Richard Crouse

Most Canadians know actor Bruce Greenwood for his work in big-budget American films like Star Trek. But long before he played JFK in Thirteen Days the affable Canuck got his start playing a scuba diver with two lines on the locally shot show, The Beachcombers, and often returns home to work with directors such as Atom Egoyan.

“The Beachcombers was a great lesson in how not to pad your resume,” he told an intimate crowd gathered at the Whistler Conference Centre before relaying a funny tale about fudging his diving experience. A comedy of errors ensued resulting in crushing head pain and a dropped mask, which forced a grip to strap on a tank, jump in the water and retrieve it from the ocean floor.

It was a casual conversation about his experiences with plenty of humorous anecdotes about autographs, interviews, acting and even Sly Stallone freaking out on the set of First Blood after missing his mark. (Greenwood played Guardsman #5). “Is this being recorded?” he asked afterwards.

There was also a funny moment when interviewer and film critic Richard Crouse asked Greenwood if he remembered any negative reviews. “Greenwood’s choppy acting style lends nothing to the production,” he deadpanned, before sarcastically adding, “No, I don’t.”

Another funny yarn involved a friend calling Greenwood up to ask if he’d seen the Today show following the release of the film Double Jeopardy. The friend told him that film critic Gene Shalit had ripped him on the show, claiming Greenwood “ruined the movie”. Greenwood was crushed and, after he hung up the phone, had a lengthy conversation with his wife before deciding he had to just let it go. After many painfully silent hours the friend called him back and said, “I got ya!”