Back to Green Gables with Jonathan Crombie

I stepped off the boat, it had been many years since I had been here, so many wasted years since I enjoyed the majesty of Prince Edward Island. 

The grass was as emerald green as I remembered, the houses were as picturesque, the vistas were as beautiful and in the air hung the sweet smell of apple blossom. It was as if time had been kept in a box and that box had only been reopened as I, once again stepped onto its soil.

I closed my eyes and imagined myself in a floating white cotton dress with a crinoline  underskirt, the biggest puffed sleeves and a matching parasol, sauntering around the island, meeting friends for a glass of currant wine or enjoying high tea with a gentleman... when suddenly 'whoosh' I was nearly knocked off my feet by two boys on skateboards. Luckily I was wearing rubber soled trainers I thought, prompting me to take stock of my choice of outfit, jeans and a striped T-shirt, not exactly the romantic vision I had had for today, I sighed, things do change, I suppose... Time does move on. 

I wandered on, still I thought with a smile, however much things had changed a great deal has stayed the same; the road - although now covered in tarmac - was still tree-lined and flanked on either side by enchanting, white-washed wooden houses, with swing seats and painted gables. That bridge in front of me... That bridge could have just leapt out of a Claude Monet painting and that man leaning on the bridge... Well he could have, quite literally just walked out of a romantic storybook, for goodness sake that man could have just walked out of the romantic storybook, that man could have walked out of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s 'Anne of Green Gables'... That man could have... I stepped a little closer... That man actually really could be... I was only a few feet away from the bridge now... Oh my, that man was the image of Gilbert Blythe, the man who stole Anne Shirley's heart... Another step... I was at the foot of the bridge now and I could see the man quite clearly and oh my goodness it was... It really was! It was Jonathan Crombie, it was Gilbert Blythe!

I tried to hide my excitement, but unlike Jonathan I am not a good actor and my face betrayed me, he turned and smiled, such a friendly, welcoming smile that, as such a fan of the series and an admirer of his work, was so familiar to me. Jonathan ushered me to his side and was more than happy to chat...

So, Jonathan, what is it like playing a character from youth to maturity in a matter of a few years? You changed a bit, but always looked a little older, but Megan Follows managed to pull off child and woman so smoothly… Was this a bit freaky to watch her and yourself ‘grow’?  

"First of all, thanks for letting me know I always looked older!!  Megan indeed pulled off the different ages of Anne with such aplomb.  Hair, make-up, and wardrobe helped of course, but it is a testament to her acting that the transitions were so smooth and believable. "

What is it like to be so associated with a fictional character that you are even referred to as Gill? Did you find the transition to other jobs easy? Or where you judged on your performance in Anne of Green Gables? "I think at first the Gilbert connection was strong, but I made sure to quickly take on roles that were different, and it’s never really been a problem, particularly in theatre. "

Your portrayal of Gill has left such an indelible mark on fans of both the book and series, do you get people believing that you are actually Gill?  

"A few odd letters, but nothing bordering on scary.  I imagine Megan has dealt with some stranger fan mail stuff than I have."

You star with such a fabulous cast, Wwhat was it like filming with Megan and the rest of them? 

"The cast was amazing, and particularly during the first two ‘Annes', we hung out a lot off set." 

It must have been so hot and stuffy in those clothes? 
I was fine in the costumes (but then again, I never get too hot—I like it scorching!)."

Talking of the costumes, you cut a dashing figure in your suits but were there any modern ‘adjustments’ made to the clothes to make them easier and cooler to wear?  

"I’m not sure of any little tricks wardrobe had to keep costumes cool or more comfortable.  From costumes to props to sets"

So... how authentic was the whole experience? (apart from the film crew!)
"All the components were incredibly authentic and very true to the period and story."

Did anyone occidentally bring modern items on set? I’ve never spotted any, I have to admit.

"Of course this was all before smartphones, but as far as I know all digital devices, modern magazines, coke cans, etc. were pretty much off set when cameras were rolling."

Were there any diva tantrums on set? Did anyone threaten to storm off? 

"If there were, I didn’t see them.  Too bad—I love watching that kind of stuff!"

Now it was set on Prince Edward Island, but where was it filmed? Did you even go to the Island? 

