. ; ; Drown, GRAVEL. and- Stayte. : The concert is held in association with Mothers Against Drunk Driving and is aimed at preventing drinking and driving and promoting MADD’s ser- vices to Vancouver's youth community. In the coming weeks - there will be a concert almost every weekend for the next two months. Tickets are $7 and available by calling . the Just Cause 2000 info line at 292-6657, at Planet Ice or at the door. - For more information on ‘the summer shows scheduled check out the Just Cause. website-at ~ VANCOUVER'S Tara Spencer-Nairn gets her first starring role in the. comedy. New Waterford Girl directed by Allan Moyle. Opens today 4 at Fife inem: ‘Kodaly Orff - Guitar Pace Group Piano. | Suzuki Stings. 7 "Capilano College tequires all employees working children to undergo a criminal records chect."" Capilano College Continuing Education: - 2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver |” Www.capcoilege.be.ca/continuinged :