Actor Will Sasso sprung forth from Ladner but was Los Angeles bound while still a young lad. Cutting his baby teeth on Canadian TV in shows like Madison and Neon Rider led to bigger parts in films like Beverly Hills Ninja, Happy Gilmore and Best in Show. Will is probably best known as "that big Canadian guy" on MADtv, where he spent five years portraying the likes of Bill Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger and .
While promoting the Maple-Ridge lensed film, in which he plays a punch-happy supermarket manager, Will took some time out to chat with me in the food court at Tinseltown. Our stunning surroundings proved a surprisingly fertile background for conversation as Will opened up about growing up in the GVRD, how to safely root for the Canucks at playoffs games against the L.A. Kings, being the TV son of William Shatner in the upcoming series Sh*t My Dad Says and succeeding in the "business of show" using sensibilities gleaned from his home and native land.
Sammy Primero photo.
So you're from Ladner originally. What was it like growing up there?
Ladner was a very mellow childhood for me. A pretty normal, all-Canadian or Western-Canadian suburban experience... sports and lots of riding your bike here and there. Hunting for tadpoles and frogs. It was pretty idyllic. When I look back I think that when I have kids I want to make sure they have some sort of surrounding like that, where you can stay out late with your friends and nobody is going to get you.
Did you used to make the trek into the city a lot, when you were a teenager?
Yeah. Once I became a teenager I started coming into town to hang out. Soon enough for me it became trying to hustle an agent, seeing what would happen from there.
You were on the TV show and also went to the same high school as .
We both went to in Ladner. He鈥檚 a bit older than me and we weren鈥檛 there at the same time.
Was Madison Canada鈥檚 answer to ?
I always describe it as a Canadian . I think it was a little more gritty than 90210. Or even . There was a license to push the envelope 鈥� I think the first lesbian kiss on Canadian television was on Madison.
A very well-worn pass.
How long have you been away from Vancouver?
I moved about 14 years ago. My folks are here, my brother and sister are both married with kids. I come back a lot to hang out and see my friends and family.
When you come back what sort of things do you do here?
My family is spread out in the suburbs, but when I see the folks it鈥檚 pretty mellow. When I come downtown I hang out with some of the guys I grew up with.
Me and my friends 鈥� you know, it鈥檚 weird. When I was younger we would do the bars, but I do feel like an idiot there sometimes and think, 鈥淲here鈥檚 the bar for people in their mid-30s?鈥� I kinda go where my friends point me to go.
I took my mom and dad to , back around Christmastime. They really liked it. I like any joint like that, where you can take the folks and it鈥檚 super old school.
Have you ever lived in any other neighbourhoods here?
No. I moved from Ladner to Los Angeles when I was 20.
Are you a fan?
Absolutely, yeah. I went to all three of the games in L.A. for the playoffs.
Were you openly rooting for the Canucks?
The first game I was openly rooting for the Canucks. It was a very weird experience 鈥� I was there with another buddy of mine who is Canadian, from Kelowna. He鈥檚 been in L.A. for 15 years. We鈥檙e both in our orange, yellow and black . I鈥檓 wearing a , he鈥檚 wearing the skate - you know, . We were getting worked. People were not too happy about us being there in those colours.
Getting back to the car was hilarious, people jawing at us. I was like, 鈥淲ait a minute, I鈥檓 a Los Angelino! I live here! I love it here! I don鈥檛 like this hockey team, but that鈥檚 only compared to the Canucks.鈥� It was a very weird experience to me, because I was thinking, 鈥淚鈥檓 home right now, and I鈥檓 getting jawed at.鈥� I told my buddy, 鈥淚鈥檓 not doing this again. Next time, we鈥檙e going in street clothes,鈥� and he agreed. We are both Canucks fans and we run into other 麻豆传媒映画guys that live in L.A., like , who is a comedian. We ran into him at the next game and he was wearing a coat. Under it was the jersey, the 鈥淐鈥� with the whale. His buddy Cyrus had the shirt on 鈥� it was gnarly! It was actually more fun to be there incognito. The Canucks would score and we would go, 鈥淎wwww, shucks. Better luck next time. Good goal, though. Good goal.鈥� People were just losing it around us. Sports are fun.
Did you take in any of the Olympics?
No, I was busy down south and I couldn鈥檛 make it out. I happened to be out here one weekend for some family stuff so I didn鈥檛 get to really do anything, but I did meet up with a buddy downtown and walked around for a minute, went, 鈥淭his is crazy!鈥� and then drove back to my folks鈥� place.
Other than your idyllic childhood in the grove of Ladner, what are some of your fondest memories of Vancouver? What sorts of changes have you noticed?
Will's idyllic childhood in the grove of Ladner included ocean time with his Dad, 1979.
