the screen
prom queens meet the small-sCreen sirens Who Were Paid to head baCK to high sChool and fight Pure eVil
i
t’s not every day that a Winnipeg café is sprinkled with celebutante actors with devoted fans from the Disney Channel variety and credits for working in blockbuster movies like The Time Traveller’s Wife. On any given day during the last few months of production on Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, urban dwellers could spot Maggie Castle with co-star Melanie Leishman, dining at Fresh Café on Corydon, getting Kawaii Crepes in the Village, or doing poses at Moksha Yoga Winnipeg. Castle sounded like an in-theknow Winnipeg resident as she listed off some of her top destinations such as Osborne Village, Corydon Avenue, Ten Spa, The Lobby on York and Birds Hill Park. “There’s like a 20 km radius that I can turn my GPS off for now,” says Castle. “I really enjoyed the food here and I loved the little areas (like Birds Hill). I hope we come back.” The show–a 13-episode series to air on Canada’s SPACE network that channels John Hughes’ touch on teen comedies–had cast and crew settled into Winnipeg for 10 weeks, doing most of the shooting at the now-defunct Silver Heights High School. If the show finds success, Castle hopes to be back in Winnipeg next year shooting more
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sanDbox | summer 2010
story by brenlee coates photos by lisa varga
episodes. The 13-episode run was prompted by a well-received pilot shot here last winter. “It was just such a fun project — it was like summer camp,” echoes Leishman. “We’ve really bonded. We’ve (Castle and I) just sort of cruised around Winnipeg together and had the best time.” Castle plays Jenny in the series, a bad-ass chick and the object of main character Todd’s affection. In real life, though in wardrobe and makeup, Castle’s warm nature quickly escapes the façade. “She’s really kind of a rocker chick and I’m kind of preppy/conservative,” says Castle, who credits her hometown of Montreal as a big influence on her conservative-chic fashion. Castle’s headshots reveal a squeaky-clean, natural look that couldn’t be more different than the dark-lidded, ripped jean-wearing Castle I met in her trailer. Leishman plays Hannah, the nerdy science whiz in the series. Previous credits to Leishman’s name include a role in the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize-nominated film Victoria Day. Castle has worked on projects with the likes of Billy Zane, Bruce Willis and Richard Gere and most recently played Rachel McAdams’ sister in The Time Traveller’s Wife. The education she got from work-
ing with the admirable A-list actress was immeasurable. “I always sound like I have a crush. She’s really lovely and she’s really focused,” says Castle of the film’s star. “I’ve really admired the career that she’s had for herself.” Castle has made the move to LA to keep working to replicate the kind of career someone like McAdams has. She lists Amy Adams, Zooey Deschanel and Anne Hathaway as other’s careers she’d love to imitate. “Someone like Angelina Jolie, I can’t relate to that. Someone like Laura Linney, I could maybe be,” explains Castle. Leishman is just about to move to L.A. and since their friendship bloomed during the 10 weeks of production, Castle offered to have Leishman stay with her for awhile and introduce her to the city (much like in Winnipeg). Just as production was wrapping up for Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, the stars’ lives started to mirror those of real high schoolers. The cast and crew cleverly scheduled a prom-themed wrap party for their final night together. The girls were co-scheming again, planning a visit to Ragpickers to pick up some bad vintage prom dresses. “We’re going around like ‘Do you have a date yet? Are you getting a corsage?’” Y