One of Saskatchewan's most talented and well-known actors kicked off the two-week long Aboriginal Arts and Music festival this week.
Gordon Tootoosis, who has worked alongside actors such as Brad Pitt, Charlton Heston and Charlize Theron, was part of the in-school tour. He spoke to an eager group of students at St. Mary High School on Monday morning.
Tootoosis has worked on movie productions in the United States and Europe as well as Canada.
He is best known in Canada for his television role as Albert Golo in North of 60. He was born on the Poundmaker First Nation and is now based in Saskatoon.
Of course when the floor opened to questions, the first, from a female student, was what it was like to work with Brad Pitt.
Pitt, said Tootoosis, is very ordinary and friendly. He is also very athletic and disciplined.
When they worked together on Legends of the Fall in Calgary, Pitt did not know how to ride a horse. Because Tootoosis has worked with horses since he was young, he and Pitt went out riding together.
Tootoosis said Pitt worked very hard and today he rides like an expert.
On a more serious topic, Tootoosis talked about First Nations people in film. In old movies First Nations people tended to be simple characterizations who said little more than, "How."
"I considered it my job to put a face, a human face on the North American First Nations person with feeling, with intelligence."
Tootoosis said it bothered him that in the early days of film, First Nations people were often played by Hispanic or Italian actors.
"That used to really burn me up. When I took a drama class in school I thought, 'This is the way to go.'"
But before he would pursue acting, Tootoosis worked with horses and did labour jobs in Montana.
He came back to Canada with a desire to become a visual artist and went to now-defunct Tech Collegiate in Saskatoon, which had a good arts program. Tootoosis liked drawing, but ended up getting more involved in drama at the school.
"That's how I ended up doing drama. Prior to that I thought about it just like everyone else."
But the world of drama is perhaps a natural for First Nations people because of their background in storytelling, he said.
"This is what it is all about - the industry is all about telling stories. I always think as a First Nations person, because our stories are passed down from one generation to another, we are storytellers. There are some incredible storytellers out there in Cree. So one just makes the transition to theatre or television or film."
Offering acting advice to the students, Tootoosis said acting is not about pretending. He said if you are in a love scene, you can't pretend because it won't be believable.
"You have to really love her, even if she is ugly. You can't pretend."
Authentic acting is important in film because of the nature of the medium.
"The camera catches more than the eye can see."
Tootoosis is not sure what is next for him, but he has been offered a role in New York in a Broadway production called November, which he is considering. He said theatre is his first love.
klongwell@paherald.sk.ca
Aboriginal Music and Arts Festival events:
Artists in schools run Sept. 20 to Oct. 5.
Gala banquet with guest of honour Tom Jackson will be held Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. at the Ches Leach Lounge in the Art Hauser Centre. Tickets are $75 each or $500 for a table of eight.
Festival showcase featuring Tom Jackson, Donny Parenteau, Shane Yellowbird, Leela Gilday, Eekwol & Mills, Whitefish Jrs., Ray St. Germain and Derek Miller will be held Oct. 5 at the Art Hauser Centre. Tickets are $25 or $30 on the floor. Call toll-free 1-877-303-4368 for more information.
The Two Story CafÉ will be held from Oct. 2-6 at 7 p.m. each day at the Art Gallery of Prince Albert and the Prince Albert Arts Centre. The shows are hosted by Simon Moccasin and feature performance artists and films. Admission to all shows is by donation.
There will be live music from Oct. 3-5 at various venues around town including Six Shooter Saloon, Stavros and Northern Lights Casino.
From Basement to Stage, a workshop presented by Saskomusic will be held at the Prince Albert Inn, 3680 Second Ave. W. on Oct. 4. This workshop is designed for people thinking about a career in music.
Call toll-free 1-877-303-4368 for more information on these events or check out www.amaf2007.com.
