INTERVIEW: Yannick Bisson, of ‘Murdoch Mysteries,’ tries his hand at horror
Photo: Murdoch Mysteries stars Yannick Bisson, who also is featured in the new horror movie HELLmington. Photo courtesy of Acorn TV / Provided by press site with permission.
Murdoch Mysteries, the hugely successful Canadian series about a detective in turn-of-the-century Toronto, features the formidable acting talents of Yannick Bisson as the title character. The series has been a steady hit for more than a decade, with a legion of dedicated fans who have made 13 seasons of the show must-see television.
It might appear that Bisson has little time for other projects, but he was able to recently squeeze in a memorable turn in the new horror film HELLmington, written and directed by Justin Hewitt-Drakulic and Alex Lee Williams.
In the movie, which is now available on DVD and digital platforms, Bisson plays Professor Freeborn, alongside Nicola Correia-Damude and Michael Ironside. The story involves a girl who vanished in 1999 and how it may connect to a series of other suspicious phenomena in the small town of Hellmington.
Bisson was attracted to the role of Professor Freeborn because it is 180 degrees from his work on Murdoch Mysteries, and he likes a professional challenge.
“Murdoch Mysteries is a very specific role, and this is different than Murdoch,” Bisson said in a recent phone interview. “It was a short run for me, filming just a couple of days. It worked perfectly with my schedule.”
Bisson has acted in a couple horror movies over the years, even though the genre is not necessarily his favorite when watching a movie. But he is amazed by how fresh and intriguing HELLmington and other horror movies are for audiences members, especially in this renaissance of moder-day scarefests.
He sees the professor role as a unique one, someone who is in exile from the world, makes questionable decisions and has no partner to keep him company. “Everything has gone wrong in his life,” Bisson said.
The actor said the costumes and set helped him enter the character’s head. These extras in the art of performance have always aided him when assuming a new identity. “By the time you hit the set, you enter into the person,” he said. “It was a very apropos set that worked well. I entered that guy’s world.”
Bisson was actually filming Murdoch Mysteries at the same time he was filming HELLmington. He would leave the set of the TV show on his days off, and he would become the professor. “It was different and refreshing,” he said of the two simultaneous roles, “but I wouldn’t recommend it.”
Murdoch Mysteries has become the gift that keeps on giving to Bisson. He freely admitted that he had no idea what he was stepping into when he took the role of Detective William Murdoch more than a decade ago.
“I never thought it would go as far as it has,” he said. “In the beginning, there were no other period shows. I was not super optimistic for the longevity. You’re jaded because projects end unceremoniously all the time.”
Part of the show’s longevity is how creative the writers have been in their imagining of Murdoch’s world. “I am always mazed every year with what the writers come up with,” Bisson said. “We have history on the creative side — it never seems to run out.”
Bisson said he doesn’t mind being so associated wit the successful detective series, and he still loves being on set. “You spend more time on set than you do with your own family,” he said. “We work hard to cultivate that family atmosphere. We have to like each other.”
When Bisson’s away from the show for any stretch of time and then returns, he needs to make sure he maintains the tone and manner of speaking, as if he were a real detective from 100 years ago. He needs to respect the period nature of this period piece. “I have to maintain that Victorian stiff upper lip thing,” he said with a laugh. “That presents a challenge.”
He added: “It’s a very unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I’m going to see it through. It’s been a linchpin of Canadian content being exported around the world to enthusiastic audiences. Our show is #1 in some countries. It certainly won’t be me who ends it.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
HELLmington, featuring Yannick Bisson, is now available on DVD and digital. Click here for more information.