"Most of it was shot in rural areas and ‘pioneer villages’ outside Toronto.  There were a few days in PEI [Prince Edward Island], but I believe just with Megan and Schuyler (the stuff on the beach, showing off that beautiful PEI red sand). "

Well every location looked lovely
"Even though we weren’t in PEI, the locations they found were pretty awesome, and had wonderful histories of their own. "

So how did you get into character? Did you read the books to create you're Gilbert? 

"I did read the books and managed to collect some great information.  But ultimately, the script served as my main source—and I tried to remain faithful to that.  If I had worried about trying to portray the “definitive” Gilbert from the books, I think it would have really messed me up. "

Were there any goofs? (It’s not exactly the kind of series to have a blooper reel!) 

"Tons of goofs!  Forgetting lines, falling off horses, tripping over cables, you name it.  The blooper reel would be longer than the films.  I remember one day, Megan and I were so tired and giddy, we could not stop giggling,  and could hardly get through the scene."

I sneezed, the air was full of pollen... Hmm I wonder...

 Did anyone have Hay-fever during filming?! 

"Don’t remember hay fever, but I’m sure there were a few allergies going around."

You starred alongside the fabulous and charismatic Richard Farnsworth, what was like? He always played such quiet characters, was he actually that quiet? 

"I only met him on set once—and yes, rather quiet, but very sweet and very supportive of the younger cast members. "

And yo dou still see Megan Follows? 

"I just saw Megan in a play in Toronto not too long ago (she was of course incredible in it) and we went for a drink afterwards and ended up spending a couple hours catching up."  

So do people stare when they see you? 
"Don’t remember too many stares, but some of her castmates were teasing us as we left."

This did make me smile, I imagine I would probably burst into tears if I saw them together...

Why do you think that both the books and the series was so endearing to children and grown -ups, then and now,  I mean there are no robots, guns or special effects! 

"I think the character of Anne is so attractive because she is so empowered by her imagination.  It allows her to see the world in a way that transcends circumstances.  She is always armed with hope, determination, and an inexhaustible appreciation of beauty. "  

Was there any doubt in your mind that you orMegan would do the ‘The Continuing Story’?  How do you think it compares with the originals? Is it true about Megan’s nose job? 

"Megan was already attached when they approached me.  I was set to go back to Stratford, but decided if they were going ahead, and Megan was a part of it, I should be as well.  I know it departs from the Montgomery stories, but Megan and I worked very hard to remain faithful to the original characters. 

Nose job?  Are you kidding? "

Andif another book was discovered would you ever consider reprising the role of Gilbert? 

"guess it would depend on the script itself, and of course whether Megan was involved."

How do you think it would have differed if Katherine Hepburn had accepted the role as Marilla? How would have that been for you? What an experience!            "It would have been very exciting, of course, but no more so than working with the amazing Colleen Dewhurst.  Not only was she sensational in the role, but one of the warmest, friendliest and most interesting people you could ever meet." 

I know Megan follows beat of 3 thousand girls to get Anne, how did your audition process go? 

"The casting agent saw me in a school play, and asked me to audition.  I did a couple of reads with the director and got the role (I think my curly dark hair at the time may have helped). " 

Now you’ve had a lot of very different roles since doing Anne (Excuse the pun), but what is your favourite?  

"Gilbert will always be special, since it was my first professional role, and part of such a wonderful experience.  But I gotta admit, playing ‘Man in Chair’ in “The Drowsy Chaperone” in NY and on tour was a total blast. " 

So, you created the perfect Gilbert but if you could play any other fictional character, who would it be? 
"The list is pretty long—there’s so many wonderful characters that I would love to do.  Yepihodov from ‘The Cherry Orchard’ has always been a particular favourite (but I’m perhaps a little too old now)."

And do you think you could have lived back then? I’d love to think I could, but without the net and TV I would probably go insane!  

"I think I could have managed—just sit me down with board games and I’m fine. "

I smiled at Jonathan, he had been so kind as I gushed over his stories, I could have stood chatting all day, but I knew I'd taken so much of his time, plus checking my watch my ferry was leaving soon and I had to be on it, so I had to just say one more thing, I said 'and lastly, thank you for giving me, my friends and now my daughter hours of enjoyment!' to which he replied kindly...

"Completely and utterly my pleasure! "

For more information on Jonathan and Anne of Green Gables go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Crombie
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188592/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088727/
http://anne.sullivanmovies.com/

  

The woman behind the slime - an interview with Robin Shelby

"What the hell was that?" I thought, as I looked down at my shoe. I had stepped on some kind of goo... Green goo... disgusting green goo... 

