Aaron Douglas ready to wear some ‘earth clothes’ on ‘The Bridge’
By: Tyrone Warner
Date: February 24, 2010
Source: CTV
After four years of appearing in the sci-fi hit “Battlestar Galactica,” this Canadian actor says he’s ready to play a character with his feet planted firmly on the ground.
“I loved Battlestar Galactica and I’m proud of it, but it’s nice to put on ‘earth clothes,’ drive in a car, go to an office, answer a phone, and eat a hamburger.. doing real-life, real world stuff,” Aaron Douglas tells CTV.ca.
Douglas played the space-craft bound Chief Galen Tyrol on “BSG” until the series wrapped on its fourth season last year. Now Douglas is moving on to a starring role in the new CTV original series, “The Bridge,” which premieres Friday, March 5 at 9pm ET.
“The Bridge” is a police drama that focuses on beat cop Frank Leo (Aaron Douglas) and the understaffed Bridge Division, where good cops are being blamed for drug rip-offs. Framed by corrupt police brass, Frank’s mentor commits suicide. But when the brass won’t give him a police funeral, Frank puts his career on the line and leads a walk-out strike.
With the series resting entirely on his shoulders, Douglas admits that taking on his first major starring role has proven to be harder than any other experience he’s had before.
“The challenge with this role — literally — is for me being in 90% of the scenes and having 10 pages of dialog a day. And when I’m not working I’m in interviews, getting pulled in this direction, that direction — even in my downtime on set, in my trailer, the door never stops knocking. Being #1 on the call sheet is a new thing for me… but I’m quickly adapting,” says Douglas.
The actor has also had to get a feel for shooting “The Bridge” with an all-new crew in Toronto, unlike “BSG” which was filmed on the other side of the country in his native Vancouver.
“I had the same crew there for six years, and had the same routine. Suddenly to come out here, the little things that are different make you go, ‘Oh… I have much different way to do that.’ Not that my way is better — it’s just a different way that I’m used to. But our crew here is amazing, and our guys are great.”
Douglas, born in the Vancouver suburb of New Westminster, BC, who after graduating from the William B. Davis Center for Actors, began steady work in various roles on TV and in movies. He’s appeared in films including “X-Men 2,” “The Chronicles of Riddick” and “I, Robot.”
For Torontonians, themes and storylines from “The Bridge” will ring familiar, with the series being inspired by the notorious ex-police union head Craig Bromell, and written by Alan Di Fiore.
Douglas credits Bromell’s hands-on advice on the set of “The Bridge” with adding a heightened level of realism to the series, adding little details and suggestions for every police procedure.
“He’s always there, he’ll answer any question. He’ll always talk about what to do, how to stand, how to walk. He’s a remarkable man, and I’m proud to call him a friend,” says Douglas.
“I’m glad to have that resource, because I wasn’t a cop, and he has a lot of information that informs me what to do.”
“The Bridge” premieres with a special two-hour premiere on CTV, and returns to it’s regular timeslot at 10p.m. ET.