"Elijah"

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"Elijah"; ~~The Elijah Harper story~~
Topic Started: May 23 2008, 07:59 PM (56 Views)
SpookyTheCat	May 23 2008, 07:59 PM Post #1
~Shortstop had me at Hi..~ Posts: 10,713 Group: Admin Member #245 Joined: May 2, 2004	Elijah Harper like 'kin,' says star Billy Merasty Tyrone Warner, CTV.ca Long before Billy Merasty took on the lead role in "Elijah" as Elijah Harper, he met the politician-turned-activist at the height of his fame in 1990. "We got along instantly -- it was like meeting kin," says Merasty during an interview with CTV.ca. Flying from Sault Ste. Marie to Toronto for an audition, Merasty found himself seated next to Harper on the plane. Both hailing from northern Manitoba and fluent in Cree, the pair hit it off instantly. At the time Harper was at the peak of his notoriety - after paralyzing the Canadian government and threatening national sovereignty with a feather and a single word: No. By refusing to support the Meech Lake Accord in the Manitoba legislature, Harper was willing to hold up the accord in order to have the aboriginal people recognized as a "founding nation." Merasty remembers Harper telling him about how his actions had put his loved ones in danger. "He was saying to me that things were difficult and that his life was under threat," says Merasty."He had to keep moving his family around." After that first meeting, Merasty and Harper stayed in touch and developed a life-long friendship. According to Merasty, Harper is one of Canada's most important heroes. "Elijah had the courage to say no, and electrified the native communities in Canada and the states, who were excited that someone was standing up for the rights of aboriginal peoples," says Merasty. "There was this quiet man, who did this quietly and made a global comment about what was going on with our people. He basically said no to the Canadian government." The movie follows Harper from the time he was born in Red Sucker Lake in Northern Manitoba to his election as an NDP MLA. Merasty was born and raised in a Cree community in Northern Manitoba, the nephew of playwright Tomson Highway and his brother, dancer Rene Highway. "I was born and raised in the 1960s and 1970s, which I call the dark ages. For me, it was like climbing out of a hole," says Merasty."I know how it is to be perceived as native, because I look native and I struggled with the English language. I know, and I have terrible stories and incidents because of that." Merasty moved to Toronto at the age of 17 and has been an actor and writer for Toronto's Native Earth Performing Arts ever since. Last year Merasty starred as Norval Morrisseau in "Copper Thunderhead" at the National Arts Centre. While Merasty was intimidated by playing the role of a person who is "very much alive," the actor was grateful to have Harper on-set. "He was very helpful and supportive," says Merasty. "Elijah" also stars Maury Chaykin, Currie Graham, Glen Gould, Gabrielle Miller, Tina Louise Bomberry, Lorne Cardinal and Gary Farmer. The film, shot entirely on location in Winnipeg, has earned multiple Leo Award nominations, including Best Feature Length Drama, Best Screenwriting, Best Editing, Best Overall Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Musical Score, Best Production Design and Best Visual Effects. "Elijah" airs Sunday, May 25 at 8 p.m. ET on CTV.



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