I put my hand out to steady myself while I inspected my sole, but to my utter horror my outstretched hand connected with another glob of this green stuff. What was it? I smelt it... no odour. So curious, I thought. After collecting a sample to inspect in the lab later I looked for something to wipe it off with, but there was nothing. Where was the bathroom? I wasn't happy wiping it on my clothes, I mean they weren't anything special, but lord only knew what this stuff was.

Then a sudden noise stopped me in my tracks. This place was meant to be empty, but there was definitely something or somebody here and I felt the hairs on the back of neck begin to rise. Everybody knew the rumours about this place and the... happenings. Things flying about by themselves, strange laughter, sightings of things... ghostly things...

"H...H...Hello," I stuttered... "Is anybody there?" 

My heart pounded and armed with an old tennis racket - the only thing I could find to defend myself with - I tentatively inched towards the room the sound was coming from. As I got to the door, I took a deep breath, quietly counted...one...two... and then on "Three!" barged into the room, shouting and brandishing my weapon. I will never be sure what I expected to see that day, but what I did see was possibly the last thing I could ever have imagined.

There, sitting at a table just about to bite into a very tasty-looking sandwich was Robin Shelby: actress, stunt-woman, producer, costume character performer and the woman behind Ghostbusters' 'Slimer'! And she looked as surprised as me!

Quick as a flash, I dropped my tennis racket and joined her at the table. I was starving and that sandwich did look good, but more than that. I was more interested in getting to know her.

So, how did you get the part in 'Ghostbusters 2'? Were you trained in puppetry?

"I worked at ILM on the film 'Willow' (where I played a troll on a bridge that gets eaten by a two headed Hydra monster), and about a year later I was called in to audition for 'Slimer'. When they had lost the actor originally scheduled to play Slimer because of scheduling conflicts, they had remembered me from Willow and decided to call me in.  As far as puppetry goes, this was a job that was more a full body costumed character, not so much what I would consider a 'puppet'.  I was lucky that they were able to see what I could do in a full body costume with Willow."

So was the job advertised?

"They went to my agency to contact me for an audition.  I don’t believe there was any advertisement done."

It must have been an interesting audition? What did you have to do?

"They gave me a few scenarios that Slimer may be in to portray and see what energy and character I would bring.  I’m a fairly hyper and expressive person by nature…so it seemed to be a really good fit right away."

That costume was big, what was it like inside Slimer? Was he hard to manoeuvre?

"It took rehearsals and some getting used to, but after a few weeks of working with the team at ILM and watching rehearsals through a monitor so I could see what it all looked like,  it got easier as we approached shooting."

And heavy I bet?!

"For me, that was the biggest challenge.  The head had motors, wires, cable…you name it.  That was needed as every section of his face could be manipulated by puppeteers off camera.  The eyes, lips, nose, cheeks, eyebrows…everything was movable to create the amazing expressions that Slimer was capable of.  So that definitely meant there was some weight to wearing the costume."

And hot!!

"It was very hot, but they were so amazing about making sure all was well, and taking pretty regular breaks to cool off and get some water.  The good news…no gym was needed when I was working.  The sweat from the costume was more than enough."


While we laughed Robin could obviously sense me scanning the table; the bread, the cheese, the tomatoes and the large jar of mayonnaise. She handed me a knife and pushed the ingredients towards me. Oh yes, I thought and grabbed some bread...

So could you see inside him? Or hear? 

"Yes, I could see out of the mouth (when the mouth was open).  With the servos in the head running, it was equivalent to what you would hear in a noisy airplane." 

Oh, so how on earth did you take direction?
"Tim Lawrence who was directing me at ILM would basically have to almost shout direction out, but he was wonderful in making sure I was clear in what he was asking for."

And what was Ivan Reitman like to work for and as a person?  

"He came to ILM for a couple of days to relay what he needed from the special effects shots and the crew at ILM.  He wasn’t there at the time we were shooting, but knew what he was going for."

What about the guys? Did you get to meet them?

"All of Slimer's scenes were shot in front of a blue screen in Northern California, and then was later added to what had already been shot with the actors on set.  Because of that, technically I didn’t have to ever be in the same room with them or meet them at all.  I have been very lucky to have met some of the cast since then.

