October 27, 2006
Gord Downie gets Hip with acting
By JANE STEVENSON - Toronto Sun

Gord Downie, whose band The Tragically Hip last night wrapped up a four-night, soldout stand at the Phoenix, says his cameo role as a cop in Trailer Park Boys The Movie was fun to do.

Eventually.

"I think I protested a little bit but (director Mike Clattenberg) said, 'No, you can do it.' So if he says I can do it, I can do it. So I did it," Downie told the Sun last week.

In the meantime, Downie wouldn't mind doing more acting.

"The desire comes from the challenge of it, I guess. It's very challenging. I call it like lifting a 400-pound feather. 'Cause it's a feather -- how heavy can it be? And then you go to lift it and it's really, really hard. It takes everything you've got. And I would never turn my back on that kind of challenge."

In the meantime, Halloween's coming Tuesday, and you know what that means for the father of four.

"I'm in Calgary (playing) three nights in a row, and then I have one night off, so I'm going to fly home, so it's like 14 hours at home, just enough time to carve a pumpkin, and get out there (trick or treating)," Downie said.

"I get a lot of flak about not dressing up, but maybe I will this year," he said. "I had a werewolf mask last year but it was just too damn sweaty inside that thing. But I don't know. I always wanted to play The Dane, Darth Vader. Maybe him, black mask ... (starts doing the Sith lord's heavy breathing)."