Growing up in a small town on Nova Scotia's South Shore, Gillian Ferrier dreamed of one day acting on the stage, but she never thought she'd be pursuing that profession in film or on television.

 But that is exactly what the twentysomething actress from Liverpool has been doing for the past few years. And presently she is finding herself immersed in the make-believe world of a used car dealership that is the focal point of a new cable comedy titled, "Call Me Fitz."

 Currently filming in New Minas, the series stars Canadian actor Jason Priestley (My Name is Earl, Beverly Hills 90210) as the charismatic used car salesman known as Fitz.

 Created and written by another South Shore native, producer-writer Sheri Elwood (Defying Gravity), the 13-part, half-hour comedy series is filming in the Annapolis Valley region until mid-January.

 In "Call Me Fitz," Mr. Priestley stars as Richard "Fitz" Fitzpatrick, a used car dealer who pushes the boundaries of acceptable behaviour just a few steps too far. After Fitz botches a test drive and puts his latest customer in a coma, he finds himself face to face with a new salesman on the lot - Larry, a do-gooder with a heart of gold.

 If Fitz is a man who lives for the moment, Larry's his foil, ready to pick up (and refurbish) the wreckage Fitz leaves behind.

 Larry is played by Ernie Grunwald (King of the Hill, My Name is Earl) who becomes the moral anchor of the Fitzpatrick family.

 Along with Ms Ferrier, other series regulars include Peter MacNeill (Copper, Mayerthorpe), Tracy Dawson (The Gavin Crawford Show), Kathleen Munroe (Durham County), Donavon Stinson (Reaper) and Brooke Nevin (I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer),

 In "Call Me Fitz," Ms Ferrier plays a 15-year-old girl named Kara, whom she described in a recent interview as a "survivalist."

 She explained, "We don't actually know a lot about Kara, but for some reason she is trying to take down Fitz. There's no explanation in the first season as to why that is or what's going on with her, but perhaps by the second season [if the series is picked up] we'll find that out."

 Part of the character's mystery, however, is what makes the role so exciting to a young actress trying to establish herself in the business.

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 Ms Ferrier said being a series regular and having the opportunity to work with the stellar, all-Canadian cast is a terrific opportunity for her.

 "This is certainly my first big break," she said alluding to her previous other small parts in films such as "Ice Castle."

 "The other stuff that I've done, no one has ever seen," she laughed. "But this is something that people might actually turn on the television and see. For me, that's a big thing. It's so exciting."

 Ms Ferrier said the acting bug really hit her as a child growing up in Liverpool when, at age 11, she won a role in a Neptune Theatre production.

 "That's when I knew I wanted to act," she recalls, pointing out that she went on study acting at Concordia University and has been working in theatre ever since.

 "I do a lot of theatre. After I finished university, I started auditioning for film and television and just kept looking for parts that I could do. In this business, you just have to keep building up your resumé."

 While it has been a slow process, she added, "I've managed to stay busy by staying involved wherever I can. Funny enough, I was about to move back to Montreal when I got this part. I have good friends and a brother there so I was prepared for the move, but this was a great opportunity for me."

 And, she adds emphatically, "I'm loving it."

 Landing the role of Kara, Ms Ferrier explained, was actually an accident.

 "Truthfully, I auditioned for a much smaller role. I got a callback and they got me to come and read for this part," she said, adding that after a few days, they phoned and said it was looking good and it was really exciting, she admitted.

 "I had no idea how big this was until I was invited to be part of the cast. When I came in for the first day read through, it finally started sinking in and I'm like, 'Hey, this is really happening.'"

 And, she pointed out, "It has been a wonderful experience for me. I'm really enjoying the opportunity to work with some great people on a great project."

 Besides, she said, it's in Nova Scotia, so what more can she ask for?

 Once production wraps for the season in January, Ms Ferrier said she'd like to stay in Nova Scotia, but "I'd also like to keep working so I may have to take the opportunities as they come along because the more you work in this business, the more you continue to work."

 Of course she is hoping the series will be picked up for a second season and, if so, she would look forward to returning.

 "It's phenomenal that I could actually come back to Nova Scotia do this," she said. "They're actually filming a television series in New Minas. Who would have ever imagined that a few years ago?"

 The daughter of George and Nancy Ferrier, who spent many years in Liverpool before moving to British Columbia, she is also the niece of Bridgewater-based lawyer Alan Ferrier.

 "Call Me Fitz" is filming in New Minas, Wolfville and Kentville. The main sets are located in what were formerly a Kia dealership, Wacky Wheatley's Audiotronic, and Speedy Auto Glass in New Minas, with additional locations throughout the Wolfville and Kentville area.

 Series writer, creator and executive producer Sheri Elwood is joined by executive producers Teza Lawrence and Michael Souther, both with Amaze Film + Television (Finn on the Fly, Saint Ralph) and David MacLeod of the Chester-based Big Motion Pictures (SeaWolf, Moby Dick).

 "Call Me Fitz" is scheduled for broadcast on Astral Media's The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) and Corus Entertainment's Movie Central (Western Canada) in 2010.

 Next week, meet cast members of "Call Me Fitz," including series star Jason Priestly.

posted on 12/01/09