Olympus, a new 13-episode mythological drama series, starring Matt Frewer, Sonita Henry, Cas Anvar and Graham Shiels. Premieres Thursday, April 2, 10 p.m. on Super Channel.
It's nearing 6 p.m. on Friday in the City of Angels and North Van-born actor Graham Shiels is basking in the spoils of Southern California.
"Oh yeah, it's probably like 80 degrees like it usually is," he says, while lounging around his condo located at the foot of the famed Runyon Canyon. Shiels' deep voice fails to overshadow the six-foot-two actor's affable disposition.
He's getting ready for a night on the town. With diverse acting credits that range from The Young and the Restless soap opera to last summer's blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy, you might expect to Shiels to be hobnobbing with celebrities on a Friday evening in L.A. In reality, his plans are more low-key and have a Canadian flavour to them: eating wings and drinking beer at a local sports bar. There might be some homesickness at play for Shiels who lived in Lynn Valley for 20 years. While his acting talent has transported him to intoxicating cities such as New York and L.A., Shiels still craves that familiar fresh air of home.
"If I had to choose one, I want to say New York but I would take Vancouver over L.A. in a heartbeat," says the 44-year-old. "If you just close your eyes, there's a lot more air and light that surrounds that city (Vancouver). There's a lot of desperation in L.A. - and it's difficult not to get wrapped up in it." Shiels credits his North Shore roots and a regular dose of rain for keeping him grounded.
"I remember walking to school as a little kid in running shoes in pouring rain, and your feet would be soaked and you wouldn't even care," recalls Shiels of his Upper Lynn elementary school days.
Like any Lynn Valley kid who grew up in the '80s, Shiels indulged in the local rite of passage, swimming in Lynn Canyon - but "never had the courage to jump off the rocks," he says. And long before Hollywood came calling, one of Shiels first jobs was delivering the News.
With 51 acting credits from the past decade to his name, surely Shiels has someone to thank for helping him along the way.
His indebtedness can be linked back to Lynn Valley and Argyle secondary where he was introduced to the school's legendary drama teacher.
"I discovered acting at Argyle under the wonderful tutelage of Lloyd Burritt," reveals Shiels. He remembers Burritt as not only imparting acting wisdom, but also teaching him how to connect with his inner being. "In the mid-'80s, he (Burritt) was doing yoga in high school and talking about spirituality to kids - it was such a respite from class," says Shiels. The Argyle arts department, during Burritt's tenure, of course produced other luminaries including actor Jason Priestley and singer-songwriter Bryan Adams.
Priestley was a year ahead of Shiels at Argyle - and already famous.
"He was like a little celebrity at school," recalls Shiels.
While the two haven't connected in Hollywood over their Lynn Valley roots, they have tweeted at each other a couple times. "He's a super nice guy," says Shiels of Priestley. Shiels himself has remained humble in his career, which got off to a slow start.
After graduating from Simon Fraser University, Shiels was later accepted at the esteemed Yale School of Drama, where he trained in classical theatre. "I always wanted to be classically trained, like Ralph Fiennes or Anthony Hopkins," says Shiels, breathlessly. During those early acting years, Shiels did get dribs and drabs of background work. For one of his stints, he played a security guard on the Vancouver-filmed X-Files TV series. Shiels figures it was superficial casting that stonewalled him from breaking through as a bona fide actor. "Quite frankly, there are not a lot of roles for bald 22-year-old actors," says a follicly-challenged Shiels. "My aspirations for my talent did not match the package that my body came in."
A slightly dejected Shiels remained resolute, knowing that his path to the leading roles would just take longer. Which isn't to say he didn't have fun along the way.
Shiels found small roles on many acclaimed TV shows including CSI: NY, The West Wing and True Blood, as well the long- running soap opera, General Hospital.
But there is one big screen role that is most memorable, a story that Shiels will most likely tell into his senile years.
In the movie Yes Man, Shiels character gets into a full-on fight with Jim Carrey's character.
The intimidation factor for Shiels, working with acclaimed comedian Carrey, was off the charts.
"I remember maybe backing off a bit, so I'm not killing him," recalls Shiels of shooting that scene. "It was definitely the biggest star I have ever worked with. He's a transcendent performer. His talent is once in a generation."
Last summer Shiels returned home to Vancouver to film a new sci-fiseries he stars in, called Olympus (premiering April 2 on Super Channel). He plays King Aegeus in the mythological adventure set in ancient Greece.
The show (co-directed by West Van actor Amanda Tapping) entices as it reaches into the psyche of the characters - each with their own desires and needs.
"It's a sexy show, there is a lot of skin," promises Shiels. Shiels struggled at first to wrap his head around playing King Aegeus, who doesn't love his child. "It's very unlike the great relationship I had with my father," said Shiels, whose father passed away a couple years ago.
Looking forward, Shiels sees a bright future ahead of him. "I've been blessed to be part of a super awesome project (Olympus)," he says. "The best is yet to come for me."