A lot of changes are good and a lot are the kinds of growing changes that happen when something that you could describe as a mid-large size city becomes a real metropolitan city. 麻豆传媒映画really is, it鈥檚 a big city. Some of the positive changes are the architecture, which is really beautiful 鈥�
, . It's all about the city and how it looks the way that it does. Have you seen that book?
No, I haven鈥檛... but it鈥檚 really beautiful here. I know a lot of people at home that have never been to 麻豆传媒映画and go, 鈥淥h, I have to go up to work in 麻豆传媒映画and be stuck up there for like four months on set...鈥�
Like
(Laughs) Hey, come on. Anyways, I鈥檓 always like, 鈥淣o way, you鈥檙e not gonna be stuck you鈥檙e gonna be set free! You鈥檙e gonna love it.鈥� I wish I could be on a flick that鈥檚 shooting up here but it鈥檚 just luck of the draw. I don鈥檛 really end up working here but I literally plan an itinerary when I come here. That drive, coming over the Granville St. bridge 鈥� it鈥檚 the city, and it鈥檚 framed by the mountains and it鈥檚 like, 鈥淲hat, really?!鈥� Or if you鈥檙e over on or Jericho and you鈥檙e looking over the city, across the water at this beautiful city, , the mountains 鈥� that sort of stuff never gets old. That鈥檚 what makes me go, 鈥淚 need a place here, something that鈥檚 more of an experience here.鈥� I love heading up to Whistler or , hiking, finding new trails 鈥� stuff like that.
I like the arts and media scene, it鈥檚 in an interesting place, all positive filled with really creative and talented people. Part of the reason I liked the whole idea of 鈥 Canadian movie, shooting in Vancouver? Yup, sign me up.
The great outdoors.
shoots here, and it is huge. If you did want to move here you could be an alien and start a new race.
Wouldn鈥檛 that be something?
You鈥檙e going to be on the show and is going to play your dad. What is it actually going to be called?
I think it鈥檚 going to be called, Bleep My Dad Says. And it鈥檚 going to be written $#*! My Dad Says. So it kinda actually looks like 鈥渟h*t.鈥�
What鈥檚 it like playing the son of ?
I don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e quite wrapped my head around it.
The guy鈥檚 been in the business for 50 years. He鈥檚 such a pro, he鈥檚 an icon. He just turned 80 years old and is very spry, very young. He wears the years in a great way; really confident but very open as an actor. He鈥檚 never been on a regular multi-camera sitcom, so this is a fairly new thing for him. To see Shatner in the presence of someone like , the greatest TV director of all time 鈥� really open to all these interactive things, this different rhythm 鈥� that鈥檚 where I pinch myself and go, 鈥淵ou are really f*cking fortunate to be a part of this at all.鈥� It鈥檚 pretty cool.
The business in L.A. is kinda what you make it. If you鈥檙e fortunate enough to be in a position to be making anything, what you are doing is what you make it. If the business isn鈥檛 busy pounding you in the ass into submission, and making you get the f*ck out of there and you鈥檙e fortunate enough to be working in any sort of way, it is what you make it. When you see a guy like that [Shatner] who is that cool, and that kind, that sweet 鈥� there鈥檚 no reason that this weird, man-made business of show can鈥檛 be done the way he does it. That鈥檚 the stuff that I say, 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 really thought about it [working with Shatner] yet.鈥�
It鈥檚 a grind out there; I鈥檝e been out there for a long time. It is 99 陆 defeats to victory. You just do nothing but eat sh*t out there. (Pause) I do not mean that literally. But it鈥檚 just failure, after failure, after failure 鈥nd you better get used to it and you better love it and you better love what鈥檚 at the very core of this business. I tell this to young actors all the time, and I wait to hear [them say] 鈥淚 want to be a famous actor.鈥� When I hear that, forget it 鈥� there鈥檚 lots of things you can do to become famous, that has nothing to do with it. To get to work with guys like Shatner, Burrows 鈥� is good enough. I could show up and everyone could be a prick and I鈥檇 still be on cloud nine because I know who I am and I know what I鈥檓 doing when I go home at night. I don鈥檛 care. I鈥檒l go home and play and drink scotch鈥� literally. (Laughs) But to have them all be super sweet, and nice? Pfft, I could die tomorrow 鈥�
(Our glamorous interview in the Tinseltown food court is paused as Will is reunited with former Madison cast mate and recent Leo-award winning actor, .)
Will under the all-knowing gaze of director Sook-Yin Lee at the
Who is your favourite Vancouverite?
Oh 鈥� I should know this. I should have one. is everybody鈥檚 favourite Vancouverite in a way, right? Isn鈥檛 he? So that鈥檚 the default answer obviously, but it鈥檚 a well-earned default answer.
