When I first sat down to have a one-on-one conversation with the lovely Ellen David, I was expecting to chat a little bit about her role as the hilarious Judith Bellow on CBC’s 18 to Life. What I hadn’t realized, unfortunately, was that the show had recently been cancelled. So, in addition to being a little disappointed that I wasn’t going to be able to see new episodes of a show I had only recently been introduced to, a show that didn’t get enough time to really get into its groove, I had a list of questions about the show that were, well, no longer relevant.
But, rest assured, I was able to – off the cuff – come up with about a hundred questions to ask Ellen, and had no problems filling more than my allotted twenty minutes (it was about forty-five minutes, I think.) If you are unfamiliar with Ellen David, get familiar with her. She is both a fabulous actress and a fascinating person. She is a smart, funny, and strong Canadian woman.
We still talked a bit about the show because what’s happening with it right now is actually quite interesting. The network has canceled the show, and it’s mostly due to bad timing. When a Canadian show is up against US show with big advertising budgets and, you know, big names like Betty White, it’s tough for the Canadian show. So yes, the network canceled it, but the fans are NOT okay with it. They are writing in, they are blogging about it, the are creating Facebook pages, they are making youtube videos…the because of this, the numbers are going up. More people are watching; more people are talking about it; more people are trying to save it. It’s rare, but it does happen. Fans were instrumental in saving the show Chuck.
Ellen and I spoke about her background, about her path to this career. It was a path paved by her entertainer father. She learned from him and eventually became his Sunday afternoon partner. Their performances earned standing ovations and audience applause. Obviously, as her life led her to a career in entertainment, her father was overjoyed, but her mother was a bit more hesitant, wanting Ellen to take a more practical route. But, as she says, she begrudgingly accepted her choices…”but carried all of my reviews in her wallet.”
But I will tell you this, even though Ellen talked about the amazing people in this business that she has worked with, notably the ever-professional Dustin Hoffman on the set of Barney’s Version, and even though she discussed the actors that she dreams of working with (Al Pacino and Meryl Streep, if you are keeping track at home), and even though our conversation was over the phone, you could just tell that nothing excited her more than when she spoke about being a parent to her son Raphael.
“The thing about being a mom and an actor is that it is all a very creative act,” she says. “The most difficult and yet most rewarding role I play is that of mom to my beautiful son Raphael. He directs me every day to be a better person, challenges my shortcomings, and rewards my strengths. As Shakespeare’s Hamlet says in referring to acting: ‘the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold as ’twere the mirror up to nature…’ My child is the best mirror I have, and my evolution as a mother and a woman feeds and nurtures my evolution as an actor and now a director. It isn’t always easy to manage the juggling act that is motherhood and career, especially in showbiz, and sometimes one of those balls hits the ground with a thud, but then I’ll bake some brownies, look at the photo I have with Dustin Hoffman, kiss my son, pinch myself…and get on with my life!”
As if we needed proof that this renaissance woman can do just about everything, you can next see Ellen David in the movie Goon with Eugene Levy and Jay Baruchel and this Spring she will be directing Ned Cox’s newest play BOOK CLUB.
Yes. She does Canada, women, and moms proud.
Awww, the few times that I caught that show, it really made me laugh!! The dynamics between the two sets of parents was hilarious! So sorry that it got cancelled:(