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London-raised actor Victor Garber, 75, is being honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the Forest City Film Festival this weekend, with screenings of two of his films, Legally Blonde and Titanic, and a brunch celebrating his Hollywood career. He spoke with LFP reporter Beatriz Baleeiro about coming home and embracing the honour.
Q: How does it feel to be back in London?
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A: It feels incredibly nostalgic and I’m really actually shocked at how this is resonating with me. And what it means to me is much deeper than I thought it would be because it’s hard for me to sink in all of this attention. I’ve been doing this my whole life but this is something quite unique. And it’s very, very emotional and moving.
Q: You started your career here in London participating in children’s programming at the Grand Theatre. Do you think coming from roots like that is what keeps you grounded?
A: It was a good experience but London for me was very difficult because there was nothing here for me except the Grand theatre. It was my saviour. Peter Dearing and Robert Dearing – former artistic directors of the Grand – that’s where it came from. It’s just about being able to discover at a very early age who I was, what I wanted to do and how I could do it. And the Grand Theatre gave me that foundation.
Q: Now you want to help youth and students interested in arts and theatre. Friday you visit H.B. Beal secondary school. Why did you do that and what does it mean to you to talk to students?
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A: Because I know what it meant to me when people stood up and sort of gave me a vote of confidence. And today was the first day I actually had that experience at Beal Tech, which was a phenomenal accomplishment in London and there was nothing like that (theatre program) when I was growing up but now it’s very much changed. (The Forest City Film Festival), which I believe in so strongly, has given people an opportunity to explore the talent they have in terms of writing and directing.
Q: So how does it feel to be honoured by your hometown with a lifetime achievement award?
A: It’s humbling. It’s fantastic. I’m overwhelmed by the attention, it’s hard for me to take it all in and that’s my goal, to just take it in and be grateful that this is happening.
Q: A lot of friends from the industry are dialing in to pay tribute, such as Martin Short, Eugene Levy and Paul Shaffer. What does that mean to you?
A: It hasn’t happened yet (the celebration event), so I can’t really tell you. I don’t know. It’s hard for me to reach out to people to say, “would you come and support my party?” But the Godspell family from Toronto (several future stars performed the musical together in 1972, Garber included) are still very much part of my life and remain my friends.
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Q: Did you choose the line-up for the screenings – Legally Blonde, Godspell, Titanic – at the festival and if so, why are they important to you?
A: No, I had nothing to do with those choices. That was all (festival founder) Dorothy Downs, who I admire tremendously and have grown to really love and respect. Godspell was the first starring role I ever did. Titanic was what it was, and it was a very, very difficult movie to make. At the time . . . you’re not really aware of the outcome of these endeavours.
Q: Do you enjoy it when people get excited to talk about your role in Titanic? Or would you rather talk about other films?
A: Well, I’ll talk about whatever film anybody wants to talk about. Titanic is arguably one of the most successful movies ever made. I was grateful to be a part of it, and I’m proud and honoured to be part of it.
Q: What changes have you noticed in the city during your visit home? How does it feel to come back, even though it’s for a short time?
A: I didn’t recognize downtown. My brain is foggy because a lot has happened in a short time. Aside from being a beautiful city, London has culturally grown obviously because of the film festival and what’s available now. It’s so much different than I was when I was here.
bbaleeiro@postmedia.com
@BeaBaleeiro
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