That guy is pretty cool, when you look at his story... I remember going down there [Los Angeles] when I was a kid and doing the Disneyland trip with my folks. We went on one of those star bus tours in L.A., and the only part I remember is that they said, 鈥渢his is Michael J. Fox鈥檚 first apartment and this was the payphone that was his office.鈥� It was some piece of sh*t, week-to-week apartment. I didn鈥檛 really know if it was true or not. When I moved to L.A., I didn鈥檛 really have a cell phone or anything like that. I had a pager and my phone wasn鈥檛 hooked up -
That just dated you.
(Laughs) And I am not a doctor or a real estate agent. Anyways, I remember I couldn鈥檛 get an apartment for a while because I wasn鈥檛 quite of age and also I had no relative to cosign鈥� there was a gas station on Ventura and Vineland in Studio City, and there was a payphone there. And that was like, my phone.
Who else? Oh my God - I love , she鈥檚 great. I sat behind her on a plane about a month ago, but 鈥 couldn鈥檛 say anything. Speaking of William Shatner, he has a horse charity that does a lot of great stuff, like sending kids to camp. Sarah McLachlan played the last event about a month ago down in L.A. She was awesome. Those things can be really hard because you never know who the audience will be, and she was doing it literally because it was a good cause. It was actually really cool because a lot of the people there were 鈥渉orse people鈥� and didn鈥檛 know who she was 鈥�
Horse nerds.
A weird mix of people. She really brought the house down, got a standing ovation. She blew everyone away.
But you know, it鈥檚 easy to say, 鈥淢ichael J Fox and Sarah MacLachlan are great,鈥� but I kinda get off on anybody that has talent and is using it. I鈥檝e always respected that. More recently I have realized that鈥檚 what鈥檚 turning my crank. Anyone from 麻豆传媒映画that鈥檚 done something here or done something globally, I really dig that.
Will pulling overtime on the set of the upcoming feature .
I鈥檓 always really pleased when I see successful Canadian actors coming back and paying it forward by being in Canadian productions. It鈥檚 important, giving something back into the Canadian film industry. Having somebody like you in Year of the Carnivore helps sell it. It鈥檚 important to keep it going and feed the talent.
That鈥檚 really well said, that鈥檚 exactly right. I don鈥檛 get asked to do this sort of thing - it鈥檚 not like I鈥檇 turn this sh*t down. You know what I mean? I never get asked.
Is this a call for people in 麻豆传媒映画to send scripts your way?
Oooh, not necessarily. (Laughs) But it is the truth. People say, 鈥淥h, how鈥檇 you get hooked up with Year of the Carnivore?鈥� Well, they hit me up. They f*cking called my agent, my manager, and I read the script and it was really good. It was really cool 鈥� what a weird thing. I was just tripped out by the script. Dirk, my character, is a facilitative character and it was easy; four or five days, Thanksgiving break, fine. I really like [Sook-Yin Lee, the director] and I was like, 鈥淪he鈥檚 gonna make a feature? Cool!鈥�
But also one of the things I was really conscious of is, 鈥淗ey man, you should do this because... no one ever asks you to do this!鈥� Obviously, I would be nowhere if I happened to be born in Thunder Bay or something. I was born a 30 minute drive from here. I could come on the bus when I was 15 years old and hustle business and become and actor. And I actually did it 鈥� there was enough work for me. I was doing American film and TV, I was doing Madison 鈥� then by the time I was 19 or 20 I had amassed a pretty nice little resum茅. I did out here in 1995, then the same director the next year did and they brought me down to L.A. which was my fist time working there 鈥�
Will and Chris Farley in Beverly Hills Ninja.
You鈥檙e like the original . Seth Rogen, 1.0.
(Laughs) Now that鈥檚 funny!
I couldn鈥檛 have just shown up there without a resum茅. Anyways, the producers didn鈥檛 need me to make Year of the Carnivore. But if I can help shine a little bit of light on it, or someone who鈥檚 more my audience who wouldn鈥檛 want to see some little independent movie about a girl goes to see it but because I鈥檓 in it, is in it 鈥� well, cool.
If I gave you $100 to spend right now, how would you spend it?
100 bucks? On myself?
However you鈥檇 like. It鈥檚 100 bucks and it鈥檚 yours.
I would go to and I鈥檇 buy a bunch of smoked lox, the little packages with the ice, and I would send it to a bunch of friends that have never had Canadian smoked sockeye salmon. For $100 I鈥檇 probably be able to send 陆 lb to one person, so that $100 would not go very far. But that鈥檚 what I would do.
It takes a magic man to catch a barracuda. And no, they are not available at Salmon Village.
Visit Will Sasso's or follow his eyes on .
