And here it is. A very special interview. This time,
we have no fanfic author or fan artist. We have the one and only
*drumroll* Leslie Wolos! She talked to me about some stuff about Shirley,
you probably didn't know yet and her career plans for the future. Enjoy!
[Editorial note: During the interview I completely
forgot Leslie was in 'The Case of the Real Fake'. Shame on me! She starred
in three episodes and she was an extra in one.]
INTERVIEW
WITH LESLIE WOLOS
I doubt if there's anyone out here who doesn't know
you, but for the sake of completeness can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I'm Leslie Wolos, and I turned 20 on August 29th.
I'm living in Vancouver, BC, Canada right now. I've been acting since
I was about 9 - although I got my first real role on film when I was 12
- and I'm continuing to pursue it, but lately I've also been dabbling in
producing as well, learning how to do that side of things, which has been
really cool.
You had a small part in the background in the second
episode (The Case of the Ruby Ring).
How did that come about?
I had sent my picture and resume to the casting director,
and when they needed someone to ride a bike in that scene, she called me
to see if I was interested in doing it. Of course, I was!
At the time 'Shirley Holmes' wasn't airing yet how
did you feel about the show at that point?
Did you think it was gonna be succesful?
It's always hard to tell at that point. I thought
the show sounded like a great idea, though - I actually even auditioned
for the part of Shirley! I was initially a bit miffed that they flew
the leads in from Toronto and Vancouver - Winnipeg actors are rarely given
leads, even when the show is
being filmed there! - but, of course, as I got to know
Meredith, I completely understood why they wanted her!
Then you got some lines in the case of the Cryptic
Creature and in the final episode you got an "important" role. Did you
ever expect that was gonna happen?
Not really. My audition for Cryptic Creature was
horrible - or, at least, I thought so. And the part was written for
a guy, so I thought my chances were slim to none. But, lo and behold,
I got a call the next morning saying I had the part! After that,
I kept being told that the chances of me being
cast in another episode were slim, but I ended up playing
3 different characters in 3 different episodes!
Can you explain what it feels like to play Bo's girlfriend
after just being friends for all that time?
That was a really weird experience. John White and
I have always had a odd relationship, mostly because he knows I would never
date him because I consider him a "typical guy" and I know he's annoyed
that he couldn't charm me like he does most other girls. But, because
there was so much "stuff" between us - and deep down, we do like and respect
each other - it actually translated really well to screen and made it look
like we were totally in love. Because they know about the friction
between John and I, when my friends watched the episode and saw the scene
where I walk by "Bo" and he says "Hey, Heather" in a love-struck voice,
they cracked up laughing and said, "That's the best acting I've ever seen
John White do!"
*smiles* Have you ever see an episode you were in,
dubbed in a different language? What are you thinking when you see yourself
speaking a foreign language on screen?
I had my Dragon's Breath episode in Italian sent to me,
but unfortunately, the tape wouldn't play properly. :o( Too bad,
too - I was really curious to see what it's like to see myself speaking
a different language!
Why did you start an internet site on Meredith?
When Shirley first aired, I was just learning to make
websites. I needed something to make a website *about*, and since
I had insider information about Shirley Holmes, I decided I should work
with that. Once Shirley ended, I had become really close to Meredith
and I wanted to continue helping her promote herself, so I focused on her
instead of the show, and it's now blossomed into http:///www.meredith-henderson.com
Which of the productions you did, was the most fun
to do and why?
My favorite "acting moment" was probably the second day
of filming the Dragon's Breath episode of Shirley Holmes. We were
outside in Winnipeg at night, there were little white lights in the trees,
and John and I were the only cast members, so I was being doted on.
The set dresser even told me I was "magic" on screen, and some of the other
crew were telling me I should've been in the rest of the episode, too,
so I was feeling pretty amazing that night!
If you got the chance, which people would you like
to work with?
Lynne Stopkewich is a local Vancouver director, and I
really admire her work, so I'd love to do something with her. I also
adore Margaret Atwood's writing, and they're making her novel "Alias Grace"
into a movie, so I would LOVE to play the main character in that.
Do you want to try anything else in the film business
besides acting?
Well, as I mentioned before, I'm starting to learn how
to be a producer, which would be great, since I'd be able to create my
own work and play whatever roles I wanted. I'm also writing a feature
film script at the moment - it's my first attempt at a movie script, and
I have no idea how
it'll turn out, but it's keeping me busy right now!
If we could influence the bosses at Credo, Forefront
and YTV into making a Shirley Holmes Movie, and if Heather was in it, would
you be interested in playing her again? If you don't have any other obligations,
that is...
Oh, yes! I really miss Shirley Holmes - it's such
a great show with great morals and strong female characters - so I think
it would be a fantastic idea to do a Shirley movie. I'd be on board
for sure!
How do you feel about the fact that there are actually
stories being written about your character Heather?
Actually, in all honesty, I didn't even *know* there were
stories written about Heather! That's so cool! Since I don't
have my own computer, I haven't really had a chance to check out many fanfics,
but I will have to find time to do that!
Any new projects (acting-wise) in the near future you
can tell us about?
Well, I'm always weary of telling people what I'm up to,
because things change so fast and projects fall through before you can
say "You have the part!". But, right now, I've been cast as the lead
in a film called 'Snuff'. It's in pre-pre-production, so filming
won't start for quite a while, but it's a really cool suspense-thriller
done in the style of Hitchcock, so I hope everything works out!
And there you have it. My first interview with a multi-talented
celebrity. (Yes, you are Leslie!) Hopefully it won't be the only one, but
only time can tell here...
