Vik Sahay – Living In Wonder

Q.  What are the current projects that you are working on?

A.  I just did a TV movie that just aired called “Mayday” for CBS and then I am waiting for the release of another TV movie called “The History Project” for ABC.  I also did a radio play for the CBC called “The Secret World of Aug,” it’s a Christmas thing.  Tonight, I’m doing commentary for the DVD release of a series called “Our Heroes” I did a while ago.  The big thing that I’m working on currently is the amazing series “This Is Wonderland.”

Q.  Season three of “This Is Wonderland” began airing not long ago.  What is new this season for the show and your character?

A.  Many things, my character in terms of work is I play at a bigger capacity, I sort of came on last season and so now they are kind of going more into his frantic, mass persecute of idealism in the justice system.  So, we just started going deeper and deeper into that and there is a whole new character in terms of this season, played by Ron Lee.  A character named Jack Angel, which my character from last year where he went from Elliott, my character kind of ends up latching on to a couple of characters.  One is named Zona and one named Jack Angel, which is played by Ron Lee.  So, he’s a very different breed of lawyer than has ever been seen on “This Is Wonderland.”

Q.  How do you think the show has been able to sustain itself for three seasons?

A.  I think that everything comes down to the writing.  I think that George F. Walker, Dani Romain and the writing team are incredible.  They surprise the actor, let alone the viewer, as to where it is going to go.  They use a myriad of storylines that intersect in one episode and it is astounding.  Plus, when you’re doing a show that is sort of about the day to day lower courts of Toronto there is a plethora of material.  So, I think it’s something that is not seen on television a lot, this kind of look into the law world in this sense and the kind of dizzying, quick, hysterical and moving kind of writing goes on.

Q.  What is it about the character Anil that originally made you want to play him?

A.  Anil is an innocent, I guess I would say.  He is like the kind of guy that is working with the belief that if you’re doing something for the good, it’ll work out.  He’s kind of a frantic, soft-heart, idealist who is trying to do the right thing.  He just goes, goes, goes and why I wanted to play the role initially was because the scene was written by George F. Walker and when I read the scene for the audition it was just hilarious.  It was incredibly funny yet incredibly true, he’s a character that truly takes everything out of me to play.  He’s constantly going, he jumps off the edge all the time and constantly gets himself into a world of trouble.  He often needs to be bailed out, so that to me was a great challenge and a great way to tackle this work.

Q.  Do you have a most memorable moment from filming “This Is Wonderland”?

A.  That’s a tough one, because every day there is something that goes on.  For me, the most memorable moments is that the actors are so great on the show that when you are in the middle of a scene, whether it’s your close-up or someone else’s, you can turn over and look at somebody else and they are right in the scene with you.  They are totally present, totally there, to me that’s going to remain one of the most memorable moments of shooting the show.  That you can jump and you know that you’ll be caught, because they’ll be right there for you.

Q.  The show won a couple of Gemini Awards, how do you feel about the shows recognition?

A.  I think that it is great, the Gemini’s and awards and recognitions like that are what this show deserves.  To be working on it is real neat and a real reward but that kind of recognition is the icing.  I think George and Dani and Bernie Zuckerman and Cara and Michael Riley and Michael Murphy are real leaders. They’re putting on a show and they are using performances that I think are totally unique and out there and different.  They are not resting on any laurels and this is how it should be done, for that to be recognized at Gemini or wherever, it makes me proud, it’s the right thing to happen quite frankly.

Q.  What are some of your passions besides acting?

A.  I guess I work out a lot, I box and I play a lot of sports. Particularly boxing as of lately, working out in general; that’s something that I am pretty interested in, physical fitness.  A good book, a good novel, something by Philip Roth, when I get in to a novel I can totally disappear, that’s another place of passion for me.

Q.  What is your latest obsession?  Are you into any particular book, sport, music group or activity?

A.  There are a few bands that I am listening to lately, one of them is of course is Broken Social Scene, there is a management company called Arts and Crafts, they have lots of bands that I am in to.  The Stars who do the opening soon for “This Is Wonderland” are a great band, so I’ve been listening to a lot of music like that lately.  There is a new band that is called New Buffalo that I just discovered and one of their songs was actually featured on the last episode of “This Is Wonderland.”  Boxing I guess would be a bit of an obsession, I’m reading a book called American Pastoral by Philip Roth and it’s just a phenomenal piece of writing.

Q.  What would you like to say to your fans and supporters?

A.  I would like to say thank you because it’s only through them that anything can continue and it means a lot because you kind of put a lot in to it and that’s a reward in itself.  When people appreciate your work it’s a real encouragement to continue, it touches me and it means a lot.  So, I appreciate it a lot.