28 — Friday, October 8, 1999 — North Shore News

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who formerly played eldest
daughter Becky on Roseanne.
“We just filmed an
episode where Pan and

Gloria clashed the entire
time.”

The episode “Float Like a
Butterfly,” which airs
tonight, features Gloria walk-
ing around on a makeshift
_ crutch while her Rich draws
on his boxing experience to
make some extra cash.

But Gloria’s limp had

iaomn't? more to do with Chalke than

the episode’s script. She
tumbled while getting out
ofa van on the set and tore
all the tendons in her ankle.
“So the crutch had to be

written into it at the last sec--”

. ond and we all had to go

© home,” she says laughing.
While the show is written

to be comical, Chalke says .

many of i its funniest moments

take place on the set... |
“We've got some funny ©
storics of what happeas on
the set; working with ani-
mals,”. Chaike ee as she
launches ‘into a story where ..
she. coxtidn’e tt calmly walk ~

iy beh

every year.

“Sometimes it can be a
challenge,” he says of their
goal to make the show fun-
nier for the second season.
“But yeah, we have tried to
be funnier this year and I
think generally we’ve suc-
ceeded.

“The show had a long
creation period,” explains
Lazer. “It started with David
writing a TV movie — based
on the books — that I story-
edited.

“Then the CBC said, ‘We
like the characters, we're not
too sure about the movie,
can you guys turn this into a
series?’”

Lazer said the creation
process took a few years of
ideas going back and forth
before casting began.

“We didn’t know who was
going to be cast in which
role,” Lazer said. “And then
when you get Yannick and
fed and Sarah in the parts
and they come to life, it takes
on a life of its own.”

Co-star Ted Atherton, 2
Toronto native, says the show

has a-certain appeal to British

Columbians especially.
“Certainly for 2 western
audience, I really think it

_ speaks to their lives,” he says.

running after me.” *

he. has another where she

Over the summer, with

= Bisson, he attended Fraser

Valley rodeos. to mix with ©

real-life cowboys.

“We're talking to these
guys up at the Chilliwack
rodeo and they were telling
us all about these stories
about Pan and Rich and their
particular stories. I mean they
were folk heroes in this -
area.”

Atherton said the real-life
cowboys were well acquaint-
ed with the show. “What
they picked up on was the
agricultural : stuff and the
work stuff,” he says.

“If you don’t get your
planting done by a certain
time, then you're not going
to have enough feed, which

. Means you're gaing to have

to cull the herd.”

Stuff to learn for Atherton
who, iz the non-shooting
season, lives in Toronto, not
too far from co-star Bisson.

Despite the three Hobson

. books, Bisson — who actual-

moved his young family
tan their Los ‘Angeles home
to take the role — benefits
from the local tales of the
man he portrays.

“There’s not a whole fot
that describes Rich in the
books,” he explains. .

“It’s kind of difficult to —
imagine what he was like.
The one thing I learned is
that he was a kind man,”

*. Bisson says, sitting in a ply-
| comidor between

MORTGAGES

WHEN THE BANKS SA’

‘VISIT OUR WEBSITE

ind the cameras

sound stages, awaiting his
next scene. :

“But he had a temper
with inanimate objects,”
Bisson expiains, expressing a
hope that Hobson’s frustra-
tion with gadgets gets
worked into the show.

Onc thing all tour agree
on is the beauty of the loca-
tion they have called home
for the last several months.

“Jt’s an ideal location,”
Lazer says. “One of the
things I have to kee; telling
directors, —- especially direc-
tors who come from back
east — is don’t sheet the -
scenery. Shoot the actors,
shoot the scenes andthe —
scenery wil! be there. It’s all
around, you can’t avoid it.”

But southern B.C.’s beau-

ty isn’t what draws Chalke.

“It’s definitely a dream
place to work,” she says. But
there’s morc to it for her,
including regular access to
family and friends. .

“My best friends, I’ve
known since I was a kid.
That’s the cool part about
working out here.”

One great community

Two live web cameras

‘e

~ Three reasons to watch