Bill Murray also showed up at ILM around the time Ivan was there.  He hung out with us, gave some input with Ivan, and also was goofing around as you might expect.  I was in awe of him and his work, and being basically almost a kid myself then…I was so nervous meeting him, but he quickly put me (and everyone else) at ease with him being around.  Such a great, funny man."

It must have been crushing for all who knew him when Harold Ramis passed away, do you remember where you were when you found out?

"Yes, I was at my computer and my Facebook blew up almost right away.  Started with a message, a few comments and then I went to check a news site and it confirmed it.  I was devastated as many were."

I grabbed the giant jar of mayo and slopped in on my bread. It got me thinking about Slimer.

OK… So being a ghost, Slimer must have once been a human. What do you think he was like, and why was he forced to spend the afterlife as a ‘disgusting green blob’?

"You know, while we were shooting, I was more focused on trying to outwit Lewis a bit, eating any food Slimer could get in his mouth (of course) and keeping that fun, manic energy about him.  I personally found Slimer pretty adorable…but I’m biased."

Slamming one slice of bread against the other I picked up my creation, and just before taking a
gigantic mouthful asked:

So do you get many gifts? The fans must be crazy! Do you enjoy seeing the fanart and reading the fanfiction?

"Yes, I do events and almost always am surprised with an amazing gift or two from a fan.  My husband last year set out to get as many franchise patches he could to put on a jacket for me.  The response was overwhelming.  The GB fans have always been so generous and just wonderful with me.  Definitely a mutual admiration society between me and the fans."

How lovely I thought. What a truly lovely woman. I smiled; a full smile, showing more than just teeth and gums, a smile revealing a mush of bread, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. Oh so much mayonnaise. I must have looked a sight! I quickly finished my mouthful, and downplaying my embarrassment carried on with my questions.

How does it feel to know that you were part of such an iconic film franchise?

"I feel so lucky to be even a small part of such a talented group of people and a wonderful franchise.  I’ll never take it for granted." 

When was the last time you saw it?

"I watched the re-mastered Anniversary Edition about a week ago.  Still made me laugh, which is 

testament to how good the writing and cast really was."

I can watch the films, and have watched them100 times and never tire of them. OOh, I thought maybe she would know...?

Do you know if 'Ghostbusters 3' will ever be made, and how could it now without Harold?

"I have heard so many different things about  GB3, it’s hard to get involved until it’s something that is concrete.  If they do make it, I truly hope it’s made because it’s a script that can hold up to the first two…and makes the fans happy again."

When was the last time you went to the firehouse?

"I sadly have never been to the firehouse.  I hope to change that soon."

Right, however much I wanted to talk about 'Ghostbusters', Robin has done so much more! 

Now you worked with Eddie Murphy on 'Beverly Hills Cop 3', what was that like?

"That was also a character costume.  I played the “fox” in the park that Eddie Murphy sees dancing in a character show in the park and ends up on stage in the show.  It was so much fun…got to be back in Santa Clara at Great America where it was shot, and got to work with a great group of people."

What is Eddie like? He is such a funny guy, was he a clown on set?

"We didn’t do a lot of interaction with Eddie on the days that we shot.  We had our dance rehearsals to get our stuff perfect, and Eddie and the characters we were playing were brought together at the last moment to shoot.  Even though the film wasn’t really seen as a critical success, you can still see Eddie’s comic brilliance shine through Beverly Hills Cop 3 as well."

And you were in 'Cybill'… I was a 'Moonlighting' fanatic, so I

hope she was nice… Was she? Is she just as beautiful up close?

"She definitely is as beautiful up close, and was a work-horse who was very driven to get a good product on set.  As I found out watching her, helming a popular TV show isn’t for the faint of heart.  I think sometimes that drive and determination can be taken the wrong way and people can be misunderstood and sometimes misjudged."


I took the last bite of my sandwich and wiped the excess mayonnaise from around my mouth, one more question I thought.

So, Robin, do you believe in ghosts?
"Truth is... I believe that spirits exist, and I do have a certain respect and fear for the paranormal."

Good answer! Yes, this had been so much better than seeing a ghost I thought, so much better. Mind you, I could have done with some chips...





For more info about Robin go to:
www.robinshelby.com
www.imdb.com/name/nm0623123/
ghostbusters.wikia.com/wiki/Robin_Shelby