Guess what - those talent agency ads tucked away in the
classified sections of the newspaper really work. At least, they
did in the case of Yannick Bisson, the 17-year-old Torontonian
who's making as much of a splash as a young actor as Megan Follows
is as a young Canadian actress.
Only three years ago Yannick was just an ordinary high
school kid. Monday evening on CBC he will, star as Scott Forrester
in the new series Brothers By Choice, his third major starring
role and one that could propel him to popularity of Michael J.
Fox proportions here in Canada.
Brothers
By Choice is a series of six 30-minute episodes produced by
Atlantis Films Limited and Ironstar Communications Inc., in collaboration
with TVOntario and B.C. Television in association with the CBC
and with participation by Telefilm.
Filmed on location in and around Vancouver, it's the story of Scott,
adopted into a middle class Vancouver family and the family's
son Brett, brilliantly played by Vancouverite Charley Higgins.
Brett is an excellent student, following in his English-professor-father's
footsteps, but Scott would rather work outdoors with his hands.
He eventually rebels against his father's wish that he too follow
academic pursuits, and runs away from home.
Scott gets into some major scrapes along the way causing him to he trailed
by a pair of desperado drug dealers (who nearly steal the show
-- after all, how bad can the bad guys be, when they know all
the words to lan Tyson's Summer Wages?).
The action revolves around Brett's attempts to track Scott down and
persuade him to come home, and the six episodes, directed by William
Fruct, are a delightful mix of teen reality and charming family
melodrama which adults and kids alike should enjoy.
For Yannick, it all started when he was 14 and his father noticed the
"Wanted: Child Actors" ad in the paper. He urged Yannick to respond,
which he did, as well as take his own video camera course. After
completing the courses, he banged out a resume, sent it off to
agents, and waited.
The very first call he received offered him a starring
role opposite Megan Follows in CBC's Hockey Night. That
led to commercials, a role in Global's Esso (also produced
by Atlantis) and spots on Hangin' In, Comedy Factory,
and To Serve and Protect, before his next major starring
role as Toby in the critically acclaimed film Toby McTeague,
which after a theatrical run will air next season on CBC.
With those credentials, he was a natural choice for Brothers.
Though Yannick enjoyed doing commercials in Toronto, Toby
MeTeague was a major leap.
"It was about 10 times as hard," he says. "The script was more difficult,
and it meant leaving home and school to shoot in the cold of winter
in Quebec. I simply dropped out of school for a semester and agreed
to catch up in the next one, which so far hasn't been too bad.
I had to take the offer. It was a big film and I decided to go
for it."
Filming Brothers on the B.C. coast was much more enjoyable, but Yannick
says it was just as challenging. "It really stretched my acting,
and was the next logical step. The people involved were tremendous."
Though he's already being touted as the next teen heart throb, with
just enough of a new wave edge to appeal to today's young, he's
determined not to let it all go to his head.
"I'm just living my own life, and it's really pretty normal, except
that I know more people than I used to. I was prepared for what
would happen at school. Some of my friends were very supportive,
and some were very jealous."
And just to show he is indeed a normal 17 year old, he says enthusiastically
"it has meant that I've got to know a lot more girls."
Yannick has also maintained his own "little retreats - playing drums
and listening to and writing my own rock music," but he is devoted
to keeping his career on track.
"That means doing quality films, films with quality as good as American
movies but remaining a Canadian actor. Being Canadian is important
to me. But I don't want to become stereotyped, which is why the
role of Scott was a good change from Toby.
"I'm really just an ordinary kid, a nice guy and everything, no different
than most young people - a bit rough around the edges. But I've
got something going for me and I'm going to make the most of it."
