Notwithstanding Kevin Costner's auspicious debut in The Big Chill, Toronto actor Alan Van Sprang wondered why his agent insisted he read for the role of Michael Calvess in the dark cop drama Narc.

Calvess is the undercover narcotics officer whose death sets in motion the chilling events that lead to the shocking climax in Narc, which opens tomorrow.

"I asked her why she thought I would want to play a corpse," says the former Calgarian from Toronto where he is filming an episode of Mutant X.

"She'd read the script. I hadn't, so she assured me the whole movie was about Calvess and that he had some excellent moments in the flashback scenes."

Sprang had to go immediately to read for first-time director Joe Carnahan, who had also written the screenplay, because the film had already begun shooting in Toronto.

"They needed someone right away. Joe had wanted a friend of his to play Calvess but at the last minute he couldn't."

Van Sprang met with Carnahan and a man he believed to be a reader.

"The other guy in the room looked older, tired, grey and heavy-set. I assumed he was someone they'd hired to read with everyone auditioning for the role."

The moment Van Sprang began reading, the other man leapt into action.

"He came at me in full character and at full volume. It was a really intense experience. I didn't realize until halfway through the audition that it was Ray Liotta."

Liotta was not only starring as Henry Oak, Calvess's former partner, but was producing the movie through his own company, Tiara Blu Films.

After reading the scene together, Van Sprang and Liotta improvised a few more scenes. The actor shook his hand and thanked Van Sprang for coming in at such short notice.

An hour later, Van Sprang got the call that he'd been cast and that he needed to go directly to a costume fitting.

"Joe Carnahan was there. He said Ray wanted me to join him for supper and drinks."

During the meal, the actors were joined by Jason Patric, who plays a cop assigned to help Oak find his partner's killer.

"Ray was such a great guy to sit down with. It was a great evening. The next day on set, he became Oak. He was all intense again and so completely engulfed by the character.

"He was not the guy I'd been with the night before."

That gentler Ray Liotta resurfaced at the end of the day.

"He came to my trailer with some beer and talked over the day's work. That became the routine each day. One Ray on set. A different Ray in the trailer.

"It's not the way I approach acting, but I really respect someone who can work that way.

"Both Ray and Patric made me feel as if I was as important to the film as they were. It made me feel so good. I discovered later they did the same for every actor in the film."

Narc became a surprise hit at last year's Sundance Film Festival, attracting the praise and support of such people as Tom Cruise and Warren Beatty.

Cruise came aboard as an executive producer and talked Paramount Pictures into giving Narc a major release instead of the small independent release Liotta was anticipating.

"Ray and Jason were only ever trying to make a really solid little film. They were as surprised as anyone that Narc literally exploded at Sundance and has been embraced by so many critics."

Next week, Van Sprang flies to Spain to film a movie called The Gospel of John, in which he will play Judas.

"I don't know who's playing Jesus or any of the other characters. My agent said Spain and I said yes.

"My partner (actress-choreographer Sarah Robichaud) and I just had a son (Logan Joseph Van Sprang) four months ago. We're going as a little family."


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